Could CO2 ever be converted into jet fuel?

A new study raises the possibility, but it could be decades before such technologies are readily available, Daisy Dunne explains

Tuesday 22 December 2020 16:19 GMT
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<p>Gatwick airport before the coronavirus pandemic</p>

Gatwick airport before the coronavirus pandemic

Reducing the carbon footprint of air travel is one of the major obstacles that the world faces in tackling the climate crisis.

Air travel is a particularly polluting form of transport for two main reasons – the burning of jet fuel causes the release of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2, and aircraft also produce other climate-warming substances, such as water vapour, soot and nitrogen oxides.

When all of these pollutants are added up, aviation accounts for about 3.5 per cent of the warming impact caused by humans in the present day, according to a recent research paper.

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