Environmental Cost-Benefit Analysis of Ultra Low Sulfur Jet Fuels

Aircraft emissions can reduce air quality, leading to adverse health impacts including increased risk of premature mortality. A technically viable way to mitigate the health impacts of aviation is the use of desulfurized jet fuel, as has been done with road transportation in many jurisdictions. The dominant adverse environmental result of desulfurization is that removing sulfur from fuel results in increased CO₂ emissions because hydrodesulfurization involves the release of relatively small amounts of CO₂ and consumes additional energy. While a reduction in premature mortalities is relatively confidently predicted, the monetization of these mortalities depends on the approach. An argument for transitioning to an ultra-low sulfur jet fuel is that the health benefits are highly likely and the industry could work to offset the additional 1-8% of increased warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Language

  • English

Project

  • Status: Completed
  • Funding: $983678.00
  • Contract Numbers:

    06-C-NE-MIT-015

    06-C-NE-MIT-025

  • Sponsor Organizations:

    Federal Aviation Administration

    800 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, DC  United States  20591
  • Project Managers:

    Jacob, S

  • Performing Organizations:

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    77 Massachusetts Avenue
    Cambridge, MA  United States  02139
  • Principal Investigators:

    Waltz, Ian

  • Start Date: 20080901
  • Expected Completion Date: 0
  • Actual Completion Date: 20110630
  • Source Data: RiP Project 30285

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01570566
  • Record Type: Research project
  • Source Agency: Department of Transportation
  • Contract Numbers: 06-C-NE-MIT-015, 06-C-NE-MIT-025
  • Files: RIP
  • Created Date: Jul 23 2015 1:01AM