“Fostering the environmental health of the aviation ecosystem: A case for the incorporation of environmental engineering”.
Introduction- In today's generation, the aviation industry is touching new heights in comparison to any other means of transportation. From general human beings to commodities, everyone is majorly dependent on-air transportation for their movement. The aviation industry has made the survival of people easier by covering the longest distance in a few hours. Increasingly, almost all businesses, either at national or international levels, are opting to send their goods by air, even though it costs much more than any other mode of transportation.
This technological advancement has provided people with a luxurious lifestyle. Its impact in this century is unmeasurable. In almost every direction, including tourism, business trips, studies, etc., aero planes are serving commendable services. Despite all these advancements, the level of environmental pollution is increasing with dual speed. The aviation industry has become one of the major polluting industries. It is high time that a mechanical step needs to be taken by environmental engineers so that real economic, technological, and environmental growth can be attained in this developing era.
Environmental engineering- It is a branch of engineering where engineers professionalize themselves to deal with environmental issues, majorly taking place due to technological advancements and industrial enhancements.[i] Engineers here basically focus on ensuring that societal development and the use of water, land, and air resources remain sustainable. Along with this the main principle of these scientific and engineering step is to provide people with a quality of human life.[ii] Hence, as in this developmental phase the level of pollution becomes uncontrollable hence to achieve the environmental standards mandated by legislation, engineering solutions are necessary.[iii]
Types of pollution created by the aviation sector- Fossil fuels burnt during aviation activities emit not only CO2 but also powerful warming non-CO2 effects such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), vapour trails, and cloud formation brought on by the height at which aircraft fly. Here non-CO2 has a much more severe impact on the environment I’m comparison to CO2.[iv] Along with it all immediate actions are also required to address the following issues to safeguard the health of people:
1) Water pollution – Aviation activities are considered to be the major source of water pollution and water wastage, airports either dump all harmful chemicals, and de-icing solutions into waterbodies nearby airports or spread that water on the ground which further surface runoff carries to nearby rivers, and water bodies. [v]
In de-icing, the airline sprays on airplanes the mixture of around 55% of glycol and around 45% of water at 185 degrees F heat. These chemicals consume high levels of oxygen which result in depletion of freshwater and harm to aquatic animals[vi]
2) Ozone, PM- Aviation also emits tropospheric ozone which further leads to the formation of particulate matter, resulting in a respiratory health hazard. This emission causes every year around 6800 premature mortalities.[vii]
3) Supporting vehicles – Airports equipped with aircraft along with the majority of other types of vehicles, including Pushback tugs Catering trucks de-icing vehicles, Snow-plowing, -sweeping and -blowing vehicles, follow me cars, water trucks, refiling vehicles, and fire trucks are major sources of air pollution from gas and particulate material emissions that are harmful to human heal
4) Noise-Combustion engines in aircraft are the most dominant noise producers. Along with this during take-off or landing of the aircraft the noise caused by air pressure on the wings and Fuselage is loud enough that it causes trouble for people leaving around the airport.
Statistical data available - Air travel is increasing globally, today the use of airplanes is five times more than in the 1970s. Globally, around 42% of international tourist activities now take place by air only due to a reduction in overall fares of flights.[viii] Now, it all results in tons of emissions. As per the studies conducted, by 2020, aviation emissions were 70% higher than in 2005 and they could grow by 300% by 2050.[ix] Hence, before the situation could be developed like this a stronger step needs to be taken by environmental engineers.
Measures need to be taken by environmental engineers to overcome the pollution- Firstly, the engineers along with the government need to attract the attention of people towards this issue. More than half of the travellers are still unaware of these problems associated with air travel. As per studies it has been found that among the tourists in Zanzibar, Tanzania it has been found that only 17% of the tourists interviewed were aware of the pollution created by air travel and even fewer had a deeper understanding of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Hence, spreading awareness is very necessary so that people can limit unnecessary and short- distance air travel. [x]After this, statistical analysis of the AQI of different regions across India needs to be done in order to get a clear picture of the pollution being created by the aviation industry.[xi] Only after the achievement of these two stages environmental engineers can proceed effectively toward below given measures:
1) Air travel is quite affordable since, according to international law, aviation fuel is not subject to taxation when used for international flights. Additionally, this decreases the responsibility of airlines to spend money on more fuel-effective planes. So, there is a need to levy Fuel tax as it is levied on domestic flights to incentivise the airlines to the usage of more fuel-efficient aircraft [xii]
Engineers should also work on alternative biofuels, lighter engines, aerodynamic designs, and bug-proof coatings to boost fuel efficiency. The guidance for the same could be taken from NASA and Boeing as they are indulged in the development of a super-thin aircraft wing which could reduce fuel bills in half. Further they are also going for the non-stick coating on the airplanes so that insect residue could be reduced which will add on to the fuel saving exercise. As per researchers this is a really feasible step; which will be going to reduce the emission by 50% in comparison to current aircrafts. Additionally, they also observed that bug- proof coating will not only reduce aircraft fuel consumption but will also decrease noise and emissions [xiii]. Hence, India also needs to work together with these developed countries so that we can also came to a amicable solution.
2) Alternative Fuels- Engineers should make efforts to introduce alternative fuels which is more efficient and cleaner. Some companies like GE Aviation and Virgin Fuels are already experimenting to use biofuel technology. England has even developed an engine which can be operated on vegetable oils.[xiv]Along with this in 2011 Alaska Airlines (ranked first among U.S. domestic airlines for fuel efficiency) also operated 75 commercial flights using a biofuel made from cooking oil.[xv] Further, in a recent study, scientists discovered a mechanism to transform sugarcane ketones into heavier molecules that may be utilized as aviation fuel. When compared to conventional jet fuel, they claimed that this fuel might reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%.
3) Another important step which needs to be taken is the reduction in air plane usage. It could be lowered by banning short-haul flights, increasing other transport connections, introducing electric aircraft, and hydrogen-powered aircraft, and levying aviation taxations and subsidies. As per International Air Transport Association (IATA) a short-haul flight means 'a flight with a duration of 6 hours or fewer.[xvi]
4) Now to curb the water pollution airports need to install various leak detection and water reduction devices and further start water recycling programs to make the efficient utilization of water [xvii] Further, chemical spills during de-icing and aircraft washings can be reduced or prevented by spill containment structures and clean-up equipment such as vacuum trucks, portable berms and absorbents[xviii]
5) The major step which needs to be taken is to improve the engine performance in order to reduce the noise pollution from the fans of the jet. The scientists need to work on increasing the bypass ratios of the engine it will not only increase the fuel efficiency but will also decrease noise generation.[xix] In higher bypass ratios the amount of air that passes through the fans exits at low speed which in turn produces less noise. Further, as per the Airport Commission report chart, in the UK with the introduction of modern turbojet and turbofan engines, there seems 95% reduction in noisiness created by jet engines.[xx] Hence, jet engine noise suppression has become one of the most important fields of research for environmental engineers.
6) As per international perspective also in European Union SAF (sustainable aviation fuel) has been used which has similar personality as jet fuel has but still it emits really smaller carbon footprint. In the same sense Indian also needs to come up with some alternatives as this is the only way through which environment as well as the sustainable resources could be maintained. Further, aviation industries also need to implement ESGs (Environmental, Social and Governance) as it ensures that industries are not only financially sound but have also a positive impact on society and the environment.
Conclusion- With the increasing pace of development the lifestyle of people is also shifting towards luxurious things. Nowadays air planes have become such an affordable means of transportation that people belonging to every class can afford the same which is a commendable job. But its negative impact is that the boon in the aviation industry has made the condition of the environment severe. Now environmental engineers need to make much more experiments in order to come up with such advanced technologies which can counter these hazardous impacts. Hence, another technological advancement is needed to counter the negative effects arising from previous technologies.
[v]The Federal Register, Federal Register:: Request Access,
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2012/05/16/2012-10633/effluent-limitations-guidelines-and-new-source-performance-standards-for-the-airport-deicing, (last visited Jun 20, 2022).
[xii]https://www.environmental-protection.org.uk/policy-areas/air-quality/air-pollution-and-transport/aviation-pollution/
[xiii] https://www.google.com/amp/s/cosmosmagazine.com/technology/super-thin-wing-could-cut-aircraft-fuel-bills-in-half//
[xv] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/150610-technologies-could-reduce-airplane-emissions
[xvi]https://www.iata.org/contentassets/821b593dd8cd4f4aa33b63ab9e35368b/iata-cabin-waste-handbook---final-resized.pdf
This post is authored by Anjali Tripathi, a fourth - year B.Com. LL.B. student at Institute of Law, Nirma University.
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