Electricity + Control March 2021

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Cleaner jet fuel from non-recyclable plastics

S ustainable and green energy company, Clean Planet Energy, has announced a breakthrough product in its mission to reduce carbon emissions significantly in fossil- fuel led transport. Branded as Clean Planet Air, the certified kerosene/jet fuel can be used as a direct replacement for the fossil-fuel equivalent, and it reduces C0 2 emissions by a minimum of 75% in comparison, as well as removing thousands of tonnes of waste plastics from the environment every year. “On an average day around the world (post-Covid), we would expect 75 000 planes to take-off. The aviation industry is making great strides to be greener and cleaner, yet it is calculated by the European Economic Area (EEA) that a domestic flight, for every 1 000 km travelled (the average distance between the UK and Spain), will release 250 kg of new CO 2 e emissions for every economy passenger on board. “Those numbers will prevent the world community from meeting the emissions cuts we must make to stop climate change; so alternatives are needed now. Currently there is no viable commercial alternative to fossil-fuel led aviation, so until there is, our strategy is to assist in the reduction of carbon emissions by producing alternative and greener fuels,” said Bertie Stephens, CEO of Clean Planet Energy (CPE). The company aims to remove over one million tonnes of waste plastics from the environment every year, and it achieves this by developing ecoPlants which convert the waste plastic into new products, including ultra-clean fuels and petrochemical feedstocks to make new ‘circular’ plastics. The plastics used by Clean Planet Energy in its ecoPlants would otherwise be going to landfill, incineration, or worse, entering our oceans. Dr AndrewOdjo, Chief Technology Officer at Clean Planet

On its website Clean Planet Energy flags the record CO 2 emissions which, as we know, are dramatically changing our environment: 43 billion tonnes of CO 2 were released into the atmosphere last year alone, and the levels keep growing. It cites the consequences seen in, among other things, ‘once in a generation’ storms occurring annually, record fires sweeping across rainforests, and up to 150 species becoming extinct every day. Although it is widely recognised that the world must transition to carbon zero energy, fossil-fuel dependent flights and shipping traffic continue (not least to deliver trade cargo and other essential supplies and services). Every one tonne of non-recyclable plastic going into a Clean Planet Energy ecoPlant generates fuel oil 7%, naphtha 25%, gas 11%, solid 5%, and EN15940 (diesel) 52%, all of which can be reused or recycled into other applications and products. The liquid fuels CPE produces using its proprietary upgrading process provide at least 75% reduction in CO 2 e emissions, compared to traditional fossil fuels. And in addition to the eco-benefits of removing waste plastic from the environment and producing ultra-clean fuel, ecoPlants significantly reduce process emissions compared to fossil-fuel oil refineries. The company has already introduced a certified, premium, ultra-clean and zero-sulphur diesel fuel which meets the top EU EN15940 specifications, in addition to other fuels which directly substitute the fossil-fuel requirements for large marine vessels (such as cruise and freight ships). This latest announcement means Clean Planet Energy now covers almost all major road, sea and air transport fuel types. For more information visit: www.cleanplanet.co.uk Energy, gave further insight into the sustainability of the jet fuel recently launched. “In addition to the carbon-emission savings, our kerosene/jet fuel has an 850 x reduction in the poisonous NOx (nitrogen dioxide) and SOx (sulphur oxide) emissions which are, reportedly, globally responsible for around 9 000 early deaths a day. The breakthrough CPE technology is able to handle plastics that simply cannot be mechanically recycled today, thus providing a solution to the waste-plastic crisis too.” With the first two plants already under construction in the UK, and another four in development, Clean Planet Energy is currently scaling its ecoPlant pipeline, working with local authorities around the UK and in Europe to provide a revenue-generating solution.

Clean Planet Energy has launched a new kerosene jet fuel which reduces CO 2 emissions by at least 75% compared to the fossil fuel equivalent.

32 Electricity + Control MARCH 2021