Interview with algal biofuel specialists Solazyme

In each issue of the NNFCC Newsletter we feature an expert voice in the field of biorenewables who will give their opinion on the latest developments in the field. In this latest issue we talk exclusively to Rogerio Manso, Chief Commercialization Officer of Tailored Oils at algae fuel specialists Solazyme, about their progress towards sustainable algae aviation biofuels.

When do you expect algal biofuels to be commercially available?

Solazyme’s breakthrough tailored renewable oil production technology is real and on the cusp of widespread commercialization and use. We have already produced over half a million liters of finished fuels and those fuels have been tested and certified by ASTM, EN and meet military specifications as well. Our fuels have been tested unblended for thousands of miles in unmodified engines and they are currently going through testing and certification with the US military and have been successfully demonstrated in operational platforms including a destroyer and a seahawk helicopter, among others.
Our technology allows us to take microalgae, a single-celled organism that has evolved over billions of year to make oil- and optimize it to shorten its oil production time from millennia to just a few days. And just as importantly, using biotechnology, we can optimize the process to make almost any type of oil, from a wide variety of oils found in nature, to completely new oils that address unmet needs — and we do this sustainably and renewably. The key to being commercial is the ability to scale and produce at the right cost, our technology which uses standard industrial fermentation allows us to produce quickly, efficiently and at the scale needed to be at the right cost in a fit for purpose built facility.

Full Text: http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/news/solazyme-interview

Tags: microalgae, renewable oilproduction, microbial biofuel

Source

NNFCC, 2012-01-23

Supplier

NNFCC
TerraVia

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