Air travel may soon become much more eco-friendly, thanks to a new scientific breakthrough that turns food waste into jet fuel. Scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have created a new process that produces sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) entirely from discarded food. The best part? It meets all current aviation industry standards and doesn’t need to be mixed with traditional fossil fuels.

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, offers hope for reducing pollution from airplanes, which are one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions. The aviation sector has set a target to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and this new discovery could play a major role in achieving that goal.

Professor Yuanhui Zhang, one of the lead researchers, said their work solves both scientific and engineering challenges, helping the industry take the next big step toward cleaner skies. He added that the same technology could be used with other kinds of oils to make sustainable fuels and even replace petroleum-based products used in plastics.

The process the researchers used is called hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). It mimics how fossil fuels are naturally formed deep underground but does it much faster. HTL uses high heat and pressure to turn organic waste, like leftover food, into a thick “biocrude” oil. This crude oil is then purified and refined with hydrogen and catalysts to remove unwanted elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, and sulphur, creating a clean jet fuel.

In their experiment, the scientists used waste from a nearby food processing plant. Since about 30% of the world’s food is wasted every year, this method could significantly reduce emissions that come from food rotting in landfills. By converting waste into fuel, the process not only cuts pollution but also gives new life to discarded materials.

The team’s SAF passed strict U.S. aviation safety and performance tests and can be used in aircraft engines without mixing with fossil fuels. The researchers believe this discovery could be scaled up for commercial use, offering airlines a practical and cleaner alternative to conventional jet fuel.