The Use of Alternative Fuels as an Economic Measure

Over the past decades, market forces have always ensured that fuel bum (and associated C02 emissions) has been kept to a minimum for efficiency reasons. As a result of permanent fleet modernization, with new aircraft achieving unmatched efficiency performance, fuel bum has been reduced by about 70% over the last 40 years. 

Some commitments have been made by the manufacturing industry to keep that improvement trend in Europe, the goals set by the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE) are targeting an additional 50% improvement in fuel bum and associated C02 emissions in 2020, compared to 2000 performance. This should be done while reducing the perceived noise levels by 50% and the emissions of NOx by 80% over the same period. Comparable objectives are set in the US, through the different programmes running with the NASA for instance. 

In addition to the traditional embedded technological improvement pattern that aircraft engine and airframe manufacturers are continuously supporting, some further opportunities to further reduce the emissions from aviation may arise. They are related to the design, development, validation and production of sustainable alternative fuels. This new avenue must be further explored to identify the 

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