LOS ANGELES, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Compared to using conventional fuels, using biofuel blending jet engines can reduces particle number and mass emissions in their exhaust trails by as much as 50 to 70 percent, a new study from U.S. space agency NASA found.
Worldwide, flights produced 781 million tonnes of CO2 in 2015, according to the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG).
The cooperative international research, published in the journal Nature, was led by NASA and involving agencies from Germany and Canada.
The study shows that aviation-related aerosol emissions contribute to the formation of contrail cirrus clouds that can alter upper tropospheric radiation and water budgets, and therefore climate.
Data was gathered during flight tests in 2013 and 2014 near NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, looking at the impact of alternative fuels on the performance of engines, emissions, and aircraft-generated contrails seen at altitudes that commercial airliners fly at.
The test series were part of the Alternative Fuel Effects on Contrails and Cruise Emissions Study (ACCESS).
NASA described the contrails as being produced by hot aircraft engine exhaust mixing with the cold air that is typical at cruise altitudes several miles above Earth's surface, and are composed primarily of water in the form of ice crystals.
"Soot emissions also are a major driver of contrail properties and their formation," Bruce Anderson, ACCESS project scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, said in a statement.
"As a result, the observed particle reductions we've measured during ACCESS should directly translate into reduced ice crystal concentrations in contrails, which in turn should help minimize their impact on Earth' s environment."
The benefits come not just from reducing carbon emitted directly into the atmosphere but by also cutting down the chance of contrails forming, which can have an even bigger impact on the Earth's atmosphere.
The results from research aircraft that sampled the exhaust of engines onboard a NASA DC-8 aircraft as they burned conventional Jet A fuel and a 50:50 (by volume) blend of Jet A fuel and a biofuel derived from Camelina oil.
"This was the first time we have quantified the amount of soot particles emitted by jet engines while burning a 50-50 blend of biofuel in flight," said Rich Moore, lead author of the Nature report.
Researchers plan on continuing these studies to understand and demonstrate the potential benefits of replacing current fuels in aircraft with biofuels. It's NASA's goal to demonstrate biofuels on their proposed supersonic X-plane, according to the agency.
SAPPORO, Japan, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Japan beat China 6-1 to take the women's ice hockey gold medal on the penultimate day of the Asian Winter Games on Saturday.
Japan dominated the first quarter, collecting five goals in a row.
China played much better later on as forward Fang Xin hit home a goal in the second quarter, which was the first and only goal the hosts conceded throughout the tournament.
Japan took the gold medal with five straight wins. China bagged the silver and Kazakhstan had the bronze.
"When down 5-0, it's easy to give up a little bit," said China head coach Richard Edward Seeley, "but I'm really proud of how they did in the second and third period."
China will return home to train in Jilin province to tune up for the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship Division I Group B in April. Enditem
KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League quarterfinals will see rivalries between Chinese and South Korean teams, according to the draw made here on Thursday.
Shanghai SIPG, headed by Swedish coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, will play Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC in the quarterfinals, while Shandong Luneng will meet their group stage rival FC Seoul again.
Between the two rounds of Champions League quarterfinals played on Aug. 23-24 and Sept. 13-14 respectively, South Korea's national football team will host China in the first game of the last round of 2018 World Cup Asian qualifier.
Shandong failed to secure a victory against FC Seoul in the two matches during the group stage, but its fans have reasons to be optimistic as the club just announced Felix Magath from Genmany to be its new coach.
Dong Jian, deputy manager of the club, said Magath would improve the team on both tactical and spiritual levels.
The 62-year-old had won German Bundesliga champions twice with Bayern Munich in the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons as well as another with Wolfsburg in 2008-2009. He would take over from former Brazilian national team coach Mano Menezes.
China, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) each contribute two teams to the last eight of this year' s Champions League, but none will play a domestic rival in the quarterfinals.
In the West Asia zone, Al Ain will play FC Lokomotiv Tashkent from Uzbekistan, while another UAE team Al Nasr will play El Jaish of Qatar.
BEIJING superstars rose gold , Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's retail sales of consumer goods performed well in December thanks to pro-consumption policies from the government adidas pharrell superstar hot pink , official data showed Tuesday.