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San Francisco-based Solazyme Inc, a biotechnology company, has produced the world's first viable algal-based jet fuel. Their algal-derived aviation fuel has passed all 11 primary testing parameters for use in commercial and military aviation, as tested by the Southwest Research Institute, a leading fuel testing center, and is considered fully compatible with existing fuel infrastructure.
With 1.6 billion gallons of jet fuel used in the United States annually, and Europe expected to require airlines servicing European airports to participate in the Emissions Trading system by 2011, a need has been building for a sustainable and environmentally-friendly fuel. Solazyme hopes to capitalize on this shift with their new fuel, which will join its pre-existing line of bio- and renewable diesel fuels already on the market. "We are excited to be the first advanced biofuel company to successfully make jet fuel from algal oil that passes the most critical ASTM D1655 (Jet A) standards. Producing a low carbon jet fuel and putting it through biofuel testing with SwRI further solidifies Solazyme's position as a leader in the green fuels space," said Jonathan Wolfson, Solazyme CEO.
Solazyme uses a proprietary conversion process to produce algal oil quickly, cheaply, without sunlight, and using non-food feedstocks, including cellulosic material and crude glycerol. The company has been producing thousands of gallons of oil at scale using this process, and is the only advanced biofuels company whose product has passed specification testing.
Sources: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/solazyme-produces-worlds-first-algal-based/story.aspx?guid={C9583103-F143-4659-922C-F708D323D808}&dist=hppr
http://www.solazyme.com/news090908.shtml
Fossil Fuel
TheTeam
