The German Company Presented an Ecological Plane
Climate change has become a daily topic as we all look for ways to reduce the impacts. We may plant trees or recycle our waste, however, to get bigger results, then we must all do this together, whether you are a big GG Bet player or a sports fan. This means even the companies and industries that are involved need to figure out eco-friendly alternatives.
As you might know, the aviation industry contributes to 12% of CO2 emissions as compared to 74% of road transport. Commercial airliners are responsible for about 2.5 per cent of the total global warming gases. The emissions are expected to triple in the coming years, especially since more and more people now prefer planes for travelling.
As a result, the airline industry has been looking for solutions such as offsets to help combat the challenge. However, the offsets are so uncertain that some countries will not allow them as a solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the year 2030. Besides, the industry would like to reduce the emissions levels by 2050, but the decarbonization process is going to be a big challenge.
The Green Kerosene
But far from that, some companies have been looking for other alternatives to help our ecosystem. In October 2021, a company in Germany presented an ecological solution for planes. This involves carbon-neutral kerosene, which will help in decarbonizing the airline sector.
The plant responsible for the “green” kerosene will be the first to produce the fuel on a commercial scale. According to the German Environment Minister, for the country to become carbon neutral, then the aviation industry has to contribute too.
Synthetic Kerosene, also known as power-to-liquid (PtL) or e-kerosene, is a type of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). It is made from a combination of hydrogen produced by renewable electricity and carbon dioxide from the air and a biogas plant in the same region. Renewable electricity is generated from nearby wind turbines making the process as clean as possible.
Germany wants synthetic kerosene to contribute to about 0.5 per cent of the overall fuel consumption in the airline sector by the year 2026. However, the fuel is 10 times more expensive than the normal one, and this might take a long time before it becomes a competitive alternative. For that reason, Germany will need to enlarge its production significantly and begin improving the green technology further if it wants to meet its target.
Still, on the topic, Airbus is looking forward to building the world’s first carbon-free aircraft by 2035. Its mission is to create hybrid systems using hydrogen fuel cells to produce electric power and hydrogen-burning turbine engines.
The best part with using hydrogen gas is that it could go well with the blended wing design. However, one problem remains that most of the hydrogen supplies today are from methane, which its production process emits a significant amount of carbon dioxide. Therefore, for the aircraft to be zero-emission, then the hydrogen needed to power it must be produced in a much more environmentally friendly way.