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Your Next United Flight Could Be Powered by Animal Droppings

Chicago's O'Hare Airport Hosts Air Industry's World Route Forum
Scott Olson—Getty Images United jets.

This could be a big step forward for the biofuels industry

Get ready for a slightly ripe scent on your next United flight — the airline is going to power a plane with animal waste, reports the New York Times.

Ok, so you won’t actually be able to smell the fuel — for passengers, in fact, almost nothing will be different when a plane takes off from Los Angeles this summer fueled only by animal’s droppings and oils from animal fats.

It will be a big step, though, for the biofuels industry. The Times notes that companies that make alternative fuels have long seen airlines as potential partners, and this United flight could be a sign of things to come.

For more on how the flight will work, and what it could mean for the industry, head to the Times.

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