Jun 10, 2008

Making New Oil

Many scientists now believe that petroleum is not the remnant of dinosaurs, as was once popularly thought, but actually a byproduct of ancient deposits of algae. Now a company called OriginOil Inc. is developing a technology that will transform algae -- what it calls the most promising source of renewable oil -- into a competitor to petroleum. The technology is designed to produce "new oil" from algae through what it claims is a cost-effective, high-speed manufacturing process. According to the company, the process can create an endless supply of new oil that can be used for many products such as diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, plastics and solvents. As part of the manufacturing process, carbon dioxide -- now tabbed by some as a contributor to global warming -- would be literally sucked from the atmosphere, and the carbon portion would be transformed into “algal oil.”

Other fuel-producing feedstocks, such as corn and sugarcane, are also part of the food chain, so there are concerns that their use as a fuel source will disrupt world food supplies. The algae technology aims to fundamentally change the world’s source of oil without disrupting the environment or food supplies. The company has recently applied for a patent on a system designed to increase and optimize photosynthetic growth of an algae culture. OriginOil says the system, known as the Helix BioReactor, is the core algae growth system that will be used in its prototypes, pilots and full-scale production systems.

“The key to dependable, high algae yield is continuous lighting of multiple growth planes,” said Nicholas Eckelberry, director of development and an inventor of the Helix BioReactor. “In a natural pond, the sun only illuminates one growth plane, down to about half an inch below the surface. In contrast, the Helix BioReactor features a rotating vertical shaft with very low energy lights arranged in a helix or spiral pattern, which results in a theoretically unlimited number of layers. Additionally, each lighting element is engineered to produce specific light waves and frequencies for optimal algae growth. By giving algae only the light it needs, throughout the growth tank all of the time, we're growing algae quickly and cost effectively.”