Chevron, NERL to Collaborate on Research to Produce Transportation Fuels using Algae
Chevron
Corp. and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) announced on Oct. 31 that they have entered into a
collaborative research and development agreement to study and advance
technology to produce liquid transportation fuels using algae.
Chevron and NREL scientists will collaborate to identify and develop
algae strains that can be economically harvested and processed into
finished transportation fuels such as jet fuel. Chevron Technology
Ventures, a division of Chevron U.S.A. Inc., will fund the initiative.
The research project announced on Oct. 31 is the second under a
five-year strategic biofuels research alliance between Chevron and NREL
announced in October 2006. The first involves bio-oil reforming, a
process by which bio-oils derived from the decomposition of biological
feedstocks are then converted into hydrogen and biofuels.
"We are extremely pleased to join Chevron in this path-breaking
research," said NREL Director Dan Arvizu. "NREL operated the Aquatic
Species Program for the Department of Energy for nearly 20 years,
giving us unique insights into the research required to produce
cost-effective fuels from algal oils or lipids. Our scientists have the
advanced tools and the experience to rapidly increase the yield and
productivity of key species of algae. In Chevron we have found an ideal
research partner with the skills and knowledge to transform these algal
lipids to cost-competitive fuels and to distribute those fuels to
consumers."
"Biofuels will play an increasingly important role in diversifying
energy supplies to meet the world's growing energy needs. Chevron
believes that nonfood feedstock sources such as algae and cellulose
hold the greatest promise to grow the biofuels industry to large
scale," said Don Paul, vice president and chief technology officer,
Chevron Corporation. "Collaboration between industry, universities,
research institutions and government is essential to overcoming the
technological and commercial challenges of manufacturing high-quality
transportation fuels from unconventional feedstocks. Chevron is pleased
to partner with the nation's preeminent renewable energy laboratory in
this important research."
Algae are considered a promising potential feedstock for
next-generation biofuels because certain species contain high amounts
of oil, which could be extracted, processed and refined into
transportation fuels using currently available technology. Other
benefits of algae as a potential feedstock are their abundance and fast
growth rates. Key technical challenges include identifying the strains
with the highest oil content and growth rates and developing
cost-effective growing and harvesting methods.