US Solazyme rolls out algae-based diesel

11 June 2008 17:33  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--US bioscience company Solazyme said on Wednesday its algae-derived diesel has been certified as fully compatible with existing diesel fuel systems.

The San Francisco, California-based company said a standard automobile was road-tested using the company’s 100% blend of micro-algae derived diesel.

The test met American Society for Testing and Material (ASTM) specifications, the company said, meaning it can replace petro-diesel without changes in the current fuel infrastructure.

“We are currently at commercial production levels and are well on the path to full scale commercialisation,” said a spokeswoman for the privately held company.

The fuel is for the most part chemically indistinguishable from petro-diesel and cannot be considered a biodiesel, the spokeswoman said. The main differences are that it is renewable, has fewer particulate emissions than normal diesel and meets the ASTM’s ultra-low sulfur diesel standards.

($1=€0.65)

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By: Ben Lefebvre
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