In the United States of America, gasoline consumption has fallen by 40 – 60%. U. S automotive gasoline contains about 10% ethanol, and this plunge has witnessed 36 ethanol- producing plants switch off in March 2020, in addition to 63 plants reducing their ethanol outputs. Overall, 5.2 billion gallons (19.68 billion litres) of ethanol production have gone “offline” in March. The impact on the supply chain for the supply of these 19.68 billion litres is unprecedented and will only bring forth the question of robustness in the supply chain. Gevo, a US-based biofuel producing company, has already closed 1 of 2 of its plants, however, it ensures its investors that they are still pursuing the expansion of their closed plant to cater to their contractual obligation and market demand for biofuel (including bio-jet fuel) in 2023/2024. Other biofuel producing giants, including Neste Corporation, have shown similar effects in their response to the current market scenario – but capitalises the situation for technological upgrades and maintenance. This display only shows the confidence that the biofuel-based market has for post-COVID-19. WHILE COVID-19 HAS POSITIVELY REDUCED GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS ACROSS THE BOARD, IT HAS ALSO NEGATIVELY IMPACTED THE CLIMATE CHANGE ACCOUNTABILITY AGENDA, AND THEREFORE THE PROLONGED THE BIGGER, LONGER FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE. For Malaysia, the planning and actions by the government, industry, and academia on biofuel and bio-jet should not be placed on the back burners, but rather take the opportunity to further fine-tune the energy security, climatic impact, and robustness of supply in which sustainable fuels have to offer.
Part of the growth and robustness encountered in aviation, and the aerospace industry in general, was the reliance on technological developments, management of the supply chain, and the safety & security of the flight. As an example, the complexity of the environmental control system (ECS) onboard an aircraft, enables a passenger to breathe air that is cleaner and more sanitised than in most hospitals. The ECS system is engineered to allow air in the entire cabin to be filtered through once every 2 minutes. Passing through a complex system of airflow ducts, treatments, and layers of specialised HEPA filters to remove contaminants such as virus and bacteria within the cabin environment. Depending on the plane type, most modern aircraft will have its cabin air mixed with fresh air during flight. Commercial flights operate between the heights of 9 – 11 km above sea level, this atmospheric layer, known as the stratosphere, is virus and bacteria-free. According to studies by the University of British Columbia, virus and bacteria particles are only able to be carried up to 3 km into the atmosphere and then subjected to long-range transport by weather systems. Also, airlines all over the world are employing safeguard practices to prevent the unloading of biological agents, increasing sanitisation of the cabin through UV lamps, reduction of touch-points for passengers, health monitoring, and improved standards such as personal protective equipment. Technology, without a doubt, helps the world to cope through the various levels of social lockdown each country has imposed. Society has further embraced the usage of technology, especially the enablement of digitalisation, to “Work from Home”. It has kept families and loved ones close, amid physical separation. It has certainly kept us fed through deliveries via phone applications. The year 2020 has challenged the capability in which work can be done out of an office environment. For sure, front liners with the help of digital tools, 3D-printing, and robots, would have had less risk as it treats a virus battered nation. More than ever, COVID-19 has brought the urgency of automation, industry 4.0, and digitalisation as key enablers to protect a country’s economic shutdown from global disruptions which may occur again.
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Malaysian Technology Strategic Outlook 2019/2020 Intergration of High Technology
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