Biofuel startup makes historic flight

Madison-based Virent, a startup that makes fuel out of plants for cars and airplanes, has recorded a first in aviation history. A United-piloted flight aircraft full of passengers completed a flight using Virent-made, plant-based jet fuel, according to a Wisconsin State Journal report. The flight propelled by cleaner-burning fuel rather than conventional petroleum compounds left from Chicago O’Hare International Airport last Wednesday and landed at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. Virent is a subsidiary of Delaware-based Marathon Petroleum Corp.