A recent study from NASA confirms that biofuels reduce jet engine pollution, as it reduces particle emissions in the jet exhaust up to 50 to 70 percentage. This will definitely work well for the airlines economics and as well as the Earth's environment.
The research program was led by NASA and other agencies from Canada and Germany. Data was collected on the effects of alternative fuels on engine performance during a series of flight tests in 2013 and 2014, this research was conducted near NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California.
According to NASA, contrails are produced by hot aircraft engines and the exhaust mixes with the cold air. This occurs when flights are at altitudes several miles above the earth's surface. The persistent contrails create long lasting and extensive clouds that do not from in the atmosphere. Researchers are more interested in these persistent contrails, as they are believed to be a factor in influencing the earth's environment.
NASA used its workhorse DC-8 as a test for the study, the DC-8 was flying as high as 40,000 feet and its four engines burned a 50-50 blend of aviation fuel. Many other aircrafts were also used behind the DC-8 at different levels in order to get various results. Different fuels were used to take measurements of emissions and study contrail formation.
The German Aerospace Center also used its Falcon 20-E5 jet and National Research Council of Canada used its CT-133 aircraft. Researcher will continue to study further to understand and demonstrate the potential benefits of replacing current fuels. If this works out well current fuels in aircrafts can be replaced with biofuels. NASA also has a goal to demonstrate biofuels on their proposed supersonic X-plane.
There might be certain changes required if the fuel is replaced, but the study has surely developed a positive approach, and maybe with further research soon enough jets will be moving on biofuel.
