Sustainability and Environment
Biofuels Could Reduce Contrail Formation, Research Finds
Among the findings: biofuels emit less soot, which led to a 50- to 70-percent reduction in particle emissions.
Three aircraft—a DLR Dassault Falcon 20, NRCC Canadair CT-133, and NASA Dassault HU-25C (Falcon 20G)—trailed the DC-8 that was using a 50/50 biofuel blend, collecting ice particles and monitoring contrail formation. (Photo: National Research Council of Canada)
Three aircraft—a DLR Dassault Falcon 20, NRCC Canadair CT-133, and NASA Dassault HU-25C (Falcon 20G)—trailed the DC-8 that was using a 50/50 biofuel blend, collecting ice particles and monitoring contrail formation. (Photo: National Research Council of Canada)

Biofuels offer more than an alternative to hydrocarbons; they also reduce jet-engine particle emissions by as much as 70 percent, research by a NASA-led group suggests.