Drop-in fuels, algae, new DOE/EPA/USDA biofuels group profiled

In Michigan, Automotive Industries Online profiled the development path of drop-in fuels and high-yield renewable fuels made from algae, in an article by Bob Brooks.  The article profiles efforts at Aurora, OriginOil, and Virent Energy Systems, while also discussing the formation of an interagency working group at the DOE, USDA and EPA to develop a unified strategy to advance the commercialization of biofuels.

A U.S. policy decision has been made that a team from  U.S. Departments of Energy, Environment and Agriculture (DOE, EPA and USDA) will coordinate advancement of 3rd generation bio fuels that meet the definition of “drop in”, writes Brooks. “Possibly the single biggest issue is the question of which bio material can be made in the huge quantities needed as substitutes for petroleum. While the best single answer to this may be algae, even at the favorable yield of 5,000  gal/acre/year, millions of acres of land for algae cultivation would be needed to achieve significant replacement of U.S. petroleum use.

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