Boeing Externship Program 2023 (awarded Champions title)

This is Liu. I am glad to share my experience in joining Boeing Japan University Externship. It contains lectures about sustainable aviation, supplier management, global service, technologies, etc. Students are asked to present their solutions to a problem that current aviation faces. My team proposes an algae-sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) solution to tackle the problem of carbon dioxide emission. Our proposal won the on-campus primary competition and joined the Boeing University Summer Seminar 2023. As a result, we won the Boeing University Summer Seminar 2023 Champions title (best presentation/proposal).

To talk about aviation's carbon emissions, it accounts for 2.5% of global emissions. Airports are a major cause of emissions, and airports in Japan emit 3.87 million tons of CO2 annually. People are trying to use hydrogen to tackle the problem. However, is using hydrogen as aviation propulsion fuel truly zero emission? More than 95% of hydrogen production is grey hydrogen, that is, CO2, as a by-product of hydrogen.

Thus, we introduce algae to absorb CO2 emissions. Algae can produce fuels and other products efficiently. This is how our solution works. We like to collect CO2 in the hydrogen factory and use it to cultivate algae and use algae to produce SAF for the aircraft. It is a win-win for hydrogen aircraft and original aircraft. We also plan to grow algae near the airport to absorb the airport emissions and support algae SAF production.

There are some difficulties, like technical problems in algae to SAF transformation. Nevertheless, if we cooperate with other companies, the problem will be solved quickly, and the cost can be lowered. Overall, algae is a profitable way to reach zero emissions.

When constructing the proposal, it is necessary to consider both feasibility and cost. The order of the presentation is also essential to catch the audience’s eyes. Attending this event strengthened my presentation, creative thinking, leadership, and teamwork skills. I appreciate having this chance to win the title.

Liu Mu-An, 2023/10/9