Solazyme: “By focusing on the diesel and jet side, we’re focusing on the things that have to be around.”

In California, the Digest visited with 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy candidate company Solazyme (ranked #6 in last year’s poll), and CEO Jonathan Wolfson offered an update on the algae-based renewable oils company’s most recent activities.

“By this stage, we worked with almost everything in terms of feedstocks – bagasse, miscanthus, green waste, soft woods. One of the coolest things about the platform is that it works in standard industrial, fermentation – algae are very tolerant of toxins, furfurals, lignins – unlike yeast – most strains use acetic acid that are inhibitory to cellulosic conversion – can even grow on low grade glycerol.

“Over the near term, one focus is going to be on narrowing the range of potential feedstocks — to the ones where we will do the process development to make it scale.”

Wolfson added, “For now, our goal is to talk about what we are doing, and what we have done, to put up or shut up. So we are focused on, for example, delivering large quanitities of in-spec fuels to DoD. Plus, pursuing new verticals via partners who have scale and market knowledge.”

Looking farther down the road, Wolfson said, “I have a 15 mile commute – in the future, I believe I will commute in a small electric powered by  green electrons — that will be the energy efficient way to commute. Make no mistake, our oils make good gasoline, but we want to focus on the heavy trucking, rail, heavy marine, where diesel electric hybrids will probably emerge as the winners. Aviation needs biofuels — they’re not going anywhere. So by focusing on the diesel and jet side, we’re focusing on the things that have to be around.”

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