The tarmac at Reims-Prunay (Marne) airport is awaiting today, Tuesday June 15, a light aerobatic device which has a nice surprise in store.
Its tank is filled with 97% renewable gasoline of plant origin.
This is an RV-8 aircraft from Saarbrücken (Germany).
This is a world first for the biofuels sector.
"You have to understand that it is not a substitute like Ethanol for cars," explains Nicolas Daniels, press relations officer for Global Bioénergies.
They are exactly the same molecules as those from petroleum.
Except that here, these molecules are produced on the basis of sucrose present in the sugar syrup!
"And not just any syrup, but the one that comes from beets produced in the Marne by the Cristal Union sugar cooperative.
“Genetically modified bacteria then transform this sugar and release isubotene,” explains Nicolas Daniels.
An innovative process of isobutene of plant origin
Global Bioénergies is a start-up whose laboratories are located in Évry (Essonne).
And for several years, it has been developing this ecological alternative to 100LL fuel, in conjunction with Swift Fuel, a German company.
These two companies invented this innovative process of isobutene of plant origin, which thus produces hydrocarbons.
Read also In Reims, students learn to read with a whisperer.
And it works !
"It is a renewable product of very high quality which has the same properties as gasoline with better performance", underlines Bernard Chaud, director of industrial strategy at Global Bioénergies.
An hour's flight and a landing in Champagne which should therefore attract attention.
And why not open new doors for the biofuel market for propeller planes.
“We are in the process of increasing production capacities at Pomacle (Marne). And we aim to produce more than 50 tonnes of isobutene in 2022, ”said Bernard Chaud. It is indeed in the Marne that Global Energies is financing a production unit which intends to be talked about in the months to come.