Title: A comparative life cycle assessment of alternative aviation fuels

Authors: Yusuf Bicer; Ibrahim Dincer

Addresses: Clean Energy Research Laboratory (CERL), Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, L1H 7K4 Ontario, Canada ' Clean Energy Research Laboratory (CERL), Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, L1H 7K4 Ontario, Canada; Mechanical Engineering Faculty, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey

Abstract: In this study, a comparative life cycle assessment of various alternative aviation fuels is conducted with a well-to-wake approach in order to determine the overall life cycle of a passenger aircraft running on these conventional and alternative fuels. The investigated fuels include: hydrogen, ammonia, methanol and ethanol, as well as bio fuels and jet fuels. Although there are modifications required to fulfil the aviation fuel specifications for such alternative fuels, the long term viability and environmental sustainability make them attractive solutions for the future of aviation industry. The present study uses a life cycle assessment of a passenger aircraft using various alternative aviation fuels to determine the relative environmental impact of each life cycle phase. The overall life cycle emissions of an aircraft running on various aviation fuels are calculated from well-to-wake. The processes considered in the analyses include: 1) production, operation and maintenance of the aircraft, 2) construction, maintenance and disposal of the airport, 3) production, transportation and utilisation of the aviation fuel in the aircraft. The results show that hydrogen and liquefied natural gas represent more environmentally benign alternatives although fuel costs are higher compared to ammonia, jet fuel and methanol.

Keywords: passenger aircraft; aviation fuel; life cycle assessment; LCA; alternative fuels; energy consumption; environmental impact; hydrogen; ammonia; methanol; ethanol; biofuels; jet fuels; environmental sustainability; sustainable aviation; sustainable development; well-to-wake; liquefied natural gas; LNG.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSA.2016.080240

International Journal of Sustainable Aviation, 2016 Vol.2 No.3, pp.181 - 202

Received: 28 Jun 2016
Accepted: 17 Aug 2016
Published online: 08 Nov 2016 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article