PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Fueling greener aviation with hydrogen

2024-11-01
(Press-News.org) Despite ongoing efforts to curb CO2 emissions with electric and hybrid vehicles, other forms of transportation remain significant contributors of greenhouse gases. To address this issue, old technologies are being revamped to make them greener, such as the reintroduction of sailing vessels in shipping and new uses for hydrogen in aviation. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering have used computer modeling to study the feasibility and challenges of hydrogen-powered aviation.

“While there is a long way to go for hydrogen aviation to be realized at scale, we hope that our analysis of both onboard system design and enabling infrastructure will be used to prioritize development efforts,” says Dharik Mallapragada, one of the study’s coauthors.

The aviation industry’s energy-related CO2 emissions have grown faster than those of rail, road and shipping in recent decades, according to the International Energy Agency. To reduce the potential climate impacts of this growth, scientists are improving aircraft design and operation, and developing low-emission fuels such as hydrogen, which is used for direct combustion or to power electric fuel cells. Hydrogen’s appeal as a fuel source is that its use produces no CO2 and provides more energy per pound than jet fuel. To understand the potential impact of switching from traditional jet fuel to hydrogen fuel in aviation, Anna Cybulsky, Mallapragada and colleagues modeled its use in the electrification of regional and short-range turboprop aircraft.

The researchers calculated that the extra bulk of a hydrogen fuel tank and fuel cells retrofitted to an existing plane would need to be offset by weight reductions elsewhere, such as reducing the aircraft’s payload (cargo or passengers). This could mean that more flights would be needed to deliver the same payload. The team’s model suggested, however, that improvements in fuel cell power and the fuel system’s gravimetric index (the weight of the fuel in relation to the weight of the full fuel tank) could eliminate the need to reduce payload, thus eliminating the environmental impact of additional flights. At the same time, they noted that shifting to hydrogen-powered flight may reduce the aviation industry’s CO2 emissions by up to 90%.

A bigger challenge than switching aviation fuel types may be providing the infrastructure needed to generate and distribute hydrogen in a low-carbon and cost-effective manner. One low-carbon production method uses natural gas reforming (extracting hydrogen from methane gas) coupled with carbon capture, but it requires access to CO2 infrastructure and sequestration sites. Another green option is electrolysis, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, and could be done by using electricity from a nuclear plant or renewable resources. But this would add substantial demand to electrical grids. Cybulsky and colleagues noted that because grid electricity prices can be highly variable across a region, it may be more cost-effective to transport hydrogen from a low-cost production facility to end-users.

For these reasons, the researchers suggest that the rollout of hydrogen-based aviation might start at locations that have favorable conditions for hydrogen production, such as Hamburg, Germany, or Barcelona, Spain. The infrastructure required to support hydrogen use in aviation would also benefit decarbonization efforts in other industries, including road transportation and shipping, by making hydrogen fuel more available.

The authors acknowledge funding from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative Low-Carbon Energy Centers for Energy Storage and Future Energy Systems Center.

###

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, e-books and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio. 

Registered journalists can subscribe to the ACS journalist news portal on EurekAlert! to access embargoed and public science press releases. For media inquiries, contact newsroom@acs.org. 

Note: ACS does not conduct research but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. 

Follow us: X, formerly Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram  

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Education, occupation, and wealth affect the risk of cognitive impairment

2024-11-01
Socioeconomic factors such as education, occupation, and wealth influence the likelihood of developing cognitive impairment or dementia in later life and whether a person is likely to recover, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The research, published in Scientific Reports, followed 8,442 adults aged 50 and above in England over 10 years from 2008/09 to 2018/19, to examine how socioeconomic factors at the start of the study were associated with changes in cognitive status. The researchers tracked how these people moved between various states: healthy, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia. They also considered the possibility ...

Revealing causal links in complex systems

2024-11-01
Getting to the heart of causality is central to understanding the world around us. What causes one variable — be it a biological species, a voting region, a company stock, or a local climate — to shift from one state to another can inform how we might shape that variable in the future.  But tracing an effect to its root cause can quickly become intractable in real-world systems, where many variables can converge, confound, and cloud over any causal links.  Now, a team of MIT engineers hopes to provide some clarity in the pursuit of causality. They developed ...

Alzheimer disease as a clinical-biological construct— an international working group recommendation

2024-11-01
About The Study: This article discusses a recent revision of the Alzheimer Association criteria to define Alzheimer disease (AD) as a purely biological entity, which raises concerns that if diagnosis of AD can be reduced to the sole presence of AD core 1 biomarkers, major uncertainty and variability in the clinical prognosis of patients diagnosed with AD may be introduced. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Bruno Dubois, MD, MSc, email bruno.dubois@aphp.fr. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.3770) Editor’s ...

Press registration now open for the EULAR 2025 Congress in Barcelona

2024-11-01
The EULAR 2025 Congress will gather the world's foremost rheumatology experts, fostering a unique environment to explore pioneering research, clinical advancements, and patient-centred innovations in rheumatology. This annual flagship event offers unparalleled access to transformative discussions and showcases the latest strides in patient care for rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs).    This year's Congress programme promises an impressive line-up, featuring must-see scientific sessions, EULAR Recommendations, and insightful abstract presentations. Esteemed speakers from across Europe and beyond ...

New research identifies ways to protect neurons from the negative effect of high-fat diet on multiple sclerosis progression

New research identifies ways to protect neurons from the negative effect of high-fat diet on multiple sclerosis progression
2024-11-01
NEW YORK, November 1, 2024 — Newly published research in the journal Glia has identified crucial links between dietary choices and the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, led by Patrizia Casaccia, founding director of the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center’s (CUNY ASRC) Neuroscience Initiative and Einstein Professor of Biology and Biochemistry at the CUNY Graduate Center, explored how enzymes called ceramide synthase 5 and 6 are responsible for the toxic effect ...

Boosting the nutritional value of black soldier fly larvae with biotechnology

Boosting the nutritional value of black soldier fly larvae with biotechnology
2024-11-01
With the rapid increase in the global population, a "protein crisis" is expected in the near future, where the supply of protein will not be able to meet the rising demand. Fishmeal is the most common protein source that supports the production of livestock and aquaculture products, which are key protein sources for human consumption. However, global shortage of fishmeal and its rising prices have created an urgent need to find and secure an alternative protein source. Insects are gaining attention as novel protein sources ...

Medication decisions in pregnancy: A balancing act

2024-11-01
Most women use medication during pregnancy. Yet, selecting appropriate drugs and doses is challenging. In a new The Lancet article, physicians and researchers from the Radboud university medical center, Maastricht UMC+, Imperial College London, and the University of Liverpool introduce a shared decision-making approach combining ethical principles and a pregnant woman’s values with existing evidence. They use the example of sertraline, a commonly prescribed antidepressant in pregnancy, to illustrate the advocated decision-making process. Although pregnant women often need medication, data on drug safety and efficacy in pregnancy remains limited. Historically seen as vulnerable research ...

Texas Tech researcher named Station Science Leader for Antarctica project

2024-10-31
Summary: Texas Tech’s Natasja van Gestel has been named Station Science Leader by the National Science Foundation (NSF), enabling her to lead and coordinate research at Antarctica’s Palmer Station while advancing her work on climate change’s impact on glaciers. As a leader, she will oversee multiple scientific initiatives, manage resources and ensure compliance with the Antarctic Treaty’s regulations. Why This Matters: Climate Study: Her research contributes vital data on climate change effects in Antarctica, crucial for global climate assessments. International Collaboration: ...

Restricting sugar consumption in utero and in early childhood significantly reduces risk of midlife chronic disease

2024-10-31
A low-sugar diet in utero and in the first two years of life can meaningfully reduce the risk of chronic diseases in adulthood, a new study has found, providing compelling new evidence of the lifelong health effects of early-life sugar consumption. Published in Science, the study finds that children who experienced sugar restrictions during their first 1,000 days after conception had up to 35% lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and as much as 20% less risk of hypertension as adults. Low sugar intake by the mother prior to birth was enough to lower risks, but ...

Apixaban vs aspirin in patients with cancer and cryptogenic stroke

2024-10-31
New Orleans - Ochsner Health physicians Dr. Richard Zweifler and Dr. Joseph Tarsia are co-authors on a post hoc analysis carried out in the ARCADIA randomized clinical trial, comparing the effectiveness of apixaban versus aspirin in preventing adverse clinical outcomes in patients with a history of cancer and cryptogenic stroke. The research found no significant difference in the risk of major ischemic and hemorrhagic events between those taking apixaban and aspirin. The ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Reality check: making indoor smartphone-based augmented reality work

Overthinking what you said? It’s your ‘lizard brain’ talking to newer, advanced parts of your brain

Black men — including transit workers — are targets for aggression on public transportation, study shows

Troubling spike in severe pregnancy-related complications for all ages in Illinois

Alcohol use identified by UTHealth Houston researchers as most common predictor of escalated cannabis vaping among youths in Texas

Need a landing pad for helicopter parenting? Frame tasks as learning

New MUSC Hollings Cancer Center research shows how Golgi stress affects T-cells' tumor-fighting ability

#16to365: New resources for year-round activism to end gender-based violence and strengthen bodily autonomy for all

Earliest fish-trapping facility in Central America discovered in Maya lowlands

São Paulo to host School on Disordered Systems

New insights into sleep uncover key mechanisms related to cognitive function

USC announces strategic collaboration with Autobahn Labs to accelerate drug discovery

Detroit health professionals urge the community to act and address the dangers of antimicrobial resistance

3D-printing advance mitigates three defects simultaneously for failure-free metal parts 

Ancient hot water on Mars points to habitable past: Curtin study

In Patagonia, more snow could protect glaciers from melt — but only if we curb greenhouse gas emissions soon

Simplicity is key to understanding and achieving goals

Caste differentiation in ants

Nutrition that aligns with guidelines during pregnancy may be associated with better infant growth outcomes, NIH study finds

New technology points to unexpected uses for snoRNA

Racial and ethnic variation in survival in early-onset colorectal cancer

Disparities by race and urbanicity in online health care facility reviews

Exploring factors affecting workers' acquisition of exercise habits using machine learning approaches

Nano-patterned copper oxide sensor for ultra-low hydrogen detection

Maintaining bridge safer; Digital sensing-based monitoring system

A novel approach for the composition design of high-entropy fluorite oxides with low thermal conductivity

A groundbreaking new approach to treating chronic abdominal pain

ECOG-ACRIN appoints seven researchers to scientific committee leadership positions

New model of neuronal circuit provides insight on eye movement

Cooking up a breakthrough: Penn engineers refine lipid nanoparticles for better mRNA therapies

[Press-News.org] Fueling greener aviation with hydrogen