by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Take CO2, add water and an energy source: voila, Fuels & Chemicals from Microbial Dairies. We revisit 3 top practitioners of the art and one outlier, and their progress.
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There are a number of technologies based on the dairy model, or “milking mode”, where the organisms are optimized to secrete targeted products, which are recovered from a broth surrounding them. In this case, a number of technology developers are still of the opinion that fuels-grade economics are possible, though speciality chemicals may also be produced to sweeten the margins. And in this case, the organisms are photoautotropic (meaning they get energy from sunlight, and carbon from CO2).
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Algenol …
Input: CO2, sunlight, water, nutrients
Output: ethanol, upgradable to diesel, jet fuel or chemicals
Location: Ft. Myers, Florida
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Joule Unlimited …
Input: CO2, sunlight, water, nutrients
Output: ethanol, diesel, jet fuel or chemicals
Location: Hobbs, Texas
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Proterro …
Input: CO2, sunlight, water, nutrients
Output: sucrose
Location: Orlando, Florida
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An outlier: Liquid Light …
Input: CO2, water, electricity
Output: propylene, isopropanol, methyl-methacrylate and acetic acid.
Location: Princeton, New Jersey