Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia 4 Feb 10;
SINGAPORE : The aviation industry is committed to a 50 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, and reflecting that challenge is a special green exhibition at the Singapore Airshow this year.
Major aviation companies are showcasing the latest environmental technologies at the Green Pavilion at the airshow.
The sector now accounts for two per cent of global carbon emissions and that could rise - especially since the industry is set for major growth in the Asia-Pacific region.
"The one positive thing about aviation and going green is green technology is tied to fuel burn. So as you reduce the amount of fuel you burn, you reduce the amount of carbon emissions and that is definitely related to profitability of the airlines," said Paul Finklestein, VP of Marketing at Pratt & Whitney.
Reflecting how serious the industry is, in 2008, the European Union (EU) set up a 1.6 billion euros Clean Sky project - a programme to come up with new technologies quickly.
"The normal lifespan of an aeroplane is 30 years and the development of this kind of technology is 10 years. So we really have to start putting as much effort as possible into developing these new technologies," said Holger Standertskjold, Ambassador & Head of Delegation, EU.
With aviation companies putting all their focus on coming out of dark economic times, there are concerns that green initiatives will take a step back. But aviation companies insist that will not be the case.
"We are pushing forward and this year, (we have) two main projects. The first one is implementation of bio fuels for aviation and the second one is development of modernised air-traffic management," said Carine Huc-Pinault, director of Environment Strategy, Airbus.
Last month, Airbus flew for the first time a commercial flight with 50 per cent alternative fuel blended with normal jet fuel, successfully.
Despite emerging technologies, the failure to reach any serious agreement in the recent Copenhagen climate talks will mean that the aviation sector will have a challenging time. - CNA /ls
ICES, EADS to collaborate on conversion of algae oil to jet fuel
Mustafa Shafawi, Channel NewsAsia 4 Feb 10;
SINGAPORE : A greener aviation industry - that is what a joint project between A*STAR's Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) and aerospace giant EADS hopes to achieve.
The project will investigate the conversion of algae oil to kerosene for jet fuel.
So far, fuel burn has been kept down by improving aircraft and engine efficiency.
EADS said a more radical solution is the use of biofuels made from sustainable and renewable sources such as algae.
Microalgae grow rapidly and require limited nutrients to thrive, but technological breakthroughs are needed for them to become viable.
Some microalgae contain high levels of oil content which can be used as the feedstock for making jet fuel.
The aviation sector accounts for 2 to 3 per cent of man-made CO2 emissions. - CNA /ls
Flying high on algae?
Today Online 5 Feb 10;
SINGAPORE - Can algae oil be viably converted to kerosene for jet fuel that might one day power the world's aircraft? This is something a new 12-month collaboration between A*Star's Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences and global aerospace and defence firm EADS will investigate.
With the aviation sector accounting for some 2 per cent of global carbon emissions, the industry has been taking steps - such as looking at biofuels - to ensure the growth in air transportation is sustainable.
The sector has committed to a 50-per-cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, and at the Singapore Airshow, major aviation companies are showcasing the latest environmental technologies at a Green Pavilion.
But with aviation companies focusing on emerging from the global slowdowns, some fear green initiatives will take a back seat.
Companies insist that won't be the case. Last month, Airbus successfully flew the first commercial flight with 50 per cent alternative fuel blended with normal jet fuel.
Said Carine Huc-Pinault, Airbus' director of Environment Strategy: "We are pushing forward and this year (with) two main projects. The first is implementation of biofuels for aviation and the second is development of modernised air-traffic management."
EADS to conduct research in Singapore
Maria Almenoar, Straits Times 5 Feb 10;
SINGAPORE'S aerospace research capabilities climbed up a notch yesterday when European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) committed to work with three Singapore institutions on 'green' aircraft solutions.
EADS, parent company of aircraft manufacturer Airbus, is working with A*Star's Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences on converting algae oil to kerosene for use as jet fuel.
It also signed a research agreement with Nanyang Technological University, where it is involved in developing an energy efficient radio system.
The National University of Singapore and EADS already have two projects in mind. One of these looks at solar powered aircraft, while the other is on improving the aerodynamic qualities of aircraft.
Globally, the aviation industry has been looking at various ways to fly more energy efficient planes to reduce the air travel carbon footprint and to save airlines money.
EADS said it was committed to placing its brightest researchers in Singapore and is 'here for the long term'.
Said Mr Christian Duhain, EADS corporate vice-president for international development for Asia-Pacific and Latin America: 'We now have 25 engineers here in Singapore, and we plan to ramp that up to about 40 in the next two to three years.'
Singapore will be the only EADS research facility outside of Europe.
Industry players identified the Asia-Pacific as one of the key growth markets for aerospace companies globally. Singapore is leveraging on this by attracting more aerospace research and development projects to be based in the Republic.
In 2007, EADS, together with aircraft manufacturer Boeing and engine makers Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney signed a three-year agreement with A*Star to contribute $200,000 a year to help fund research here.
Currently, there are estimated to be more than 1,300 aerospace researchers in Singapore.
A*Star, EADS to jointly develop green bio-fuel
Nisha Ramchandani, Business Times 5 Feb 10;
THE Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) said yesterday its Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) will work with European aerospace and defence giant EADS to create environmentally friendly bio-fuel.
A*Star and EADS will explore whether micro-algae can be used as a renewable source of fuel for aircraft and look into the conversion of algae oil to kerosene for use as jet fuel.
ICES executive director Keith Carpenter said: 'We hope we can prove to the world that micro-algae can be the solution as a much cheaper and much more efficient source of fuel that can benefit the aviation industry and make air travel more environmentally sustainable.'
Micro-algae are more efficient than plants at converting solar energy and carbon dioxide into fixed bio-mass. They can produce almost 90,000 litres of oil per hectare annually.
Some micro-algae contain high levels of oil content, which can be used as feedstock to make jet fuel.
Yann Barbaux, head of EADS Innovation Works, said: 'As a systems architect of aeroplanes, it is our responsibility to foster research on bio-fuel, even if we are not directly involved in the energy business.'
The aviation sector accounts for 2 to 3 per cent of man-made carbon dioxide emissions. So far, fuel burn has been reduced by creating increasingly efficient aircraft and engines.
A*Star, which participated in the 2008 and this year's Singapore Airshow, also has an aerospace programme aimed at boosting efforts toward aerospace R&D.
It works with 18 companies that include industry leaders such as EADS, Boeing, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce.
Since 2007, the programme has channelled $18 million towards 16 projects. Projects on laser processing, advanced robotics and structural health monitoring have been completed, and talks are underway on possibly commercialisation.
Low Teck Seng, executive director of A*Star's science and engineering research council, said: 'We hope we will be able to develop innovative technologies that both MNCs and SMEs can adopt to continue excellence in MRO-related services and for their high-value-added manufacturing and design activities.'
A*Star also has technologies that can help improve MRO efficiency and reduce costs, he said.
'For example, we are developing a non-destructive testing method to monitor structure integrity to enable detection of early-stage damage before occurrence.'
