Eurocopter and parent company EADS have teamed with Argentina-based BioCombustibles del Chubut (BC) to study the feasibility of building an aviation biofuel factory in Brazil. The three companies signed an agreement in June. The biofuel, made from algae, could be used in Eurocopter’s diesel engines for light helicopters, which are now in the research stage (see AIN, February, page 44).
While Boeing has touted jatropha–a vegetable that grows in arid soils–as a potential source for biofuels, EADS is betting on algae. It can grow in salted, not-so-clean water and needs only one-twentieth of the surface jatropha would need to produce the same amount of fuel. Moreover, algae culture is CO2 intensive. According to EADS chief technology officer Jean Botti, one pound of algae absorbs 1.7 pounds of CO2. In fact, it absorbs so much CO2 that a production facility would need to be located next to a plant that emits a lot of CO2 and located near an airport. The CO2 would be captured and fed to the algae.
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