Global Warming Countermeasures Airplane Biofuel March 3, 12:43
The United States has returned to the Paris Agreement, which is an international framework for combating global warming, and Japan is "aiming to realize a carbon-free society by 2050."
Global warming countermeasures are becoming more and more important, and they are also being asked for entrance examinations.
Challenge the problem!
Problem In
recent years, there has been some debate that environmentally friendly energy should be considered.
Which energy is made from corn and sugar cane and is used as fuel for automobiles?
A. Bioethanol
Lee. Shale gas
c. Methane hydrate
d. Rare metals
(Yokohama Kyoritsu Gakuen Junior High School 2020)
The correct answer is "A. Bioethanol".
The literal meaning of bioethanol is "ethanol made from living things."
In addition to the corn and sugar cane mentioned in the problem statement, it is made from wood and discarded cooking oil.
It is "environmentally friendly" because it does not use oil.
That is the idea of "carbon neutral".
What is carbon neutral?
Let's take a plant as an example.
Plants photosynthesize as they grow.
At that time, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is absorbed ...
I think it has decreased.
Suppose biofuel made from this plant drives a car.
Even biofuels emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when burned.
but…
Looking only at this, carbon dioxide has not increased, plus or minus zero.
This is the idea of "carbon neutral".
It emits carbon dioxide as fuel, but when it was originally a plant, it absorbs that much carbon dioxide, so the total is plus or minus zero.
"Biofuel" is being developed based on this idea.
It is attracting attention not only in cars but also in the world of airplanes.
Fly in the sky with biofuel
It is Haneda Airport on February 4, 2021.
Biofuels were used on Japan Airlines passenger planes heading to Fukuoka.
What was it made from ...
Used clothing collected from the general public.
Cotton was taken out from there and fermented to make it fuel.
It was the first domestically produced bio-jet fuel that passed international standards and flew in the skies of Japan.
According to the company, including the manufacturing process, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced compared to fuel made from petroleum.
The aviation industry is currently being hit hard by the impact of the new coronavirus, but we are actively promoting the introduction of biofuels.
why is it.
The plane is embarrassing!
??
Before the Corona disaster, the number of people flying in the world continued to increase.
Of course, carbon dioxide emissions have also increased.
It is said that a certain word was born from the heightened environmental awareness.
We asked Mr. Tomoyuki Nagamura of Mitsubishi Research Institute, who is familiar with global warming countermeasures in the transportation sector.
Mr. Nagamura
"One of the words I've come to hear a lot lately is the word" flying shame, "which started in Sweden and has spread mainly in Europe. Aircraft inevitably consume a lot of energy. The feeling that it is better not to use this as much as possible is spreading mainly among young people because it is a transportation facility that will end up. "
"Shame" ... Is it so harsh on the airplane and aviation industries that it is said to be shameful?
Mr. Nagamura
"I have the impression that it may have a negative impact on global warming. We encouraged people to cancel some short-distance flights and shift to rail transportation, or introduce night trains to make it easier to use. I've heard that the movement to do things has begun. "
By the way, there is also such a trial calculation.
Airplanes emit about five times as much carbon dioxide per kilometer per passenger as railroads.
Do not increase emissions!
The aviation industry continues to have a sense of crisis.
ICAO = The International Civil Aviation Organization has set a goal of "not increasing carbon dioxide emissions on international aircraft after 2020."
Biofuels are considered essential to achieve this.
What kind of raw materials are biofuels made from?
Mr. Nagamura
"It is a waste cooking oil. One example is that waste-derived oil is used, but there are not so many cases yet, so there are many more types of bio-jets in the future. I think fuel will come out. "
In Japan, bio-jet fuel factories that utilize algae such as "Euglena" are being built.
There are seven types of bio-jet fuel recognized as an international standard.
Two of them use "algae", and it seems that Japanese companies are involved.
Mr. Nagamura
"I think that the United States and Japan are making progress in research on bio-jet fuel using microalgae from a global perspective. At the stage where they have not yet reached commercialization, they will continue to grow in scale. I think the issue is whether it can be cheap or can be supplied in large quantities, but in Japan, where there are few biomass resources that can be procured in large quantities and used cheaply, it is drawing attention. "
I dared to ask this question.
How effective are biofuels as carbon neutral?
Mr. Nagamura
"If you want to actually make biofuel, you need to cultivate and transport raw materials, and in the process of manufacturing fuel from raw materials, you need to input energy in various forms and supplement chemical substances. In that sense, there are desirable biofuels and undesired biofuels in a bite. In that sense, we have to take a closer look. "
By the way, in the case of automobiles, in addition to cars that run on biofuels, electric cars and fuel cell cars that generate electricity with hydrogen have been developed in various ways, but airplanes will use biofuels, right? Is it?
In fact, in the case of an airplane, batteries are very heavy and require more energy to fly.
That is why biofuels, which are relatively light and liquid fuels, are selected.
Moreover, the biofuel currently being developed has the advantage that it can be used as it is without having to change the structure of the aircraft.
According to Mr. Nagamura, the bio-jet fuel currently used in the world is only 0.01% of the total, which is a long way to go, but it is not a shame to fly. I would like to see a system that does not put a burden on the environment while riding.
In "Migake, Curiosity!" Of "Weekly Maru-Knowledge News" (broadcast at 9:00 am on Saturday), we will delve into the news every week on the subject of current affairs presented in the entrance examination.
Let's think of "why?", In fact, the "first place" you want to know as a Kamakura caster!
You can also review the past on the homepage of the corner.
Please take a look from the link below!
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/maruwaka-migake/