Sustainability and Environment
Bio-fiber Could Reduce CO2 in Composites Production
Feedstocks could include wood, food, or plant waste or atmospheric carbon dioxide
Airbus bio-fiber panel
This nose panel on an Airbus Helicopters H145 PioneerLab helicopter was made using acrylonitrile derived from a non-fossil fuel-based CO2 production process.

Airbus has tested the manufacturing of a composite panel for its H145 PioneerLab helicopter using bio-fibers made without fossil fuel-based chemicals. The bio-fiber uses materials made with acrylonitrile, which is derived from non-fossil feedstocks such as wood and food waste, recycled cooking oils, and algae, or even from carbon dioxide (CO2) captured from the atmosphere.

Although it would take huge resources to ramp up the production of composites made using this process, the savings in CO2 emissions would be significant, according to the European aerospace group.