I have said a few times on this blog that in aviation, we get large steps forward in emissions reductions every time we bring in a new aircraft model… but that we don’t forget the little steps as well. In fact, a lot of the emissions reductions that we have spoken about on enviro.aero have been pretty small – 1% fuel saving here, 2% emissions reduction there. Now, we are going to go microscopic. Down to nanotechnology proportions in fact.

We have been speaking a lot about the move to sustainable aviation biofuels as one of the very important factors in reducing aviation emissions. Another fuel technology that isn’t spoken about too much is hydrogen. There are good reasons – hydrogen is very difficult to handle as a liquid fuel (it needs to be kept at below -252 degrees celcius, otherwise it starts to boil!) and it also has a lot less energy density as a liquid or a gas than today’s jet fuel - meaning that an aircraft would have to be very large to carry enough fuel. Think having a jumbo jet where all the cargo space and lower passenger deck is a big fuel tank and the passengers sit on top.

But while hydrogen in its natural form is very rare on Earth, it is actually the most abundent element in the universe. It literally has an endless supply. So European Aerospace giant EADS has teamed up with the University of Glasgow to research the potential for using nanotechnology to make solid hydrogen fuel for aircraft. This research is only just beginning and we could be waiting a few decades for it to come through, so in the mean time biofuels are the way to go. But it is good to know that all options are being investigated.

Also on a nano-level is the new paint coating that easyJet is trialling on eight of it’s Airbus A320 aircraft. When paint goes on the outside of a plane, it leaves microscopic rough spots all over the aircraft. These can’t often be seen by just looking at the fuselage, but they can have an impact on the efficiency of the aircraft – grooves create drag and lead to a slight increase in fuel use. EasyJet are trialling this new coating which works at a nano-level to smooth over the bumps and grooves and creates a very very smooth finish.

They reckon that this could save 1% – 2% per year in fuel burn and therefore emissions. Small savings certainly, but when combined with lightweight carpets, high load factors, better air traffic control, smoother landing procedures and all the other things we are doing as an industry, small steps are making a big difference.

This report from the BBC explains in more detail: