Pinkman
22nd Nov 2007, 19:30
Anyone point me to more meat on this story? Tks, P
IN A bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the aviation industry, aircraft manufacturer Airbus and engine maker Rolls-Royce have joined forces with petroleum companies. They will explore likely benefits of using synthetic jet fuels.
Airlines operating in SA’s relatively uncrowned skies have not been under the same pressure as airlines in the UK and Europe over emission targets.
However, as global pressure mounts for all countries to contribute to cutbacks in emissions, carriers in SA will find themselves compelled to meet stricter environmental standards.
SA is Africa’s largest emitter of harmful greenhouse gases, according to the World Resources Institute’s last published estimate. It ranks as the 19th biggest emitter in absolute terms.
The two European companies have partnered with Shell, state-owned Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Fuel Company, Qatar Airways and Qatar Science and Technology Park to study the benefits of using gas-to-liquid synthetic jet fuels in aviation engines.
“The focus of the research will be on evaluating potential improvements in local air quality, fuel economy and overall reductions in carbon dioxide and other emissions,” the companies said in a joint statement. “Specific studies will also look at operational benefits for airlines, such as enhanced payload-range, reduced fuel burn and increased engine durability.”
The synthetic fuels would initially be mixed with standard paraffin to enable the group to model aircraft and engine performance to explore the potential of fully synthetic fuels.
If these efforts succeed, synthetic fuel could become commercially available by 2010.
Qatar Fuel Company’s director of operations, Nasser Ibrahim Fakhroo, said the company was excited about the project. “We believe we are witnessing the dawn of a new era for the world, led by Qatar, as the potential that gas-to-liquid has to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions is very significant.”
Shell and Qatar Petroleum are building a gas-to-liquid complex in Qatar.
The objective is to make Qatar “the gas-to-liquid” capital of the world, said Fakhroo. Aviation has come under sharp criticism lately from the European Union (EU) and environmentalists for greenhouse gas emissions. The airline industry accounts for more than 2% of emissions.
IN A bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the aviation industry, aircraft manufacturer Airbus and engine maker Rolls-Royce have joined forces with petroleum companies. They will explore likely benefits of using synthetic jet fuels.
Airlines operating in SA’s relatively uncrowned skies have not been under the same pressure as airlines in the UK and Europe over emission targets.
However, as global pressure mounts for all countries to contribute to cutbacks in emissions, carriers in SA will find themselves compelled to meet stricter environmental standards.
SA is Africa’s largest emitter of harmful greenhouse gases, according to the World Resources Institute’s last published estimate. It ranks as the 19th biggest emitter in absolute terms.
The two European companies have partnered with Shell, state-owned Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Fuel Company, Qatar Airways and Qatar Science and Technology Park to study the benefits of using gas-to-liquid synthetic jet fuels in aviation engines.
“The focus of the research will be on evaluating potential improvements in local air quality, fuel economy and overall reductions in carbon dioxide and other emissions,” the companies said in a joint statement. “Specific studies will also look at operational benefits for airlines, such as enhanced payload-range, reduced fuel burn and increased engine durability.”
The synthetic fuels would initially be mixed with standard paraffin to enable the group to model aircraft and engine performance to explore the potential of fully synthetic fuels.
If these efforts succeed, synthetic fuel could become commercially available by 2010.
Qatar Fuel Company’s director of operations, Nasser Ibrahim Fakhroo, said the company was excited about the project. “We believe we are witnessing the dawn of a new era for the world, led by Qatar, as the potential that gas-to-liquid has to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions is very significant.”
Shell and Qatar Petroleum are building a gas-to-liquid complex in Qatar.
The objective is to make Qatar “the gas-to-liquid” capital of the world, said Fakhroo. Aviation has come under sharp criticism lately from the European Union (EU) and environmentalists for greenhouse gas emissions. The airline industry accounts for more than 2% of emissions.