Biofuel key to cutting jet emissions, say aviation experts
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Efficient aircraft engines, flight planning also trump carbon-trading option
Developing jet biofuel is the best way to help the aviation industry reduce carbon-dioxide emissions and environmental impacts, aviation experts agree.
Agencies related to this industry are working hard to meet this challenge. Jaroon Meesomboon, deputy director-general of the Civil Aviation Department, said yesterday that there were many ways to achieve the aviation industry’s goal of cutting carbon-dioxide emissions by 2 per cent per year from 2021-50. These include aircraft-engine development and carbon trading, but green jet fuel is likely to be effective and sustainable.
Carbon trading is an inefficient way to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions, he told the Thai Aviation and Environmental Workshop organised by national carrier Thai Airways International. Airlines are still profitable, so they will be able to pay for carbon trading.
And this capability will not encourage them to pay attention to biofuel, he said.
Skip Boyce, president of Boeing Southeast Asia, said that although everyone in the aviation industry knows that plant-based jet fuel is the effective way to tackle environmental problems, its cost is still not competitive with fossil jet fuel, which costs about US$100 (Bt3,000) per barrel.
Boeing is studying the technology to replace conventional jet fuel with biofuel in the future. The main challenge is making the cost competitive, he said.
James Witemyre, senior programme manager at GE Aviation, said there were three factors in saving jet fuel – flight operation, flight planning, and engineering and maintenance. Flight operation contributes the most to efficient jet-fuel consumption.
Flight operation means an innovative engine that helps the aircraft use fuel efficiently. GE has to work with its clients to design engines that fulfil this requirement.
Flight planning means taxiing, preparing for takeoff and flying. GE Aviation is working with THAI on engineering and maintenance to reduce fuel consumption, Witemyre said.
THAI, PTT, Aeronautical Radio of Thailand and Boeing have joined forces to develop aviation biofuels in an effort to reduce global warming and the risk of rising fuel costs. The public sector is urged to support this effort through to its implementation.
The collective vision for Thailand’s aviation industry and the environment is being discussed at the “Thai Aviation and Environmental Workshop – Biofuels and Efficient Flight Operations” from yesterday to today, along with PTT’s role in developing alternative fuel and its policy to support the aviation environment business.
