Hudson Simon

11-18-22

Sustainable Aviation Fuels; US Dept of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office

This article discusses the types, uses, and impacts of using sustainable and

carbon-limited fuel sources for rockets and jetliners. The office is doing research to find

and distribute new, cheap fuel alternatives to the current options.

This article really highlights the push for climate-conscious business in recent

years. Among doomsday-esque predictions about climate change and its impacts,

carbon emission reduction has become a focal point in the industry. Emissions from

airlines (according to the article) make up 10%+ of US transportation emissions.

Initiatives by aerospace companies have escalated in past years, with Boeing officially

running carbon-neutral in the past years, and with plans to run completely carbon free

jets in the next decade.

Alternative fuels also present economic benefits as well. Fuels can be sourced

relatively easily from waste products and grains, which can prevent waste from reaching

landfills and improve the farming economy of the country. These fuels are cheaper to

produce, store, and use, which can cut down significantly on costs of flights.

There are environmental applications to these in spaceflight as well, as current

methods are questionable in their safety and sustainability. Current methods use

carcinogens which get released into the atmosphere at alarming rates, despite efforts to

prevent this. New sources which avoid the use of these hazardous chemicals can help

prevent these emissions and also improve safety when working with rockets.