Shell Oil to grow biofuels from marine algae
Shell Oil formed a joint venture with HR Biopetroleum called Cellana and they plan to produce biofuels from marine algae. Shell, which owns a majority stake in the venture, will start production of a demonstration facility on the Kona coast of Hawai'i Island immediately. The production volume for the facility, which is on a site leased from the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA), will be small but the main goal is to research which natural microalgae species produce the highest yields biofuels. Scientists from Hawai'i, Mississippi and Canada are a part of the project that will also explore the potential of algae to capture CO2 from power plants. Graeme Sweeney, Shell Executive Vice President Future Fuels and CO2, says:
Algae have great potential as a sustainable feedstock for production of diesel-type fuels with a very small CO2 footprint. ... This demonstration will be an important test of the technology and, critically, of commercial viability.
Sweeney denies this is all a publicity stunt but they are smart to invest in biofuels from marine algae. The economic viability of the process has to be proven but algae is the most promising non-food source of biofuels, providing 15 times the yield of rape seed, and using the ocean would mean farmland that could grow food would not be a part of the biofuel equation. It's really too bad Shell is a giant oil company. I wonder if anyone will ever take news like this from oil companies seriously?
Related:
- Grow car fuel in the ocean? A very good idea
- Who's behind a better lithium-ion hybrid/EV battery? Why, it's Exxon Mobil
- Boeing likes algae as a source for new biofuels
- Solix and Colorado State University team to commercialize algae to biodiesel process
- AlgaeLink introduces 2nd generation algae bioreactors
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
david 4:52AM (11/18/2008)
i live in hi and ca ihave some great ideas but need some tec help on what to try to grow i think the ocean is our answer and would be able to get some grants and use some of myown money to get a start any ideas??????
Reply
ROBERT WIENER 1:37PM (11/21/2008)
I wish you luck.take a look at my website, if you want to make some money i can teach you to make a few things. Vacuum chamber wont take much, You would have the best acrylic vacuum chamber in the world, no body has it, The technology took me two years.Check your computer for acrylic vacuum chambers. A box, fabricated out of several pieces of acrylic sheet approx 15 by15 by 12 goes from 1300 too twenty eight hundred..check wwwlabx .com, plastic casting process for sale. www.angelfire.com/pro2/frisky THIS UNIT IS CAST IN ONE PIECE, NO SEAMS, NO CEMENT.
ROBERT WIENER 1:36PM (11/21/2008)
Algea and cast acrylic tubing may need each other.I have technology to produce cast acrylic tubing at a cost of approxamately ten cents on the dollar if you buy the technology .Process can easily pay for itself.I can set up entire facility from a to z.special formulations and specs available.I KID U NOT. NO BALONEY.All agreements go through the u s mail, i teach, i travel. over forty years experience.www.angelfire.com/pro2/frisky 912 462 7212
Reply
ROBERT WIENER 10:01AM (12/23/2008)
i can teach mfg of cast acrylic tubing,and every thing else in acrylic, you can save, approx ninty repeat ninty percent over supplier cost.40 yrs exp. www.angelfire.com/pro2/frisky
plastpro@btconline.net
Reply
FREE & CLEAN CO2 8:43PM (8/17/2009)
QDS Inc.
Presents Extraordinary Patented Technology
Air Pollution Control-Stacked Exhaust Flue Gas Purification
Most Efficient, Inexpensive CO2 Removal, Recovery & Supplier For End Users Such As Algae Farms To Produce Ethanol BioFuel
To Whom It May Concern;
We are QD Sciences, Inc. located in North Carolina and Florida USA. We have developed this enterprise and are currently focusing on commercializing our technology worldwide. We have a PCT PATENT, additionally we have12 giant technologies that are pending in the clean energy field.
We have successfully finalized a low cost, high efficiency: AIR POLLUTION CONTROL TECHNOLOGY. This technology is for any capacity and can be applicable to any kind of pollutant industry.
A minimum of 98% efficiency has been obtained through this single process to capture and hold such pollutant chemical compounds as:
COx, SOx, NOx, nitrous oxide (N20), haloflurocarbons, CH4, HO (hydroxide), H2S, Aldehit (H-CHO), Mercury (Hg), Hydrogen Florid (HF), Trifluoromethane (HFC-23), phosphor (P), lead, SnO2 micro crystals, (Cl2), Vinyl Chloride (C2H3Cl) volatile organic compounds (VOC), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), particulate matter, odor, etc.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR POLLUTANT INDUSTRIES?
The cost of removing these toxins is less than $5 for each ton of coal or any other fuel.
New remarkable techniques are now able to convert these toxins into fertilizers to be safely degraded into the environment.
98% removal efficiency to meet the new coming regulations and stay within permitted limits.
QDS technology CO2 removal allows 90% of CO2 recovery from the QX used liquid to provide for other commercial uses.
Installation is possible without interrupting production.
QDS has developed technology to remove flying ash at 100% efficiency and operation cost is maximum $1 / ton fuel.
WHERE CAN IT BE USED?
• Coal, oil, gas, and waste fired power plants,
• Industrial chemical plants,
• Oil refineries,
Removing H2S from Natural gas, Syngas,
• Aluminum, Copper producers, Cement manufacturers, Steel or Paper mills, etc.
• Plastic, Rubber or similar polluting industries
• Transatlantic vessel exhaust, Train and Automobile Exhaust,
• Incineration and medical organic waste fired plants,
• Kitchen chimneys, Odor creating industries, etc.
FROM ALGAE TO ETHANOL PRODUCTION THE FREE CO2;
The QDS technology promises to; capture and transfer the CO2 into green houses or any other CO2 end users and ALGAE TO ETHANOL producers, which is the new century’s fuel. Ethanol obtained from ALGAE and ALGAE desperately needs CO2 to grow faster and with extremely higher yields.
SUPERIORITY OF QDS TECHNOLOGY;
We are removing more than 98% efficiently without exception all the toxins from any kind of pollutant industries.
Optionally: We are able to separate and take back CO2 to use in other areas of industry.
Optionally: We are able to keep CO2 in store to keep our planet safe.
Optionally: We are able to turn waste to fertilizer.
TO CLEAN ATMOSPHERE OF CITIES:
We developed unique technology to clean the air of the cities. One example: we know Mexico City, Ankara, London, Shanghai etc., are highly polluted cities and QDS has developed this unique technology to clean top layer of the city and transfer captured CO2 into algae farms.
GENERAL RESULTS;
Comprehensive FLUE GAS tests, certified by the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States of America were conducted on four different occasions. The resulting reports are available for viewing.
We have International Patent,
We have 4 separate EPA/USA reports,
We are ready to build plant any capacity and at any place at the world.
Regards,
Kemal Burkay
President, CEO
QDS, Inc. Science council
www.qdsciences.com
Phone: 1-407-797-2622
Reply
Dad 6:03PM (12/12/2007)
"It's really too bad Shell is a giant oil company. I wonder if anyone will ever take news like this from oil companies seriously."
I take them seriously. They are out to make money (just like you and me) and harvesting algae to make fuel is no different than pulling crude out of the ground. Both can be "slimy".
Reply
rgseidl 6:52PM (12/12/2007)
Exxon owns lots of rights to oil that would be profitable to extract at $20 a barrel. Shell has far fewer and is getting creative just to keep up its "proven reserves" i.e. secure its future. Dodgy accounting wasn't the answer and oil sands will eventually face massive environmental protests, even in Alberta. Algal oil is definitely a departure for an oil company, but Shell probably isn't making this investment just to secure patents and then sit on them.
Reply
Dad 9:44PM (12/12/2007)
"oil sands will eventually face massive environmental protests, even in Alberta"
I did not know this, what kind of problems does oil sands produce?
Reply
Guenther 11:29PM (12/12/2007)
To extract oil from oil sands, you have to dig it up and then cook the oil out. You have to dig up huge amounts of dirt and process it. Think of it more like a gigantic open mining operation, only the left overs aren't 'clean' sand and gravel, but still tary, oily gravel and sand. That is why no one did it until the price of a barrel went over $35.
Cultivating large quantities of algae in the open ocean is a little unsettling to me, but I suppose if you're going to farm energy, you have to do it somewhere. If the Chinese were doing it, I'd be REALLY scared.
Reply
GreyFlcn 11:43PM (12/12/2007)
I dunno, do you find anything wrong with a 2-5x increase in greenhouse emissions, ravaging millions of acres of boreal forests, creating miles and miles of toxic cesspools devoid of life, and mountains of sulfur, to be a bad thing?
http://www.technologyreview.com/printer_friendly_article.aspx?id=16059
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/22/MNG46CMUPL60.DTL
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/campaigns/tarsands/greenpeace-to-alberta-legislat
Reply
GreyFlcn 11:44PM (12/12/2007)
As for the Algae, they are in a fight with the laws of thermodynamics.
And I think I already know who the winner is going to be.
http://greyfalcon.net/algae4
http://greyfalcon.net/algae
_
If anything if we absolutely MUST have liquid fuels, this is far more promising:
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/12/sandia-applying.html
And even thats still pretty stupid.
Reply
GreyFlcn 11:48PM (12/12/2007)
And no, you aren't going to be growing Algae in the damned ocean.
We got more important priorities there.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=AAFCC579-E7F2-99DF-33CF444CDD8F7AAF
Reply
Tim 8:55AM (12/14/2007)
Esterhol™ works better in diesel engines than biodiesel. It is 30% cheaper to produce, requires no heat for production for a higher net energy gain, produces far less emissions than biodiesel, is nontoxic and 100% biodegradable. Esterhol™ also reduces the tendency toward engine knocking with improved lubricity that also increases fuel injector and pump life and helps to keep injectors. Esterhol™ even meets the diesel spec ASTM 975.
http://www.gmax100.com/
http://www.nrel.gov/technologytransfer/pdfs/naturally_renewable.pdf
Reply