Sandpit: Airport Environmental Investment Toolkit

Lead Research Organisation: University of Cambridge
Department Name: Engineering

Abstract

The environmental performance of the aviation sector has been subject to particular scrutiny recently. While our understanding of the role of aircraft technology in improving the environmental performance of aviation is advancing, opportunities for near-term improvements from changes in airport operations are not as well researched. Moreover, even with an understanding of possible environmental benefits that can be realized from changes to airport operations, the business case for making environmental investments at airports needs to be made to airport operators and their shareholders before progress can be made. The business case for an environmental investment should include its: environmental performance accounting for tradeoffs and legislation; economic return, both to the airport operator and society at large; financial viability including optimal levels of investment; and information about risk and uncertainty associated with the costs and benefits of the investment.In this context, the core aim of the current project is to inform environmental investment decision-making at airports by providing integrated environmental, economic and financial business cases for a range of environmental intervention options. The project integrates expertise in aircraft technology, airport operations, environmental impact assessment, cost-benefit analysis, financial optimization and decision-making analysis. In order to deliver the project's aim, a prototype software toolkit will be developed (the Airport Environmental Investment Toolkit) which brings together simulation of intervention options (e.g. energy use and emissions), environmental impacts (e.g. air quality and climate modelling), cost-benefit analysis (including public health impacts) and financial optimization (with both short-term and long-term objectives). The development of this toolkit will be informed by close engagement with Manchester Airport, and will be applied in a series of case studies at Manchester Airport to produce integrated environmental, economic and financial business cases for a range of near-term intervention options.The broad benefit of the project is that by providing a comprehensive business case for environmental investments at airports, there is a higher probability that sound investment decisions will be made on financial, economic, and environmental grounds. This aims to increase the cost-effectiveness of airport environmental investments, benefiting airport shareholders, and to improve the overall environmental performance of airports, benefiting near-airport communities and society at large. Furthermore, by integrating across relevant environmental domains, investments that result in unanticipated improvements in one domain (e.g. air quality) at the expense of another (e.g. climate due to lifecycle considerations) are less likely.

Publications

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Stettler M (2013) Updated Correlation Between Aircraft Smoke Number and Black Carbon Concentration in Aerosol Science and Technology

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Maximilian Vermorken (Author) (2012) The The Diversification Delta: a higher-moment measure for portfolio diversification. in The Journal of Portfolio Management 3

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Stettler ME (2013) Global civil aviation black carbon emissions. in Environmental science & technology

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Vermorken M (2011) Cause v. consequence-based regulation: Basel III v. the Eurocodes in Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance

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Eleni Rapti (Author) (2013) ATRS 2013

 
Description The key findings demonstrated the level of emissions from airports on the runway and in-house. A number of strategies were developed at the management, economic and engineering levels.
Exploitation Route The findings have been taken forward by modellers in the field.
Sectors Aerospace

Defence and Marine

Energy

Environment

 
Description Centre for Sustainable Road Freight Transport
Amount £4,423,783 (GBP)
Funding ID EP/K00915X/1 
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 12/2012 
End 11/2017
 
Description Collaboration 
Organisation European Investment Bank
Country Luxembourg 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution Supervision from the EIB Finance unit and co-author
Start Year 2011
 
Description Collaboration on distance function 
Organisation University of Liege
Country Belgium 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Supervision
Start Year 2012
 
Description Collaboration on efficiency analysis 
Organisation University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Country Spain 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Expert supervision
Start Year 2011
 
Description Contribution to Society of Automotive Engineering E-31 Aircraft Exhaust Emissions Measurement Committee 
Organisation Rolls Royce Group Plc
Department SAE E-31 Committee
Country United States 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution We participated in measurement campaign lead by Rolls Royce to determine the particulate emissions from gas turbines used for powering aircrafts. The work seeks to set a standard for particle number emitted by aircrafts in order to reduce pollution around airports and in the upper atmosphere. Our work in particular focused on the measurement of solid particles, whereby wet particles are removed by a method under development within our lab, known as catalytic stripping.
Start Year 2011
 
Description QASER Laboratory Dissemination Event 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? Yes
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Royal Society event to disseminate the developed work.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2012