Solazyme Unveils Renewable Biodiesel Derived from Al
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Solazyme Unveils Renewable Biodiesel Derived from Algae via Scalable Process
First car powered by algal biodiesel to demonstrate real-world driving at Sundance
Solazyme, Inc., a synthetic biology company unleashing the power of aquatic microbes to create clean and scalable solutions for biofuel, industrial chemical, and health and wellness markets, today revealed the first ever algae-derived biodiesel fuel (Soladiesel™) to have undergone road testing by successfully powering a factory-standard automobile for long distances under typical driving conditions. The car and fuel will make their public debuts at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, where they are also featured in Fields of Fuel, Josh Tickell’s documentary about renewable fuels. Soladiesel biodiesel is clean, renewable, environmentally sustainable and scalable.
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agreed.
1. we …
agreed.
1. we need to stop the emission of greenhousegasses with the help of algaeoil
2. to get the CO2 level to back to “normal” by reconstructing the rainforests and their wildlife.
O2 because of the …
O2 because of the photosynthesis
seems optimistic …
seems optimistic and a solution, plus jobs for “bio fuel farmers”.
Imagine merging …
Imagine merging construction with horticulture, in designing and building green homes from the ground up, capable of producing algae, food, and power for the occupants as design features. Imagine a PG&E like service for performing maintenance on both biological, and electrical systems, as well as yard and house maintenance, at a reduced cost, compared to a typical energy bill.
A pipe dream at this point.. But something I will be pursuing as a life goal.
So its better than …
So its better than oil & coal.. but if we are to reduce CO2 back to 350ppm as agreed by most leading climatologists as a level that we should aim for (even though we are already PAST that level!) then we need to use all the natural sources of energy that don’t leave ANY pollution & then ‘capture’ too. Carbon neutral is good as a stopgap till we build electric vehicles that run off renewable clean energy, like solar PV, Tesnic wind, maglev wind, tidal lagoons, wave & geo-thermal power etc etc etc
It takes up CO2 …
It takes up CO2 during growth phase, then releases it upon burning, in similar amounts, hence the term ‘carbon neutral’. This is a far better plan than un-sequestering oil from the ground and releasing the CO2.
does the process of …
does the process of growing the Algae take up CO2 from the atmosphere?
If it takes up less than it makes when you burn it in engines, then it still won’t help with the global pollution problem
However if it takes up more CO2 than it produces being ‘grown’ with sugar, then its a CO2 capture method too so long as you don’t burn it.
We don’t need new ways to keep polluting the planet with MORE CO2… we need clean or even ‘CO2-sequester-methods’ that take CO2 from the atmosphere. If it does.. cool!
It will take energy …
It will take energy to ship waste food products to the algal fuel production facilities. Also, since this method relies on sugars as a feedstock, it is not really carbon neutral.
algaes are far more …
algaes are far more efficient than any other oil plants. in the same area algae can make 10 to 30 times more oil compared with oil palms. now indonesian rainforest is disappearing cause they have planted huge fields of oil palms. algae oil could save the rainforest.
this algae fed with …
this algae fed with sugar..that is produce CO2 or O2???????
in case if algae …
in case if algae can convert 1kg sugar into maybe 4-5kg oil..it’s OK but not great enough..
i just one question …
i just one question mark on my mind..
how that efficient algae converted sugar into oil..
maybe it’s just same amount like yeast produce 1kg sugar to 1kg ethanol..
in this case..algae converted 1kg sugar into 1kg oil..
if this happen..it’s just not worthwhile for huge R&D expenses
maybe create ..another rubbish discovery
corduroy99, …
corduroy99, bandwagon viral marketing is a business model little different than o…and, it’s a fact that ’s a pretty profitable endeavour no matter how many times you see the same scenes of a man, a woman, and a horse. =)
You guys need to …
You guys need to check out Valcent Products (they also have a promotional video on youtube). Valcent also produces biodiesel from algae, but with a different process. They use only sunlight, water, and CO2. No need to put resources into producing sugar cane to support the process (which occupies arable land, and burns fuel for the farming and transportation).
i just don’t quite …
i just don’t quite believe these people. seems as if nowadays everybody is jumping in the biodiesel/biofuels bandwagon. there are 10 new start ups everytime you see around. tsk, i’ll wait and see …
I just read that …
I just read that this company may be setting up shop minutes from my home. (AlgaePetro dot comm)
If they do launch the pilot production in Holland Michigan it will be a huge benefit to our economy.
I was thinking …
I was thinking about brewing my own ales, but now I’m gonna brew fuel. Well, I think I’ll still brew brews! When one contemplates the variety of uses of microorganisms, it is legitimate to say that this could be one of the key industries of this century. It sure will antiquate corn ethenol. And not soon enough.
Now it’s time to …
Now it’s time to put OPEC out of buisness !
I’m about ready to …
I’m about ready to go find a pond, scrape some algae off the top, add some sugar, shake it for a few minutes and see what happens. Of course, I’ll report my findings back here…that’s called “sharing”.
I guess my next question would be, now what do I do with it? Any chemists on here have any suggestions??? I have to go teach myself chemistry… LOL
What we NEED to do …
What we NEED to do is figure out how to create this biodiesel LOCALLY (i.e. AT HOME!!)
Damn, I WISH I knew chemistry because THAT’S EXACTLY what I’d be doing. The with WAITING for it to become available
“commercially”. When THAT happens, they’re gonna jack the prices up because of GREED. Unfortunately, it’s ALL about GREED and it’s a shame because this technology looks like EXACTLY the thing we need to rid ourselves of crude oil.
Using the rules …
Using the rules photosynthesis, by them not using sunlight does it mean they dont actually reduce CO2 or not to full potential.
They may actually increase CO2 if you factor in how the sugar was made.
Maybe its a way of increasing the efficiency of sugar.
Even if its eaither point, at least it steps in the right direction.
Anyway please feel free to correct me if im wrong.
Just a thought
There is no one …
There is no one answer to our fuel problem(s), so any viable option should be given a chance. Algae is fast growing, improves the air, can be used in water treatment process, AND provides oil that isn’t as toxic.
People are getting …
People are getting fed up GLOBALLY with high fuel prices. Using food crops for transportation was whack! It is hurting everyone at the grocery store. So, now we have high gas and food. South America has 2+ decades of history making fuel from sugar cane, which yields more fuel than corn. Still inline with food crops, but more sugar comes from sugar beets instead of sugar cane.
Algae feeds on CO2, …
Algae feeds on CO2, and it is, by nature, an oily substance. It grows quickly and so can be considered a highly renewable substance.
As these start-ups work out the kinks in the scale-up to industrial size manufacturing facilities, the world gets one step closer to powering our motors on a more sustainable fuel than fossil fuels.
The technology is being developed, the question is whether or not the market will shut them out in the short term.
Our government will …
Our government will probably ignore this idea… until oil is all dried up. Greedy s.