UK firm markets fuel contamination detector

Since introducing its Fuelstat contamination detection kit at the Dubai Air Show in 2001, Conidia Bioscience has sold the product to major airlines, helicopter operators and corporate jet maintenance departments. The International Air Transport Association selected Conidia to host the first Asian symposium on fuel contaminants last month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Fungus feeding on jet fuel can cause a variety of problems, including corrosion, line blockage and inaccurate instrument readings in the cockpit. So-called “jet-fuel fungus” goes by the scientific name Hormoconis resinae. Conidia’s Fuelstat is a rapid-detection kit designed to alert maintenance personnel to the presence of the fungus within the fuel system.