Solazyme re-signs with Colombia's Ecopetrol, nears LAM commercialization
In California, Solazyme has signed its third development agreement with Ecopetrol (EC), the largest company in Colombia, to analyze manufacturing viability of algae-based diesel fuel using renewable Colombian feedstocks such as sugarcane and byproduct glycerol. Ecopetrol has a strategic goal to provide at least 450 million tons of fuel from renewable oil sources by 2015.
After a two-year R&D relationship, Solazyme and Ecopetrol will now move into the third phase, which includes establishing feedstock specifications and optimization, as well as conducting large-scale fermentation and engineering of demonstration scale facilities. Following this phase, the parties plan to move toward commercial deployment of renewable oil and fuel production.
In August, Ecopetrol subsidiary Bioenergy signed a $140 M contract with Isolux Corsanfor the construction of a 2.1 million ton sugarcane processing complex that will produce ethanol and up to 40 MW of power using bagasse, and other facilties for the production of vinasse.
Category: Fuels
