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New fuels from federal lab in Colorado may fix one of world’s toughest climate problems

Airplane fuel made from plants, waste — developed at NREL — could replace oil-based aviation fuel

A United Airlines airplane taxis for a takeoff heading west at Denver International Airport Wednesday afternoon. (Photo byAndy Cross/The Denver Post)
A United Airlines airplane taxis for a takeoff at Denver International Airport in 2018. (Photo byAndy Cross/The Denver Post)
Bruce Finley of The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
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Passengers flying out of Denver International Airport each contribute up to a ton of heat-trapping carbon dioxide before reaching their destinations as airplanes burn fossil fuels. But those tens of millions of passengers in the future could fly without worsening climate warming if the oil-based fuels are replaced with new fuels being developed at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden. The new aviation fuels are made from a widening variety of plant and other materials — including municipal and industrial waste, algae and corn crop residues — that don’t require drilling for new oil.
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