OriginOil, Inc. has developed a breakthrough technology with the ability to transform algae into a promising source of renewable oil. The company today announced that its latest invention generates hydrogen from living algae and creates an additional energy source from bioreactors.
The new Hydrogen Harvester(TM) uses little or no external energy inputs, requires no sulfur deprivation or other “stressing” of the algae, and no genetic modification, while employing viable, high growth rate, high oil content algae strains.
“One of the primary challenges for algae production is to achieve the best-possible energy balance,” Riggs Eckelberry, OriginOil CEO stated in the press release. “By harvesting hydrogen from algae we are able to increase the energy output of virtually any algae production system. The result is a photosynthetic technology platform that yields energy in the form of oil, biomass and hydrogen.”
Algae naturally create oxygen through photosynthesis. The process of recovering hydrogen provides the ingredients needed to produce electricity using fuel cells. The energy generated offsets electricity needs for algae cultivation, harvesting and downstream processing.
Dr. Brian Goodall, OriginOil’s new CTO, said the production of hydrogen is a significant key for a fully functioning algal biorefinery.
“The co-generation of hydrogen at the algae production site is a critical development for the realization of a completely integrated algal biorefinery. All routes from algae to ‘drop-in’ fuels such as renewable diesel and jet fuel require hydrogen and hydrotreating. The Hydrogen Harvester technology would eliminate the need for hydrogen pipelines and dependence on existing refineries which are typically far removed from ideal sites for algae growth,” Dr. Goodall stated.
OriginOil recently filed for patent protection for the Bio Energy Reactor, its hydrogen harvesting technology. The company said the invention is applicable to any photosynthetic organism, though so far algae is thought to be most productive.
For more information visit www.originoil.com
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