What if we could suck carbon from the air, make clean jet fuel out of it, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using this fuel in our airliners? That’s a dream pursued by many researchers, and recently Rotterdam the Hague Airport announced a study to sort out the plausibility of such a plan. First, though, we need to look at the numbers for how much fossil fuel would have to be replaced. These are Big Numbers How much fuel goes into a large jetliner? How efficiently is it used? These are matters of concern to airline executives on a profit-and-loss basis, and to all of us on an environmental basis. Let’s look at the Boeing 787 Dreamliner variants for an idea of how efficient a modern airliner can be. The 787-8 burns 4,900 kilograms (10,780 pounds) per hour or Jet A, while the larger 7879 consumes 5,600 kilograms (12,320 pounds) per hour. Converting pounds (the way the military and airlines …
