Airport Experience® News - ACDBE 2023

SUSTAINABILITY SPOTLIGHT

FUELING THE FUTURE Used Cooking Oil Is Making Sustainable Aviation Fuel A Reality

BY SALLY KRAL

Left: In March, Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport, in partnership with Fraport Maryland, became the seventh major commercial airport in the United States to launch a zero-waste sustainability program that collaborates with Neste and Mahoney Environmental to collect used cooking oil and convert it into renewable fuels (caddy transport at BWI pictured).

nMarch 9, 2023 Fraport Maryland , in partnership with Mahoney Environmental and Baltimore

cooking oil across the nation, including from restaurants, sports venues, and airports,” says Michael Sargeant, vice president of renewable aviation for The Americas at Neste, adding that in addition to BWI, the company collects grease from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), Seattle– Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Denver International Airport (DEN), and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). “These airports that we collect used cooking oil from are some of the busiest airports in the country—together with Mahoney Environmental we’re showing the potential of collecting and using waste to fuel society’s transport system,” Sargeant says. “For passengers traveling through

O

Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), launched a new sustainability project called Solution ZERO. This “zero waste, zero cost” initiative includes engaging with Mahoney, a used cooking oil collection company and subsidiary of the world’s leading producer of renewable fuels, Neste , to collect the grease generated from BWI’s 50-plus hospitality partners, which is then used as rawmaterials to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) or other renewable products. BWI is the seventh major commercial airport in the United States to launch a zero-waste sustainability program that collaborates with Neste and Mahoney Environmental to collect used cooking oil and convert it into renewable fuels. “Right now, through Mahoney Environmental, we are collecting used

Above: Mahoney Environmental provides both the tanks for oil collection as well as customized caddies that restaurant staff members use to transport grease from restaurant kitchens to the tanks.

36

A X N E W S A C D B E I S S U E 2 0 2 3