Article Posted on : - Jun 10, 2010

New generation Diamond Aircraft DA42 takes part in the daily flight demonstrations at 'ILA 2010.'

BERLIN (BNS): EADS is showcasing the world’s first flights of an aircraft powered by pure biofuel made from algae at ILA.

A Diamond Aircraft DA42 New Generation powered by two Austro Engine AE300 engines takes part in the daily flight demonstrations.

Due to the higher energy content of the algae biofuel, the fuel consumption of the Diamond DA42 New Generation is 1.5 litres per hour lower when compared to conventional JET-A1 fuel – while maintaining equal performance, EADS said.

Algae are considered to be promising potential feedstock for biofuels, as certain species of algae contain high amounts of oil. This oil can be extracted, processed and refined for various uses.

Grown for many years on a commercial basis for the development of products such as food supplements and cosmetics, microalgae have now emerged as one of the leading sources for alternative fuels.

“Our pure bio fuel flight from algae is a world first and an exciting milestone in our research at EADS.” says Dr. Jean Botti, Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of EADS.

“This opens up the feasibility of carbon-neutral flights and we will continue to focus our research in this exciting area. Third generation biofuels are more than just a replacement for fossil petroleum - they push the possibilities of future propulsion.”

The exhaust gas quality measurements indicate that biofuel from algae contains eight times less hydrocarbons than kerosene derived from crude oil.

In addition, nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide emissions will also be reduced (up to 40 percent less nitrogen oxides and ca. 10 ppm sulfur oxides vs. 600 ppm of conventional Jet-A1-fuel) due to the very low nitrogen and sulfur content of the biofuel compared to fossil fuel, EADS said.