From park benches to car parts, it appears that turning garbage into useful products is quite a diversified line of work. Now, launch startup Skyrora is making a case by upcycling plastic waste into a new type of fuel to power its 3D printed rocket engines.
Having tested both its plastic-waste-derived fuel, called “Ecosene” and regular kerosene, the company managed to compare the two fuel sources in terms of performance. “Ecosene” resulted in 45 percent less greenhouse gas emissions compared to the other fuel, making the launch vehicles greener and more ecologically sound.
What’s more, from 1,000kg of plastic waste, the company can generate as much as 600 kg of fuel. The Ecosene also has the advantage of not requiring cryogenic freezing, and it can be stored in tanks for long periods of time, something that the startup says helps it work particularly well for launch conditions from the Scottish spaceport from which the company plans to launch.
Ultimately, this is just one test on the path to validation and eventual launch, but Skyrora is encouraged by the results of this test, and it plans to fly its first vehicles from its UK-based launch site starting in 2022.
