At the IL A 2010 in Berlin, the EADS biofuel project is showcasing the world’s first flights of an aircraft powered by pure biofuel made from algae. A Diamond Aircraft DA42 New Generation powered by two Austro Engine AE300 engines takes part in the daily airshow flight demonstrations, following engine test stand runs and test flights at Diamond’s home base in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
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The tests proved that only relatively minor modifications and adjustments had to be made to the aircraft’s engines to qualify the biofuel from algae for the demonstration flights. 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. Running on biofuel made from algae, the amount of carbon dioxide released during flight is about equivalent to the amount absorbed by the algae during their growth phase. This opens up the possibility of carbon-neutral flights. 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. Â
Source: Diamond Aircraft
Photo: Rob Vogelaar, ZAPP Group
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