The replacement of leaded aviation gasoline with safer alternative fuels

Posted on Jan. 18, 2018:

Dr. Matt Huddleston of SynTerra is working with a multidisciplinary team of academicians and industry professionals to select appropriate alternatives to leaded aviation fuel.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) shares the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) concerns about lead emissions from small aircraft. Owners and operators of more than 200,000 piston-engine aircraft operating in the United States rely on leaded aviation gasoline (avgas) to power their aircraft. Because of lead toxicity and environmental persistence, the FAA, EPA, and industry are partnering to remove lead from avgas.

Avgas emissions have become the largest contributor to the relatively low levels of lead emissions produced in the U.S. As a result, the Piston Aviation Fuel Initiative (PAFI) was established at the request of a broad cross section of the aviation and petroleum industries and consumer representatives to develop a path forward for the identification, evaluation, and deployment of the most promising unleaded replacements for avgas. The mission of PAFI is to evaluate candidate unleaded replacement fuels and identify those fuels best able to technically satisfy the needs of the existing aircraft fleet while also considering the production, distribution, cost, availability, environmental, and health impacts of those fuels.

That’s where SynTerra comes in. The FAA selected four unleaded fuels to undergo Phase 1 testing at the agency’s William J. Hughes Technical Center. Phase 1 included environmental toxicology, emissions, engine and rig performance, and materials compatibility. Dr. Matt Huddleston of SynTerra serves as PAFI’s subject matter expert in environmental toxicology. He is assessing the potential environmental impacts of candidate avgas replacement fuels.

In his fuel assessments, Dr. Huddleston followed a risk-based approach based largely on published toxicological data and physical/chemical properties of fuel components, comparing potential human health and ecological risks of the unleaded fuels with those of avgas. Based on Phase 1 test results, two fuels were selected to enter more comprehensive Phase 2 testing. Dr. Huddleston is working closely with a multidisciplinary team of academicians and industry professionals to select appropriate alternatives to leaded avgas.

Kathy Webb, P.G.

Senior Market Leader | Principal

Kathy, a founder of SynTerra (previously The Fletcher Group) in 1992, has completed remedial investigations and regulatory compliance projects associated with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) facilities, state and federal Superfund sites, solid waste landfills, brownfield redevelopment, utility coal combustion residual (CCR) management units, and regulated industrial facilities. She has supported litigation as an expert witness related to chlorinated solvents, metals, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Kathy is known for her practical assessment strategy with the perspective of the client’s business objectives. She routinely evaluates groundwater corrective action systems for effectiveness and progress toward achieving compliance objectives. She has also co-authored a trade journal paper with case studies of low-impact remedial strategies. Kathy is a licensed Professional Geologist in North and South Carolina.

Mark Taylor, P.G.

Principal

Mark has worked more than 40 years in natural-resource based industries. His expertise includes mine geology and mine engineering, hydrogeologic and geotechnical investigations, solid and hazardous waste management, and regulatory negotiations. He has published peer-reviewed papers about coal geology, ore geochemistry, mineralogy, and solid waste management. He is a leading expert in mining and environmental permitting for litigation support.

Mark is licensed as a Professional Geologist in South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Washington. He serves on the boards of the Upstate Red Cross and Upstate Forever. He served on the South Carolina Board of Registration for Geologists for six years. Mark holds a Master’s degree in Geological Sciences from The University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree in Geological Science from Harvard University.

Andrea Kehn, P.E.

Vice President of Engineering | Principal

Andrea, leader of our Civil & Environmental Engineering Business Unit, has 28 years of experience in chemical manufacturing and environmental consulting. She leads and supervises staff professionals on multidisciplinary projects for a variety of industrial clients. Andrea’s vast experience and expertise includes: air quality construction and operating permitting; air quality modeling; air permit record-keeping and reporting; Oil Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) and Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP); NPDES Permitting; water quality modeling; process safety management; risk management compliance and auditing; and RCRA compliance.

Andrea is registered as a Professional Engineer in South Carolina. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University.

Ruth Albright, P.E.

Vice President | Principal

Ruth has led projects for major industrial facilities throughout the Southeast and beyond. She built her knowledge of environmental regulations and their application to manufacturing operations while working for the second largest chemical manufacturing company in the United States. At SynTerra, she has expanded both her knowledge and reputation working for chemical manufacturing operations of all sizes. She has also worked extensively with other manufacturing operations, including pulp and paper, industrial equipment, pharmaceuticals, food, and automotive parts and assembly. Her experience includes air and wastewater permit compliance, solid and hazardous waste management, solid waste construction permitting, hazardous materials transportation, wastewater treatment systems, air pollution control equipment operations and maintenance, and ambient air monitoring systems.

Ruth is a professional engineer registered in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Michigan, Arkansas, and Kentucky. She is an active member of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Environmental Technical Committee and serves as the chair of the water subcommittee. She has previously served as the program and committee chair for the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce Environmental Affairs committee. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Clemson University.