Missouri S&T professor gets $2 million FAA grant for SAF research
In Missouri, Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) said that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently awarded a $2.05 million grant to a Missouri S&T researcher to study how different types of sustainable aviation fuels could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes.
Dr. Philip Whitefield, professor at Missouri S&T, received the funding through the FAA’s Aviation Sustainability Center (ASCENT), which is part of the FAA’s Air Transportation Center of Excellence for Alterative Jet Fuels and Environment.
Through the grant, Whitefield will measure emissions from aircraft engines that burn sustainable aviation fuels to determine their potential effect on the environment.
The research involves measuring what are known as non-volatile particulate matter (nvPM) emissions. “These are the little black particles that come out of the jet engine – otherwise known as soot,” Whitefield said.
“When you look at aviation’s impact on the climate, the most uncertain contribution has to do with the contrails that form from jet engine emissions,” Whitefield added. “Over the years we’ve generated a tremendous amount of data on what happens with conventional jet fuel, but we don’t know what the best type of alternative fuel for would be reducing climate impact.”
Category: Research
