Good News Nature: Jet Biofuel will help reduce pollution

[WMGroomAK]

While we are always looking for better, greener tech to help reduce our environmental footprint, a new study jointly conducted by NASA shows that Biofuel blends used by jet airplanes may have more benefits outside of a reduced carbon footprint.  According to the NASA study, biofuel blends used in jet engines can reduce particle emissions in the exhaust by as much as 50 to 70 percent.  The article mentions the importance of this as in reducing the production of contrails and that:

 

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-study-confirms-biofuels-reduce-jet-engine-pollution

 

Quote

Contrails are produced by hot aircraft engine exhaust mixing with the cold air that is typical at cruise altitudes several miles above Earth's surface, and are composed primarily of water in the form of ice crystals.

Researchers are most interested in persistent contrails because they create long-lasting, and sometimes extensive, clouds that would not normally form in the atmosphere, and are believed to be a factor in influencing Earth’s environment.

"Soot emissions also are a major driver of contrail properties and their formation," said Bruce Anderson, ACCESS project scientist at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. "As a result, the observed particle reductions we’ve measured during ACCESS should directly translate into reduced ice crystal concentrations in contrails, which in turn should help minimize their impact on Earth’s environment."

That’s important because contrails, and the cirrus clouds that evolve from them, have a larger impact on Earth’s atmosphere than all the aviation-related carbon dioxide emissions since the first powered flight by the Wright brothers.

Now the main question on how this is implemented is probably going to be the economics of creating these 50-50 blend biofuel - Jet Fuel. With any luck, the biofuel portion will prove to be inexpensive enough to implement at least on a scale that large carriers with long routes can easily access it...  

[That Norwegian Guy]

Will it melt steel beams?

[Tataffe]

52 minutes ago, That Norwegian Guy said:

Will it melt steel beams?

Jet fuel does not burn hot enough to melt steel beams. However, the chemtrail fluid does.

[HarryNyquist]

The question I have about this, and all of these better fuels, is how they compare to the gold standard.

 

If you have this biofuel blend making 50-70% less carbon, but you have to use 50-70% more fuel, it all evens out and we get less performance for more money and longer flights. Sorta like the "low flush toilets," where you have to flush the damn thing 6 times, using MORE water than the older toilets that could flush with one pull.

 

Obviously, I hope that's not the case, and that these DO turn out to be better than the gold standard.

[SansVarnic]

That's the key about these Bio-Fuels, They produce less carbon foot print about 50-70% Buuuuuuuut wait you have to use 50-75% more to achieve the same performance .... yeah I dont buy into it so much, I see no gain. Don't forget the cost of fuel/energy it takes to produce this bio-fuel. It adds up.

 

Bio-fuels will save the planet ... umm no.  

[WMGroomAK]

3 minutes ago, SansVarnic said:

That's the key about these Bio-Fuels, They produce less carbon foot print about 50-70% Buuuuuuuut wait you have to use 50-75% more to achieve the same performance .... yeah I dont buy into it so much, I see no gain. Don't forget the cost of fuel/energy it takes to produce this bio-fuel. It adds up.

 

Bio-fuels will save the planet ... umm no.  

I agree that the carbon footprint issue with biofuels is not optimized and is definitely something that needs to be studied in greater detail.  I think the more interesting point on this article front, which they may be able to apply to conventional jet fuel, is that they are observing the 50-70% decrease in the amount of soot particulates which form the contrails. 

[Yoinkerman]

but will mind control still work?

[WMGroomAK]

2 minutes ago, Yoinkerman said:

but will mind control still work?

With the new Chemtrails the government is using, I think it only works on the people wearing aluminum foil in their hats. (Hence NASA involvement.)

[Stefan1024]

Using food to produce bio fuel, by using fossile fuel for the machinery while millions of people are starving to death....

 

While I like tech like this, it's stupid to implement on a large scale until energy is basicly free (fusion reactor working).

[Scionyde]

19 hours ago, HarryNyquist said:

The question I have about this, and all of these better fuels, is how they compare to the gold standard.

 

If you have this biofuel blend making 50-70% less carbon, but you have to use 50-70% more fuel, it all evens out and we get less performance for more money and longer flights. Sorta like the "low flush toilets," where you have to flush the damn thing 6 times, using MORE water than the older toilets that could flush with one pull.

 

Obviously, I hope that's not the case, and that these DO turn out to be better than the gold standard.

It's been a long time since I've done any reading on this, but I think the intent of biofuels is that they're supposed to be carbon-neutral: the carbon you release upon combustion would have to be equal to the carbon taken in by the plant source during growth. But it looks like we're talking about blends here, and so like you say, the amount of total fuel (aka the regular fuel portion of the blend) being consumed is important.

[FPSwithaWacomTablet]

Same argument is used with E85 fuels. Yeah, it is bio friendly, but it sucks when it comes to power density per liter of fuel.... I don't think anyone has solved the problem here...

[Brooksie359]

On 3/17/2017 at 9:41 AM, Stefan1024 said:

Using food to produce bio fuel, by using fossile fuel for the machinery while millions of people are starving to death....

 

While I like tech like this, it's stupid to implement on a large scale until energy is basicly free (fusion reactor working).

i remember hearing about jets using left over grease form cooking meat as some sort of jet fuel. maybe that something like that would be more realistic.