--- title: "Greek yogurt could be a new sustainable jet fuel" date: "2018-11-01" modified: "2020-10-22" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-tactical/greek-yogurt-could-be-a-new-sustainable-jet-fuel/" categories: - "Military News" - "Technology" --- # Greek yogurt could be a new sustainable jet fuel ![]() When companies mass-produce Greek-style yogurt, there's a significant output of what they call "waste" product. The acid whey — milk sugar, fructose, and lactic acid — is still edible, but it's not used in the product. Researchers have found that a few modifications to the whey can turn it into a fuel for jet engines. --- In an attempt to discover a natural antibiotic for livestock, scientists added carbon elements to the waste product to make a biofuel — [and a sustainable fuel for jet engines](). When the yogurt is produced, the protein is strained from milk, leaving behind a watery liquid whey. The mixture of acids and sugars is prime food for certain kinds of bacteria. As the bacteria feed on the acid whey in an oxygen-deprived environment, they create caproic acid and caprylic acid, a kind of "bio-oil." ![]() The process is the same as what goes on in the human stomach. The bacteria in human stomachs convert food into different acids, which fuel the body. The dairy sector of the agricultural market has what Cornell researcher Dr. Lars Angenent calls, "a very large carbon footprint." His work is focused on creating closed, sustainable cycles of production. The researchers added bacteria to the waste product to create a natural antibiotic for cattle. ### Related: [The Pentagon wants to buy mortar rounds that grow plants]() Angenent's team created two "open-culture" reactors, featuring bacteria feasting on the waste products at two different temperatures and extracting the flammable gas given off. The team's next step is to scale-up the reactor's size and create changes that increase both the efficiency of the reactions and how the oil is collected. Once that process is more economical, the bio-oil production could become a sustainable source of fuel. At the same time, it will make the agricultural sector more profitable and less wasteful. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()