Stauffer, Brian. “AIRLINES PUSH TO REDUCE CARBON FOOTPRINT WITH GREENER FUELS.” Wall Street Journal, 9 Feb. 2021, www.wsj.com/articles/airlines-push-to-reduce-carbon-footprint-with-greener-fuels-11612893657.
The article talks about how multiple airlines have been experimenting with different greener fuels, and that biofuels are one of the lead contenders. However, diving deeper into the article it is revealed that even biofuels are not extremely feasible in replacing current jet fuels. The main problem with using biofuels is the amount of biomass they require, and the fact that this biomass needed is not sustainable. Lastly, the author also discusses how many airlines have no incentive to purchase biofuels considering they can be about four times more costly.
I thought the article definitely did a good job at presenting some information many people don’t care to look at. Yes, biofuels can do a great job at reducing emissions but the amount of biomass that goes into making biofuel is not always sustainable and this will present a huge problem for us in the future. However, one thing I think the author forgot to mention was that the required biomass will change overtime as we continue developing biofuel. Beyond this, research has gone into making biofuel from other sources like kelp which can regrow incredibly fast, potentially solving this problem.
I think the author brings up great points about why it’s not easily possible to use biofuel for airplanes and I think this industry is very similar to cars where no company was very incentivized to use green energy until a major disruptor like Tesla pushed other companies to compete. Again though, it falls back on the requirement for innovation so that even one company can achieve this goal. It is definitely going to be tough, but not impossible.
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your abstract and I found it very interesting. What are some other fuel options that are currently being tested?