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It looks like Solazyme will be making algal biodiesel for the US military, after a test-drive demonstrated the fuel’s superior cold-weather properties when compared to commercially-available biodiesel.
Former Director of Central Intelligence and Under-Secretary of the Navy R. James Woolsey tested the fuel himself by driving to the Worldwide Energy Conference & Trade Show in an unmodified 2008 Ford F450 fueled by 100% algal biodiesel.
Most of us are at least vaguely familiar with biodiesel, but how much do we really know? While biodiesel is easily the most popular alternative fuel available, it’s commonly misunderstood or misrepresented by inaccurate information. Since the most frequent question I get is, “So what exactly is biodiesel, anyway?“, I decided to write a tome covering all the basics—a one stop shop for all your biodiesel- related questions.
It’s been exactly one year since I published the first Biodiesel Mythbuster on GreenOptions.com, and its popularity made a sequel inevitable. By way of a short introduction, here’s what I wrote last year:
While the first algae-to-biofuels facility went online today, scientists at Argonne National Labs are manipulating the photosynthetic super-organism for another use: creating hydrogen.
Algae grows prolifically in adverse conditions, and can store large amounts of oils or starches useful for making biodiesel or ethanol. But some strains also use an enzyme called hydrogenase to produce small amounts of hydrogen gas. Scientists think this is the organism’s way of getting rid of excess energy under high-light conditions.
By Max Lindberg •
February 19, 2008
Virgin Atlantic Airways will use a 20% blend of algae-derived biofuel in a demonstration flight later this month. The fuel will be fed to one engine through an independent system in order not to mix with the fuel going to the other three engines.
In January, Virgin announced it would conduct the test flight, and only hinted at the use of an algae-based biofuel for the test. Flight quoted a document verifying the use of […]
By Max Lindberg •
January 29, 2008
High soybean and palm oil prices are sending biodiesel producers looking for a less expensive feedstock for their product. The poster child these days appears to be algae, pond scum with dignity.
Several companies are now researching and beginning to produce oil derived from algae, that would replace food crops as a feedstock for biodiesel production. They claim higher oil yields for less water and acreage needed for food crops.
The National Algae Association informed Green Options it has opened its new headquarters in The Woodlands, TX. An article in Biodiesel Magazine quoted the association founder, Barry Cohen of Biofuel Capital Partners, as saying “We’ve got biodiesel producers that are contacting us every single day because they know they’ve got a problem”, referring to high soybean and vegetable oil biofuel feedstock costs.
By Max Lindberg •
January 15, 2008
A Boeing 747 jet, using 20 percent biofuel in one engine, is expected to take off from London’s Heathrow Airport and fly to Amsterdam in late February. The test flight will be without passengers and is part of a research project being conducted by the airline, Boeing and the maker of the engine, GE Aviation.
Interestingly, sources were specific that the biofuel used will be from a very sustainable source, but not one that would […]
Despite promises of imminent commercial viability and tremendous productivity, the development of algae cultivation for biofuel production has been painfully slow. Most of us following biofuel news have been frustrated by the sluggish pace of real progress.
GreenFuel Technologies has finally produced some results:
This summer, GreenFuel Technologies and Arizona Public Service Company (APS) were able to grow algae successfully at APS’ Redhawk natural gas power plant at levels 37 times higher than corn
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By Clayton B. Cornell •
September 21, 2007
We’d been waiting for what seemed like hours, uncomfortably seated, shoulder-to-shoulder on a gritty lake-bed. Tense anticipation was rapidly dissolving into indifference, while the never-ending stream of deafening electronic music assailed us from every direction. The Man stood impassively in the midst of this: a giant, neon-green effigy looming over a half-mile ring of what must have been every fire dancer in North America. It was the only time at Burning Man
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