Advancing Emissions Science

The Missouri S&T Center of Excellence for Aerospace Particulate Emissions Reduction Research (COE) is a world class research center specializing in the characterization of aerospace-related gaseous and Particulate Matter (PM) emissions, and assessing their environmental impacts. The Missouri S&T COE was a founding member and the lead entity for emissions characterization in the Partnership for AiR Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction (PARTNER) a leading aviation cooperative research organization, and an FAA/NASA/Transport Canada/US DoD/US EPA-sponsored Center of Excellence. The Missouri S&T COE is also a founding member and the lead entity for emissions characterization in the Aviation Sustainability CENTer (ASCENT), the new FAA/NASA/Transport Canada/US DOD/US EPA-sponsored Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuels and Environment.

Major sponsors of the COE include FAA, NASA, EPA, Transport Canada, DOD, Transportation Research Board, California EPA, Boeing, Pratt and Whitney, General Electric, Rolls Royce, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Continental Airlines, Continental Express, and KLM Airlines, Federal Express, Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Oakland International Airport , Cleveland Hopkins Airport, Chicago O'Hare Airport, the European Aviation Saety Agency (EASA),  the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense, the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA), and a number of NGO’s from industry and academia.

The Missouri S&T COE is actively involved in research investigating PM emissions in and near airports and has developed a sampling methodology and associated mobile diagnostic facility optimized for exhaust characterization and PM sampling using extractive sampling techniques.  PM characterization measurements for gas turbine sources have been performed at several different airports, federal research centers and engine manufacturer’s test facilities. This work extends from engine specific exhaust plane emissions to high speed ambient emissions measurements as a function of the landing and take-off cycle for revenue generating commercial transports. Missouri S&T COE researchers have been lead authors for a significant number of national and international reports and peer-reviewed publication on aircraft emissions and their impact on local air quality, health effects and climate impacts.

  • 2005 Annual Technical Achievement Award – JETS APEX2 Team – Presented by the Arnold Air force Base, TN
  • 2007 EPA Climate Protection Award – The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Test and Data Quality Assurance Team – Presented by the US Environmental Protection Agency “for developing a test that will, for the first time, allow scientist to accurately gauge the contribution of jet aircraft particulate emissions to global climate change”
  • 2007 NASA Group Achievement Award – Aircraft Particle Emissions Experiment Team – Presented by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration “for seminal scientific contributions that have significantly advanced the fundamental knowledge of particulate and gaseous emissions from aircraft engines” 
  • 2010 NASA Group Achievement Award – Alternative Aviation Fuel Experiment (AAFEX) Team – Presented by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration “for outstanding achievement in establishing the impact of synthetic fuels on commercial aircraft engine and auxiliary power unit performance and pollutant emissions”
  • 2012 NASA Group Achievement Award – Alternative Aviation Fuel Experiment Team – Presented by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration “for outstanding achievement in establishing the impact of hydro-treated renewable jet fuels on commercial aircraft engine performance and pollutant emissions”

The Missouri S&T COE is a multidisciplinary effort drawing on the solid base of engineering and sciences provided by Missouri S&T. This program involves close collaboration with several premier national and international research and government institutions. Students from various academic departments perform their thesis research within the laboratory in partial fulfillment of the M.S. or Ph.D. degree requirements of their "home" department.