A Fuel-Producing Wonder Organism

Green Tech Co. Says It Has a Secret: A Fuel-Producing Wonder Organism 80beats Discover Magazine:

Using a process that Joule Biotechnologies of Cambridge, MA dubs “helioculture,” sunlight and carbon dioxide interact with the photosynthetic organisms (to produce and secrete a biofuel). As an added bonus, the carbon dioxide used could be the emissions from a factory or power plant.

The president of Joule Biotechnologies says the organisms secrete the chemical equivalent of ethanol. “A large project would look much like a solar array,” he explained. "Instead of converting the sun’s heat energy into electrons, we’re using it to create liquid fuels” . The company claims it can generate 20,000 gallons of fuel per year from every acre of “solar converter” panels, which is far more than other companies expect to produce. Exxon’s algae project, for example, aims to generate about 2,000 gallons per acre.