• A one-hour flight from Saarbrücken to Reims

• Aviation gasoline, a one billion-liter market in Europe and the USA

• A step towards the emergence of an aviation biofuel sector

Saarbrücken (Germany), 24 June 2021

Swift Fuel GmbH, a specialist in “green” aircraft fuels and Global Bioenergies (Euronext Growth: ALGBE), a French company that develops petroleum derivative substitutes made from renewable resources combined their forces. Together they created a lead-free aviation gasoline made from over 97% renewable sources.

On June 15th, 2021, they realized the first international flight of an aircraft powered by aviation gasoline made from over 97% renewable resources. The VAN’S RV-8 aircraft flew from Saarbrücken, Germany to Reims en Champagne airfield (Prunay, France) where there was a ceremony to celebrate the first international flight of an aircraft powered by renewable aviation gasoline. Jean Rottner, President of the Grand Est Region, Roland Theis, Saarland Secretary of State for Justice and Plenipotentiary for European Affairs, Catherine Vautrin, President of the Grand Reims urban community, and Arnaud Robinet, Mayor of Reims, all attended the festivities and celebrated this world premiere and success.

The first step into a bio-based aviation fuel market

The aviation fuel used for this international flight contained 97% plant-based compounds, making it an environmentally friendly alternative to the 100LL fuel usually marketed for piston-engine aircrafts. This technological achievement is the first step towards a bio-based aviation fuel market.

Avgas (short for “aviation gasoline”), which is used for piston-engine aircraft, represents a market of 100 million liters per year in Europe and 900 million liters in the United States, or a total of one billion liters in those two markets alone. The gasoline developed by Swift Fuel for this historic flight is lead-free and made up of over 97% plant-based compounds produced by Global Bioenergies.

A bio-based aviation fuel, the result of over 10 years of R&D

Both Swift Fuel and Global Bioenergies have been working hard through Research & Development to create this bio-based aviation fuel. Their individual achievements have led to this joint success.

Swift has been developing environmentally friendly aviation fuels with the main focus on unleaded alternatives for current 100LL since 2011. Five years ago, the company introduced UL 94 in the US marketplace, the first lead-free aviation gasoline for the majority of airplanes. This was a big success, but the company had bigger ambitions regarding environmentally friendly aviation gasoline and conducted research on 100R with success. 100R is an unleaded fuel that can be used by the entire fleet and has a minimum of 10% renewable content. The certification by the FAA and subsequently other aviation authorities around the world is ongoing.

Since 2008, Global Bioenergies has been developing a fermentation process for the conversion of renewable resources into isobutene and its derivatives, which are useful in areas as diverse as fuels, ingredients for cosmetics and materials. In 2014, the company set up a pilot plant in association with ARD at the Bazancourt-Pomacle agro-industrial complex near Reims, which brings together leaders in agricultural processing, such as Cristal Union and ADM. This was followed in 2017 by the inauguration of an industrial demo plant ten times larger on the Leuna refinery site in Germany. The company recently announced the establishment of a production unit based in Bazancourt-Pomacle, which is currently under construction.

Combining the knowledge of both companies and the results of over 10 years of R&D led to the successful flight of the VAN’S RV-8 aircraft powered entirely by aviation gasoline made from over 97% renewable resources.

Making history and the future

A century after the first city-to-city flight by aviation pioneer Henri Farman, which landed in Reims, initiatives in the field of sustainable aviation biofuels are multiplying. This first cross- border flight with renewable aviation gasoline is a historic step towards the decarbonisation of the aviation sector. “We look forward to working with our partners for the emergence of a truly green aviation fuel sector,” said Bernard Chaud, Head of Industrial Strategy at Global Bioenergies.

Thomas Albuzat, CEO of Swift Fuel, concluded: “Swift’s focus is the certification of its 100R alternative fuel, which can satisfy the entire piston-powered fleet. It is free of lead and other toxic additives and therefore better for health and the environment. Additionally, the fuel burns much cleaner which reduces maintenance costs for pilots and operators. It currently contains 10% renewables, but with the compounds supplied by Global Bioenergies which are ideally suited for 100R, we can even provide a completely renewable fuel.” Swift Fuel calls on investors and public authorities to support the project.

About GLOBAL BIOENERGIES

Global Bioenergies has developed a process to convert plant-derived resources into a key family of ingredients used in the cosmetics industry. The process was first developed in a laboratory, where the Company is further enhancing performance. It now operates as a pilot and a demo plant, with sufficient capacity to enable the Company to access the market by first creating a long-lasting makeup home brand. The Company is gradually increasing its production capacities and is looking to improve the environmental footprint of not only the cosmetics industry but also that of other areas such as transportation and materials. Global Bioenergies is listed on Euronext Growth Paris (FR0011052257 – ALGBE).

SWIFT FUEL GmbH

+49 681 410 99 101    -    info@swiftfuel.de    -    www.swiftfuel.de

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