A group of Kingston University in London engineering students have developed a rocket engine powered by an unusual but highly sustainable energy source – beeswax.

Developed at the University's Roehampton Vale campus, the group of eight students utilised the high-tech propulsion lab to test their new hybrid engine, working on the project for more than 18 months with the engine designed using specialist software. The initial designs were developed into a functioning engine and used Kingston’s rocket lab to successfully test the engine and gather high-quality data on metrics including temperature and pressure.

Aerospace Engineering and Space Technology student Michaella Gapelbe Santander explained the group had chosen beeswax as a fuel due to it having similar properties to paraffin alongside its abundance as a renewable resource: “In the industry fuels such as paraffin or HDPE are used as energy sources, but we decided to take a more interesting and sustainable approach by using beeswax.”

Beeswax is harvested from honeycomb, often by beekeepers themselves as they remove honey from the hive. The students used Thorne, a beekeeping supplier based in Lincolnshire to obtain the beeswax.

Michaella explained how the facilities at Kingston had been instrumental in launching the project “There are excellent facilities at the University where we can access industry experience and technical expertise. We have access to the necessary materials and labs so we can design, build, mount and test the engine all within the labs on campus.”

Senior lecturer in astronautics Dr Peter Shaw explained the experience and knowledge the students gained from the project. "At Kingston University we are proud to support the innovative and creative ideas our students bring to the table. By providing a safe space - in our on-site rocket propulsion test laboratory - we allow our students to probe the possible,” he said. “The team did a fantastic job in examining sustainability issues around rocket propulsion and investigating novel eco-inspired solutions, mixing a love of the planet with complex engineering. Helping to build their Future Skills while bringing a compassionate approach for the next generation of engineers."

The students believe that once all the data from the project is collated and they publish their findings the aerospace world will take notice of this and think more about being sustainable and eco-friendly in the future.