Cycloalkanes are molecules composed of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a ring structure using only single bonds. According to new research, they could be vital to the development of cleaner aviation fuel, as they might reduce the condensation trail formation and soot emissions caused by current fuel.
The Sandia team has published the findings of its investigation - made in collaboration with researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory - in an article in Frontiers in Energy Research.
Currently, the aviation sector produces around 2.1 per cent of all human-induced carbon dioxide emissions.
Although the industry has been severely hit by the pandemic, it is nonetheless expected to make a full recovery in the next year and, by 2038, experts predict aviation will contribute 1.7 trillion dollars to the global GDP.
The growth in demand for aviation fuel over the next few decades will result in a worsening of the effects of climate change, so scientists...