Eight Italian biodiesel producers band in $14 million project to develop algae as a feedstock

In Italy, Biofuels International is reporting that a consortium of eight biodiesel producers, working with researchers from the University of Florence, have developed a technology to replace corn and rapeseed as feedstocks with algae. The $14 million project is being coordinated by the  Union of Biodiesel Producers, which heads the project.

The group hopes to commence construction of a closed-system algae production farm after the technology is fully developed, sometime after 2011, and said that sites in Southern Italy were under consideration.

Free Subscription to the Daily Biofuels Digest e-newsletter

Related Stories

Italian biodiesel production to increase 28 percent in 2008, capacity up 42 percent

In Italy, the Italian Biodiesel Association said that five new biodiesel plants are ready to come online and will increase national biodiesel capacity from 1.9 million tons and to 2.7 million tons. Ho...

Italy’s Union of Biodiesel Producers launches Mambo project to produce algae biodiesel by 2013

In Italy, the Union of Biodiesel Producers announced its $14 million Mambo project to produce biodiesel from algae within five years. The group is working with scientists at the University of Florence...

Oxem Group commences construction on 60 Mgy canola biodiesel plant in Italy

In Italy, Oxem Group has commenced construction on a 60 Mgy canola-based biodiesel plant near Pavia, in Lombardy. Oxem will invest $100 million in the project that will utilize feedstock from France, ...

BioCentric, Zenxin sign partnership to develop algae biodiesel in China

In California, BioCentric Energy announced a partnership with China's Zenxin to establish algae biodiesel production in China. The partners formed BioCentric Energy Algae Hong Kong and will embark on ...

Italian researcher touts tobacco oil as high-yield biodiesel feedstock; conducting generator test this year

In Italy, research has detailed the potential to use tobacco oil as a biodiesel feedstock. Researchers say that tobacco is a higher-yield crop than comparable biodiesel feedstocks. A test of tobacco b...

Biomass Secure Power, Lower Nicola Indian Band announce Canadian 15 MW power plant and pellet mill project

In Canada, Biomass Secure Power announced that it has signed a MOU with Lower Nicola Indian Band to build a 15 megawatt co-generation power plant and pellet mill. Naik Development will provide land an...