Security News > 2023 > October > British boffins say aircraft could fly on trash, cutting pollution debt by 80%

Sustainable aviation fuels made from sources other than fossil fuels have the potential to reduce emissions by up to 80 percent, UK researchers have found.

Boffins from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science and the University of Manchester testing various blends of traditional jet fuel and SAF said preliminary data shows that airline travel might not such a guilty trip over pollution due to more efficient engine controls.

According to their research, emissions of ultrafine black carbon at low thrust were 45 percent less in number and 80 percent less in mass for every kilogram of blended SAF. It get better at higher-altitude flight, said Dr Paul Williams, an NCAS researcher based at the University of Manchester.

Williams told The Register that SAF/petroleum blends with lower aromatic content produce less soot, and those with lower sulfur content produce less volatile particles, which he said is consistent with other research into SAFs.

Aviation regulators in the US have committed to building a net-zero aviation system by 2050, which the US said will require a sharp uptick in SAF production.

A report from the Royal Society released earlier this year concluded that the UK would need to devote half of its existing farmland to SAF production, or more than double its renewable electricity supply, to meet net zero aviation goals.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/10/17/sustainable_jet_fuel/