Nippon Oil, Hitachi Plant Technologies develop renewable oils, jet fuel from pond-dwelling Euglena

In Japan, Nippon Oil and Hitachi Plant Technologies announced that they are collaborating on the development of a radical new technology to grow and harvest renewable oils from Euglena, pond-dwelling single-celled organisms, of the kingdown Excavata, that have both hetrotrophic abilities to consume foods as well as photosynthesize energy using chloroplasts.

The joint venture has developed a culturing system to produce Euglana at higher productivity rates than corn or sugarcane, and the project leaders say that their current goal is to reduce production costs below $3.00 per gallon ($0.80 per liter), and aims to convert the oils to renewable jet fuel. The venture partners say that they expect to produce Euglena biofuel by 2015.

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Tags: euglana, Japan, micro-crops

Category: International