United Airlines said it "wants to turn microalgae into SAF (sustainable aviation fuel)" by pumping $5 million into biofuel business Viridos.
The investment is part of the carrier's recently-launched UAV Sustainable Flight Fund and is to "support the production of sustainable aviation fuel made from algae, an abundant and scaleable resource that can be grown and harvested without impacting the food supply chain".
Most SAF is made from used cooking oil and agricultural waste but in the future, could be made from other feed-stocks, including household trash, forest waste, or algae.
"Viridos' algae-based biofuel technology has the potential to help solve our supply problem without the need for farmland or other agricultural resources and marks our inaugural investment in our new cross-industry UAV Sustainable Flight Fund," said United Airlines ventures president Mike Leskinen.
"Based on current estimates, SAF created by Viridos' algae oil is expected to have a 70% reduced carbon footprint on a life-cycle basis when compared to traditional jet fuel," the airline said.