Military jets run on a special fuel called JP-10 VanderWolf-Images/Getty
A powerful military jet fuel normally made from coal tar can now be made more cheaply from plants.
Researchers at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics in China have come up with a way of producing the superfuel – known as JP-10 – from a chemical called furfuryl alcohol that is extracted from plant waste like sugar cane residue, cotton stalks, and forestry off-cuts.
The six-step process converts furfuryl alcohol to the superfuel using a series of catalysts and temperatures of up to 250 degrees Celsius.
JP-10 is a sought-after fuel because…
