NEW YORK, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Much progress has been made in recent years in the development of biofuels made from microalgae, animal fat and other non-petroleum-based substances, and they likely will be approved for use in aircraft by the middle of next year. This week's Green double-issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology examines biofuels and other environmental-related breakthroughs across the aviation industry, as it commits increasing resources to develop and utilize a range of advanced technologies that will allow airlines to operate much more efficiently and greatly reduce carbon emissions.
"We are seeing the aviation industry take a combination of critical steps necessary to achieve carbon-neutral growth by 2020, not just through biofuels but also operating smarter, modernizing their fleets and making significant infrastructure improvements," said Anthony L. Velocci, Jr., editor-in-chief of Aviation Week & Space Technology. "Faltering economies may have taken the heat off global warming as a political issue, but the pressure is still on aviation to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions if it wants to grow and avoid onerous regulatory dictates."
Beyond non-petroleum-based fuels, Aviation Week & Space Technology's special report on Green aviation reviews laminar flow control, electric propulsion, facility upgrades, and more. Some of the highlights include:
-- After decades of research, drag-reducing laminar flow has reached a turning point, with NASA hoping to achieve fuel-burn reductions of 5-12%, and with Boeing planning to apply hybrid laminar flow to the next 787 passenger jet. View an interactive animation at http://aviationweek.com/aw/commercial. -- To upgrade facilities and make them more energy-efficient, airports and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hangars are leveraging Green building practices and products. Certified Green buildings consume about 26% less energy, according to a U.S. General Services Administration survey. -- Industry teams believe electric propulsion will be able to reduce fuel burn by 70-90%, although it is still 20-25 years away from use in commercial aviation.
For more information, visit http://aviationweek.com/awst or read the September 20/27, 2010 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology. For interviews with Aviation Week's Green aviation experts, contact lisa_jaycox@aviationweek.com.
About Aviation Week:
Aviation Week, part of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is the largest multimedia information and services provider to the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries, and includes http://aviationweek.com/, Aviation Week & Space Technology, Defense Technology International, Business & Commercial Aviation, Overhaul & Maintenance, ShowNews, Aviation Daily, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, The Weekly of Business Aviation, World Aerospace Database, Aviation Week Intelligence Network, and MRO Prospector. The group also produces major events around the world.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies:
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a global information and education company providing knowledge, insights and analysis in the financial, education and business information sectors through leading brands including Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2009 were $5.95 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.
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