Biofuel in military jets. The new frontier of aviation fuel also passes through biofuel. The experimentation has already begun and sees the participation of, in addition to the Air Force, Enea and Cnr. The tests, in which biofuel was used in a percentage up to 25 percent, were carried out in the Aeronautical and Space Experimentation Division of Pratica di Mare on an Amx fighter by pilots and specialized personnel of the Italian Air Force, belonging to the Experimental Flight Department and the Aeronautical and Space Materials Technologies Department.
Previous
“The use of a percentage of biofuels already occurs in civil air transport – says Gabriele Zanini, Project Manager and responsible for the reduction of natural and anthropogenic risks of Enea – but this is the first experiment and study that affects the military sector” . All in the context of a path that started some time ago and slowed down by the Covid emergency. “The project started in 2017 and ended in 2019 – adds the researcher – last June 9 there was the final test”. In between, a work that made it possible to get to the preparation of what has been called the “micro batch of biofuel mixture” used to refuel the Amx during the tests.
The data available
During the experiment, the interactions of the emissions of the jet fueled in part with biofuel were measured. «The experimentation in the field has allowed us to analyze the pollutants associated with a traditional fuel and a biofuel – adds the manager of Enea -. We measured the emissions of the bound jet that simulated a take-off ramp and we ascertained that by exposing the epithelial cells of the lung tissue to the flow of emissions from the engine, there are no significant alterations ».
The target
An experiment which, as the promoters point out, “represents a milestone in the path towards ecological transition in this area”. Or what has been defined as “a piece of primary importance in the broader path that the Air Force has undertaken and is supporting in the research and implementation of effective solutions for the performance of institutional tasks in a global context that is increasingly sensitive to sustainability issues. environmental, energy efficiency and security and the so-called capacitive resilience “.