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A mixture of biofuel and conventional fuel reduces airplane emissions by 50 to 70% compared to conventional fuel, according to the first ever in-flight study of biofuel aerosol emissions. Researchers measured aerosol emissions from an aircraft flying behind the test plane, a technique that provided more accurate results than ground tests. Aerosols released by plane engines in-flight contribute to the formation of clouds, which can affect the climate through their interaction with radiation from sunlight and by changing how much water is stored in the atmosphere. Findings from this in-flight study can help determine the efficiency of biofuel use as a strategy to mitigate anthropogenic climate change.
Authors:
Richard H. Moore, Kenneth L. Thornhill, Bernadett Weinzierl, Daniel Sauer, Eugenio D’Ascoli, Jin Kim, Michael Lichtenstern, Monika Scheibe, Brian Beaton, Andreas J. Beyersdorf, John Barrick, Dan Bulzan, Chelsea A. Corr, Ewan Crosbie, Tina Jurkat, Robert Martin, Dean Riddick, Michael Shook, Gregory Slover, Christiane Voigt, Robert White, Edward Winstead, Richard Yasky, Luke D. Ziemba, Anthony Brown, Hans Schlager & Bruce E. Anderson
Canadian author:
Anthony Brown, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Email: anthony.brown@canada.ca
Original paper published in Nature on March 15, 2017.
