Researchers have developed a new biofuel manufacturing process, creating crude oil from wet algae in less than 60 minutes. Even better, byproducts from the process are recycled to aid in growing more algae. Unlike other methods, the algae does not need to be dried, saving time and money, and the system runs continuously, not in batches.
Algae biofuel is expensive to create. This new process could drop costs considerably.
“It’s a formidable challenge, to make a biofuel that is cost-competitive with established petroleum-based fuels,” Oyler added. “This is a huge step in the right direction.”