Your next United flight could be powered by animal droppings

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CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 19: United Airlines jets sit at gates at O'Hare International Airport on September 19, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. In 2013, 67 million passengers passed through O'Hare, another 20 million passed through Chicago's Midway Airport, and the two airports combined moved more than 1.4 million tons of air cargo. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Photograph by Scott Olson — Getty Images

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 (UAL) 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.