Hydrogen powered planes to cut aircraft emissions

Experts are drawing up plans for hydrogen-powered passenger planes in an attempt to clean up aircraft emissions.

Rather than conventional fuel, the V-shaped vehicles would be powered by cleaner liquid hydrogen, and would give off zero emissions of carbon dioxide.

Air travel currently contributes to 2 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, a figure that is expected to double in the next two decades, the Daily Mail reports.

The $4.5 million project, led by Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, is drawing together top academics and industry leaders.

They will tackle some of the biggest challenges facing hydrogen-powered flight, such as on-board storage, the high cost of producing the fuel and safety concerns.

Dr Bobby Sethi, from the university's propulsion engineering centre, told the Times: 'There are challenges in using liquid hydrogen but we are hopeful of addressing them within the scope of the project.

We want to show that hydrogen can be not only beneficial environmentally but can be employed safely and affordably in the medium to long term.'

The group will analyze the case for the development of a V-shaped blended wing body aircraft for long-haul flights.

The vehicle will require extra space for the storage of fuel, which must be kept at  minus 250C (minus 418F).

The technological challenges facing the team are so great that they admit a working demonstration is unlikely until the early 2030s.

Passenger flights are not expected until at least 20 years after that.

Hydrogen produces three times the thrust of kerosene fuel, and gives off zero emissions of carbon dioxide and ultra-low emissions of nitrogen oxide.

Using hydrogen fuel could help cut aircraft greenhouse gas emissions, which are expected to rise with the number of passenger plane flights over the next 20 years.