USAF gives thumbs-up to IBP's algal jet fuel

May 11, 2011 |

In Ohio, Independence Bio-Products of Dublin reports that testing of its algal oil-based jet fuel by the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base has confirmed that the composition of the fuel derived from the Ohio-grown algae is similar to fuel derived from other plant oils such as soybeans, Jatropha or camelina—which are already being investigated as jet fuel precursors.

The algae was grown in open ponds in Ohio and harvested with IBP’s patent pending system.  This milestone is a part of a federally funded project to examine Algae to Fuel  processing strategies.

This effort has been divided into examination of three main areas: 1) selection of algae suitable for optimizing oil production based on climate factors; 2) development of cultivation systems (growing locations, harvesting, dewatering, and separation techniques); and 3) cultivation strategy (algae harvesting, processing into value-added products, etc.).

The public/private technical effort has been jointly led by three Ohio organizations: the Ohio Aerospace Institute of Brook Park, the Edison Materials Technology Center of Dayton, and the Center for Innovative Food Technology of Toledo along with several other industry and university collaborators, including IBP.

Independence Bio-Products grows and harvests algae which produces bio-fuel and animal feed.  The company has successfully produced low cost algal bio-mass from its pilot facility, which was online for 18 months at a coal burning power plant in Ohio.   The company is also currently in development on a commercial project that will begin construction in 2011 in Texas.

Category: Fuels

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