Virgin hoping to work with Agilyx to try to make jet fuel from plastic waste, by pyrolysis
Virgin Group has announced it is forming a strategic partnership with Agilyx (a chemical conversion technology company) “to research and develop lower carbon fuel facilities to help address plastic pollution and the global transition to net zero.” They want to produce synthetic crude oil from plastic waste that will then be refined into a fuel, through pyrolysis. Waste plastic would be diverted from landfill or incineration. There are few ways to produce jet fuels that are genuinely low carbon, feasible and do not create other environmental problems. Their production, for example trying to make liquid fuels from domestic refuse, is expensive and technically difficult. Most attempts have not been commercially viable. Virgin Group intends to work with Agilyx, one of its venture capital investments, and its first waste-to-fuel location is planned to be in the US, with an aspiration to roll-out similar plants in other countries, including the UK. Agilyx said it sees plastic waste as a valuable above ground resource that is not widely tapped into.
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Virgin Atlantic to adopt lower carbon fuel converted from plastic in net zero push
BY MILLIE TURNER (City AM)
15.2.2022
The conversion process itself can even be aligned with net zero, in using electricity as a source of heat which can be 100 per cent renewable, Stedman explained.
Virgin Atlantic is set to adopt a new, lower carbon fuel that has been converted from waste plastics as part of a new partnership with chemical conversion technology firm Agilyx.
The collaboration spans the Virgin Group, including Virgin Orbit, and aims to tackle both the plastic problem and carbon emissions.
“We cannot keep wasting all of this plastic, throwing it away, littering our oceans… this is valuable material,” Agilyx CEO Tim Stedman told City A.M. yesterday.
Virgin Group and Agilyx aim to reuse plastic waste, sourced from Cyclyx, to produce synthetic crude oil that will then be refined into a lower carbon fuel.
While it is not yet known how many flights using this lower carbon fuel will save due to the certification process, Stedman emphasised how there is “no ambiguity” around its carbon benefits, in comparison with current jet fuels.
“The key thing here is that this is an innovative, fast moving, project. We’re aiming together with Virgin to have real impact, at real scale, in this challenge we have with waste and the need to move to a lower carbon economy and eventually net zero,” continued Stedman.
“It’s very exciting, a first step in a journey that’ll really help us deliver on both angles.”
It follows Virgin Atlantic’s deal with Neste Oyi for its own ‘Sustainable Aviation Fuel’, announced last week, which will be delivered in the first half of 2022 to London Heathrow – and forms part of the airline’s target of having 10 per cent of its fuels emit lower levels of carbon by 2030.
The first waste-to-fuel facility is planned to be in the US, though both companies have their sights set on a UK plant in the future, in a bid to bring manufacturing closer to Virgin’s base.
The conversion process itself can even be aligned with net zero, in using electricity as a source of heat which can be 100 per cent renewable, Stedman explained.
Virgin Group CEO Josh Bayliss added: “Innovation and entrepreneurship are important tools to address the climate crisis.
“Virgin and other companies have an important role to play in meeting those challenges… The creation of lower carbon fuel is an important step in the journey towards net zero.”
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Virgin Group and Agilyx to form strategic partnership to produce lower carbon fuel
By Natalie Clarkson (Virgin’s website)
15 February 2022
Virgin Group has announced it is forming a strategic partnership with Agilyx to research and develop lower carbon fuel facilities to help address plastic pollution and the global transition to net zero.
Virgin Group and Agilyx (a chemical conversion technology company) want to produce synthetic crude oil from plastic waste that will then be refined into a lower carbon fuel. Waste plastic will be diverted from landfill and will help to broaden options in the market for lower carbon fuels from the limited range currently available. Although the fuel will not be exclusive to Virgin, Virgin Atlantic and other Virgin companies are expected to be early adopters as part of the Group’s transitional plans to achieve net zero by 2050.
Josh Bayliss, CEO of the Virgin Group, said: “Innovation and entrepreneurship are important tools to address the climate crisis. Virgin and other companies have an important role to play in meeting those challenges, which is exactly why we are forming this strategic partnership with Agilyx. The creation of lower carbon fuel is an important step in the journey towards net zero. We are very pleased to be adding this project to the range of investments we continue to make aimed at addressing these issues.”
Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic, added: “In this decade, Sustainable Aviation Fuel is the key solution for decarbonisation of the aviation sector but we have a long way to go. Clearing the skies for tomorrow requires radical collaboration across innovators, producers, investors and airlines. We are delighted that Virgin Group and Agilyx are leading the charge to pilot new pathways in lower carbon fuels and we look forward to working closely with them to achieve our 10% SAF target by 2030.”
Virgin Group intends to work with Agilyx, one of its venture capital investments, on developing the production facilities based on its unique conversion technology. The first waste-to-fuel location is planned to be in the US, with an aspiration to roll-out similar plants in other countries, including the UK.
Tim Stedman, CEO of Agilyx, said: “We are pleased to be partnering with the Virgin Group to enable a technology solution for lower carbon fuels as it transitions on its journey to net zero. This platform is unique as it will be used for lower carbon fuels and has the future opportunity for the production of circular plastics. We view plastic waste as a valuable above ground resource that is not widely tapped into. Through our technology, we aim to unlock the value of plastic waste that otherwise may have been destined for landfill or incineration.”
Agilyx’s exclusive technology is able to break down plastic waste through a pyrolysis process. This converts mixed waste into a synthetic crude oil which, once further refined, can be used as a lower carbon fuel.
Visit Agilyx to learn more.
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