20 Jul 2010
Normally associated with carbon-belching aerospace hardware, the Farnborough Air Show today saw San Francisco-based algal biotechnology company Solazyme announce the delivery of 1,500 gallons of algae-based jet fuel to the US Navy's testing and certification programme.
In April, the US Navy declared its intention to use renewables for half its power needs at sea and shore-side by 2020, and the delivery fulfils a contract awarded to Solazyme by the US Department of Defense in September 2009.
Solazyme manufactured the fuel through its proprietary fermentation process in collaboration with renewable jet fuel processing technology from Honeywell's UOP.
UOP’s fuel was used by the US Navy in the test flight of an F18 carrier-borne supersonic jet, also in April.
The Solajet HRJ-5 fuel provides an 85 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional fossil fuels, claims Solazyme.
The fuel meets the proposed ASTM D 7566 specification for aviation turbine fuels containing synthesised hydrocarbons, which is a critical milestone for providing fuels not only for military use, but also for the civilian market.
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Commercialization of the algae production industry
Algae is renewable, does not affect the food channel and consumes CO2. To learn more about the fast-track commercialization of the algae production industry you may want to check out the National Algae Association. The NAA Engineering Consortium has recently finished the first design for a 100 acre algae production plant in the US.
Posted by bcole, 21 Jul 2010