WPI researchers create method for making net-zero aviation fuel

In Massachusetts, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has developed a potential recipe for a net-zero fuel for planes that will pull carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the air.

Through modeling and computation analysis, the researchers developed a formula for a fuel that consists of magnesium, a mineral that is found all over the globe, most abundantly in the world’s oceans. A slurry of magnesium hydride – a chemical compound made up of magnesium and hydrogen – mixed with hydrocarbon fuel would burn to produce CO2, water vapor and magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles. The magnesium hydride fuel would also give planes the range for long-haul flights that has been a challenge for other sustainable aviation fuels to provide.

“We found this fuel would have up to 8% more range than other today’s jet fuel, and more than two to three times longer range than liquid hydrogen or ammonia which other researchers have proposed as sustainable fuels,” said Jagan Jayachandran, assistant professor of aerospace engineering.

The researchers plan to further their research through physical experiments with samples of the fuel, and are also pursuing potential funding from a federal agency.

More on the story.