 |
|
|
|||||
The federal spending law passed in early July 2025, often called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, significantly reduces federal funding for efforts to create renewable or sustainable types of fuel that can power aircraft over long distances while decreasing the damage aviation does to the global climate. Aviation contributed about 2.5% of global carbon emissions in 2023. Its particularly hard to reduce emissions from planes because there are few alternatives for large, portable quantities of energy-dense fuel. Electric batteries with enough energy to power an international flight, for instance, would be much larger and heavier than airplane fuel tanks. One potential solution, which I work on as an aerospace engineer, is a category of fuel called sustainable aviation fuel. Unlike conventional jet fuel, which is refined from petroleum, sustainable aviation fuels are produced from renewable and waste resources such as used cooking oil, agricultural leftovers, algae, sewage, and trash. But they are similar enough to conventional jet fuels that they work in existing aircraft tanks and engines without any major modifications. Prior to Donald Trumps second term as president, the U.S. government had set some bold targets: by 2030, producing 3 billion gallons of this type of fuel every year, and by 2050, producing enough to fuel every U.S. commercial jet flight. But theres a long journey ahead. A range of source materials The earliest efforts to create sustainable aviation fuels relied on food cropsturning corn into ethanol or soybean oil into biodiesel. The raw materials were readily available, but growing them competed with food production. The next generation of biofuels are using nonfood sources such as algae, or agricultural waste such as manure or stalks from harvested corn. These dont compete with food supplies. If processed efficiently, they also have the potential to emit less carbon: Algae absorb carbon dioxide during their growth, and using agricultural waste avoids its decomposition, which would release greenhouse gases. But these biofuels are harder to produce and more expensive, in part because the technologies are new, and in part because there are not yet logistics systems in place to collect, transport, and process large quantities of source material. Some researchers are working to create biofuels with the help of genetically modified bacteria that convert specific raw materials into biofuel. In one method, algae are grown to produce sugars or oils, which are then fed to engineered bacteria that turn them into usable fuels, such as ethanol, butanol,, or alkanes. In another effort, photosynthetic microbes such as cyanobacteria are modified to directly convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into fuel. All of these approachesand others being explored as wellaim to create sustainable, carbon-neutral alternatives to fossil fuels. Exciting as it sounds, most of this technology is still locked away in labs, not available in airports. Blends are being tested At present, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration allows airlines to fuel their aircraft with blends of up to 50% sustainable aviation fuel mixed with conventional jet fuel. The exact percentage depends on how the fuel was made, which relates to how chemically and physically similar it is to petroleum-based jet fuel, and therefore how well it will work in existing aircraft tanks, pipes, and engines. There are two major hurdles to wider adoption: cost and supply. Sustainable fuels are much more expensive than traditional jet fuel, with cost differences varying by process and raw material. For instance, the raw price of Jet-A, the most common petroleum-based aviation fuel, had a wholesale price averaging $2.34 per gallon in 2024, but one type of sustainable fuel wholesaled at about $5.20 per gallon that year. The federal budget enacted in July 2025 reduces government subsidies, effectively raising the cost of making these fuels. In part because of cost, sustainable fuel is produced only in small quantities: In 2025, global production is expected to be about 2 million metric tons of the fuel, which is less than 1% of the worldwide demand for aviation fuel. There is international pressure to increase demand: Starting in January 2025, all jet fuel supplied at airports in the European Union must include at least 2% sustainable fuel, with minimum percentages increasing over time. Planes can use these fuels Companies such as General Electric and Rolls-Royce have shown that the jet engines they manufacture can run perfectly on sustainable fuels. However, sustainable aviation fuels can have slightly different density and energy content from standard jetfuel. That means the aircrafts weight distribution and flight range could change. And other parts of the aircraft also have to be compatible, such as those that store, pump, and maintain the balance of the fuel. That includes valves, pipes, and rubber seals. As a visiting professor at Boeing in the summer of 2024, I learned that it and other aircraft manufacturers are working closely with their suppliers to ensure sustainable aviation fuels can be safely and reliably integrated into every part of the aircraft. Those finer details are why headlines you may have seen about flights that burn 100% sustainable aviation fuel are not quite the full story. Usually, the fuel on those flights contains a small amount of conventional jet fuel or special additives. Thats because sustainable fuels lack some of the aromatic chemical compounds found in fossil-based fuels that are required to maintain proper seals throughout the aircrafts fuel system. Good promise, with work ahead While many details remain, sustainable aviation fuels offer a promising way to reduce the carbon footprint of air travel without reinventing or redesigning entire airplanes. These fuels can significantly cut carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft in use today, helping reduce the severity of climate change. The work will take research and investment from governments, manufacturers, and airlines around the world, whether or not the U.S. is involved. But one day, the fuel powering your flight could be much greener than it is now. Li Qiao is a professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Purdue University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Category:
E-Commerce
Effective planning before you go on vacation can make your time off more relaxing and enjoyable. Unsurprisingly, research reveals that vacations are beneficial for your mental and physical well-being and most employees return more creative and productive. However, to maximize your chances of having a restful vacation, its helpful to have a game plan in place to make sure your responsibilities are covered when youre gone and youre setting yourself up for an easy return. To truly relax, professionals need thoughtful preparation, which helps them offload details from working memory and relax, says Anita Williams Woolley, professor of organizational behavior and theory at Carnegie Mellon Universitys Tepper School of Business in Pittsburgh. Here’s what experts suggest. Determine your goals Take the time to delve into both short-term goals and long-term objectives youre responsible for managing. Woolley suggests these action points regarding work goals to address before signing off for your PTO. Clarify and prioritize immediate tasks to complete before you leavebe realistic about what you can get done. Confirm what your team should handle (or ignore) during your absence. Outline your return plan, including contingencies in case of delays. Create an alignment plan Before your absence, create a plan to help your team handle your responsibilities while youre gone. Woolley advises including strategies for obstacles or issues that may arise while youre away. Heres what she recommends: Clearly assign responsibilities. One suggestion is a vacation task list, where your specific duties are divided up among other team members. Make sure everyone understands what they are responsible for. Agree on which issues are urgent and warrant contacting you, empowering your team to handle everything else. Identify critical risks and provide explicit guidance on how to handle emergencies without you. Notify your team Be sure to let your colleagues and clients know when you will be out of your office. Woolley says: Be proactive. Alert your team youre going to be on vacation instead of a colleague or client receiving a bounce-back email announcing youre out of the office. Inform everyone who needs to know about your absence. Select a trusted “gatekeeper whos someone who decides when to contact you and serves as a central reference for others. The day before your vacation Although youre excited for your break, be sure to wrap up any loose ends. Annie Rosencrans, people and culture director at HiBob in New York, provides these tips: Send final follow-up emails, close out minor tasks, and tie up easy wins. Avoid pushing nonurgent new work to others right before you leave, and instead table them for when you get back. Cancel, decline, or reschedule meetings on the calendar for your time away. Set up your out of office (OOO) messages on email, Slack, and other communication platforms. Set yourself up for an easy return Establishing a plan before you leave for vacation can reduce pre-trip anxiety and ensure that you and your team are set up for success during your time away, says Rosencrans. A structured plan gives employees time to transition both practically and emotionally out of work mode, she continues. When executed well, this approach creates clarity, accountability, and space to truly disconnect. It also offers teammates confidence that nothing will fall through the cracks in your absence. Woolley at Carnegie Mellon advises organizing your workspace and priorities ahead of time, ensuring your goals guide your first days back, rather than an overflowing inbox. She recommends setting yourself up for an easier return: “Park on a downhill slope. Be assured, with some mindful planning, you can enjoy your vacation with less anxiety. Rosencrans asserts how time off isnt just a perk, it’s a performance strategy. The more intentionally we approach it, the better we protect well-being and long-term productivity, she explains. And no one should feel guilty for unplugging. If we normalize structured, respectful pre-vacation planning, we make space for real rest and thats something every employee deserves.
Category:
E-Commerce
When Piyush Gupta took over as the CEO of DBS Bank in Singapore in 2009, he said DBS needed to think of itself not as a bank, but as a technology company providing banking services. Gupta challenged his entire workforce to raise their innovation game. Gupta and his team invested significantly in technology, restructured to improve collaboration, and, most critically, drove a series of cultural interventions to encourage innovation friendly behaviors. Over the next 15 years DBS Bank transformed from an under performer in its local market to the best performing bank in the world. How did Gupta and other leaders who look to foster innovation do it? As a researcher, advisor, (DBS was a consulting client of mine from 2017 to 2019), executive, and now teacher, I have spent 25 years practicing and studying disruptive change. Here are some essential takeaways for nurturing disruptive teams. Recognize the importance of teamwork Innovation stories typically celebrate charismatic leaders like Steve Jobs or Jeff Bezos. That sometimes leaves leaders thinking they have to carry the reins of disruption, or need to find a lone genius to drive disruption. Innovation isnt the job of the few. Its highly dependent on teamwork. For example, in the 1960s, Procter & Gamble launched Pampers disposable diapers, which went on to become the first brand in P&Gs storied history to cross $10 billion in revenue. Vic Mills (a decorated scientist) chartered a team led by Bob Duncan (whose grandfather played a key part in the development of Tide laundry detergent) that included researchers like Harry Tecklenburg, who went on to have a 30-year career at P&G and wrote a wonderful retrospective about the launch of Pampers in 1990. The job of the leader isnt to be charismatic and do the work alone, it is to create conditions that enable teams to do disruptive work. Embrace uncertainty One key to success is to recognize that disruption is predictably unpredictable. Julia Childs 1961 book Mastering the Art of French Cooking enabled a broader population to enjoy French dishes. Her pioneering cooking shows on television further brought cooking to the masses. Her story echoes every disruptive journey I have studied. Most notably, success required overcoming false starts, fumbles, and failures. She started working on Mastering the Art (with coauthors Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle) in 1951. The goal was to publish the book in 1953. It took an extra eight years, two publisher switches, and one stinging rejection in 1959 that almost killed the project. While you cant predict the specific path a disruptive innovation will follow, you can predict there will be twists and turns along the way. That means that leaders need to make sure that their environments accept and encourage the kind of intelligent failure that accompanies disruptive success. Celebrate failure Disruptions predictable unpredictability also means leaders need to make sure that their environments accept and encourage the kind of intelligent failure that accompanies disruptive success. One technique that can help is to have a formal ceremony to celebrate failure. Thats what Finnish gaming company Supercell does. Every time a team successfully launches a new game, everyone gets together, and cracks open a beer. Every time a team admits defeat and decides to shut down a project, everyone gets together and pops a bottle of champagne. The reward for the failure is greater than the reward for success. Saying cheers to failure has two clear benefits. First, it shows that a good, not bad, thing has happened, encouraging other teams to continue to push frontiers. Second, it shows that the effort is finished. Many organizations suffer from what I call zombie projects. The walking undead. Projects that everyone knows will not move the needle but they shuffle and linger on, sucking all of the life out of the organization. Zombies exist because failure carries such a stigma that organizations avoid killing projects. Saying cheers to failure stops zombies from ever spawning and allows teams to move onto the next projectwhich might actually be the disruptive innovation for which your company has been searching. Accept risk Pursuing disruption is risky. The first reference to gunpowder appears in the book The Kinship of the Three in 142 CE. Its development over the centuries involved alchemists, blacksmiths, peasants, gunners, philosophers, and scientists. There were farmers and fighters experimenting with different uses. There were leaders allocating time and money and directing work. As one historian noted, success required the work of daredevils, visionaries, madmen, many of whom found not fortune but disfiguring burns and death. The burns are more metaphorical todaydoubts from colleagues, the pain of a hypothesis proved wrong, the discomfort that always accompanies doing something newbut they still sting. Doing new things is hard. Having things not work out as expected is painful. Disruptive innovators question the status quo. Some people inside organizations love it, some are indifferent to it, some actively seek to subvert or sabotage it. Disruption casts a shadow. When you see someone in your organization who is pushing disruption, encourage them. Celebrate their courage, and tell them how much you appreciate their work. Its a small thing, but big things come from a collection of small things.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||