Optical remote sensing technology helps monitor aircraft emissions

A research team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed an advanced Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) optical remote sensing system for real-time monitoring and analysis of aircraft emissions.

The research is published in the journal Remote Sensing.

Aircraft exhaust, particularly emissions during ground taxiing, represents a complex pollution source that poses serious challenges to air quality and public health. Conventional ground-based monitoring methods struggle to capture real-time emission variations with high precision, limiting the effectiveness of emission control and environmental management strategies. Utilizing advanced remote sensing technology for efficient monitoring has emerged as a critical solution in this field.

To address this challenge, the newly developed open-path FTIR optical remote sensing system enables real-time monitoring of aircraft exhaust by analyzing key pollutants, including carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and multiple volatile organic compounds (VOCs). By applying a nonlinear model, the team identified significant correlations between the CO/CO₂ ratio and VOC levels, providing deeper insights into aircraft emissions.

A major breakthrough in this study is the use of a data-driven approach called the generalized additive model, which allows the researchers to analyze the complex, nonlinear relationships between aircraft emissions and the many factors that influence them. The analysis revealed that even among the same aircraft model, emissions can vary significantly between individual planes, challenging the traditional method of using fixed emission rates based on aircraft type.

These findings provide essential data for evaluating the dynamic relationship between aircraft engine combustion efficiency and pollutant emissions.

The data could further guide fuel composition optimization and engine performance improvements, ultimately enhancing overall combustion efficiency, according to the team.