The aviation industry inevitably takes plenty of slack for the way it conducts itself. Most often it is the environmentalists and the ecologically conscious people who like to make the aviation department a perennial target and portray it as a demon that destroys the planet. It is easy to pin the blame on the industry, but most often, it’s hard to find viable alternative to what already exists. It is this aspect of the environmentalists that lets you down. While one should not generalize the statement, you find most of these men only finding faults and drawing a blank when asked about an alternative plan.
I suppose constructive criticism is something that is rare in modern day with everyone trying to win the brownie points. But science does not concern itself with such petty issues. It just goes about trying to discover better ways to live and help the planet develop. A company at Purdue Research Park is doing exactly that. It is creating a plant-based fuel that can help curb aircraft emissions. It is also developing a fuel-cell technology that someday may power motor vehicles and homes and light aircraft. Swift Enterprises, a propulsion and energy research company is testing an aviation fuel called Swift 523 that is made from plants, as well as an ethanol-powered fuel cell.
Leaded Gasoline and millions of gallons of it that is being used in the aviation industry could be soon replaced by this green fuel. For now, the company claims that it is developing the technology for high speed cars and also light weight aircrafts. While the new green fuel might be still a long way away from powering the commercial flights that take to air each day in hundreds, it is surely a step forward towards cleaner skies. According to preliminary tests, Swift 523 can power an aircraft 15 percent to 25 percent longer than traditional gas. It also reduces an aircraft’s carbon emissions by 10 percent and has no sulfur emissions. The company is also developing a fuel cell that uses ethanol and hydrogen peroxide to charge batteries.
The company plans to bring out vehicles that run on this technology by early 2009. This is indeed great news for those clamoring for greener fuels. This also places the aviation industry in far better light than at any point in the past. If any fuel can promise zero lead and sulphur emissions, then it surely is something that the flying boys and the eco driven would rave about alike.
