Kilfrost - News/Media
DE-ICING AND THE ENVIRONMENT: THE FUTURE IS GREEN
Archived on: Thursday 29th October 2009
With airports and airlines under increasing pressure to reduce their carbon emissions and environmental footprint, Gary Lydiate, Chief Executive of Kilfrost – the global leaders in de/anti-icing – calls for aviation suppliers to support industry through the development of more innovative eco-friendly aviation products.
“Aviation is an easy target when it comes to the environment. Despite the fact that we transport over 2.2 billion passengers annually, in around 23,000 aircraft, yet account for just 2% of the world’s CO2 emissions* we are often held to account for our emissions and impact on the planet. Yet aircraft entering today’s fleets are 70% more fuel efficient than they were 40 years ago, and boast much higher occupancy rates with usual figures in excess of 75% compared to 40-50% for trains and 30% for cars. So many ask why we should do more?
“It’s fair to say that across the aviation industry we will become more affected by both legislation and best practice voluntary agreements which will focus on emissions and pollution, and I expect to see an increase in environmental taxes where local authorities enforce ‘fines’ for aircraft which do not meet strict environmental and emission-based criteria. In addition, the European Union’s Kyoto agreement has set some tough targets, and for the industry to meet these challenges, sustained and cohesive support from suppliers is needed.
“At Kilfrost we take our role seriously and have spent the last decade investigating and refining ever-more eco-friendly products. The result of an innovative partnership with DuPont Tate and Lyle Bio Products was the launch last year of the world’s first sustainably-produced aircraft Type I de-icing fluid, DFsustain. Based on a corn sugar-based glycol, the fluid has provided the industry with an alternative to the more traditional crude-oil derived glycol for the first time ever.
“And our chemists have been working hard to expand our environmental family of products, with this winter season seeing the launch of a sustainable glycol-based Type IV fluid and a TKS in-flight fluid. But how much impact can using ‘green’ de/anti-icing fluids really have? Well it’s surprisingly dramatic. The manufacture and production of the Type I fluid, for example, saves a significant 40% of energy and estimates based on design data suggest that, in terms of CO2, the consumption of 1 million litres of DFsustain would see a potential but significant carbon reduction of 6,500 tonnes.
“We’ve also been developing products which work even harder, and this in itself has a positive environmental impact. Our Type I DFsustain fluid, for example, can cope below -40ËšC which traditionally was out-of-range for propylene glycol de-icers, so needed the application of much less environmentally-friendly fluids. Our new fluid’s efficacy also means that it can be applied more sparingly, leading to both eco and cost savings.
“Other suppliers to the aviation industry are also working to provide sustainable alternatives and soon, I am sure that major greenhouse gas savings will be made before an aircraft even taxis to the runway. The environmental issues that we all face are increasing and are urgent, so we must continue to demonstrate our commitment to develop better, cleaner and more efficient methods of conducting our business.
That may be through the increased use of biomaterials, initiatives like the Single European Sky, or a reduction of weight in cabin services. We also need more support in terms of external airport infrastructure, such as more environmentally-friendly access to our airports. One fact remains: continuing to reduce aircrafts’ impact on the environment makes sense for everyone, and a reduced footprint can positively impact on the bottom line too.
