Algae-Powered Plane Will Debut at Berlin Air Show

EADS’s algae-fueled plane will be making its first public appearance this week in Berlin. (image: eads.com)

The first airplane to fly on a 100-percent algae fuel will take to the air in Berlin this week, reported the news service AFP. EADS, a European aerospace conglomerate that operates Airbus and other aviation subsidiaries, has developed a plane that will run on pure algae-based biofuel and will be showing it off at the Berlin Air Show (ILA) that runs from June 9 to June 13.

The company’s technical director, Jean Botti, said that this is an unprecedented achievement:

At the ILA, we are going to fly for the first time a craft with biofuel that has been made 100 per cent from algae. That is a world premiere.

According to EADS promotional material, the algae biofuel has higher energy content than conventional jet fuel and causes no change in performance.

EADS’s demonstration will be the latest example of algae’s potential as a liquid fuel source with applications not just in airplanes but in diesel engines and home oil heating systems. But despite EADS work on alternative fuels, Botti does not believe algae-based fuels will eliminate the need for petroleum fuels in aviation anytime soon: “If 10 per cent of our fleet is flying with biofuel in 2040, I would be extremely happy.”