Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
An L-29 military aircraft powered solely by bio-diesel had a successful test-flight
in 2007. Biodiesel Solutions and Green Flight International collaborated on the
project, performed extensive testing on the ground with various bio-diesel and
jet-fuel blended concoctions.
Finally, the pilot and crew deemed that the machine ran as normal using B100
fuel and was flown at a height of 17,000 feet above Reno, Nevada.
CO
2
and greenhouse gas emissions. Aviation emissions are currently only
three percent of total greenhouse gases, but are the fastest-growing source.
From 2012 the EU is to issue emission allowances for all flights inside, to
and from, Europe. Initially, airlines will be issued enough emission allow-
ances (85 percent of them free, the rest to be auctioned to the highest bid-
der) to cover 97 percent of the 2004-06 average emitted by aviation in and
around Europe, with the amount of allowances decreasing in later years.
Airlines will pass the cost of these emission allowances on to passengers.
Congestion - in the sky and on the ground
Congestion wastes fuel and causes unnecessary emissions. This is a big
problem in crowded Europe. But both Europe and the UK could take
plenty of steps to help themselves. Over the last decade, air traffic has
grown by more than fifty percent. Europe now has close to 8.5m flights
per year and up to 28,000 flights on busiest days. A large part of the prob-
lem is that there is no unified management of air traffic across Europe.
This is something that the Eurocontrol air traffic control organization
