“Currently, GreenFuel Technologies is deploying field trials in the United States and internationally to validate its emissions-to-biofuels process at customer facilities,” says Xiaoxi Wu, GreenFuel’s chief scientist. “As an indicator of future biodiesel production potential, current company projections indicate that the GreenFuel system could convert up to 40 percent of the carbon dioxide from a 1,000 megawatt power plant into 40 million gallons of biodiesel per year.” According to Xiaoxi, this system is poised for wide-scale deployment by the end of this decade.

Processing biodiesel from algae isn’t as complicated as it sounds either. “In the case of GreenFuel’s system, we separate the algae from its growth medium, break the cell membranes and separate the oils from the other organic matter,” Xiaoxi tells Biodiesel Magazine. “The oils can then be processed into biodiesel, and the remaining organic matter can be used for other valuable applications. This compares favorably against other biodiesel feedstocks, which can require several additional steps.”

Although much of GreenFuel’s current emissions-to-biofuels production process sounds futuristic already, the company is still looking at future R&D opportunities. “We are also working to augment [our] core process with additional features, which will make the system even more economically and operationally attractive over the coming years,” Xiaoxi says.

The more traditional oilseed feedstocks and waste greases are also the subject of considerable research. Isolating desirable genetic traits in many oilseed crops to make seeds yield more oil, increase the bushels per acre, and help resist drought and other debilitating natural phenomena are just a few of the countless approaches being taken to enhance the availability of lipids for biodiesel production from these sources. Technologies are also being developed and refined, attempting to lower the costs associated with managing high free fatty acid feedstocks like waste greases, whether they are waste vegetable oils or trap greases.

Moreover, it’s important not to forget researchers like Mike Haas of the USDA Agricultural Research Service, who developed and continues to sharpen in situ transesterification, a process technology that can potentially convert any lipid-bearing material to biodiesel, skipping the oil extraction phase altogether. Like any other feedstock coupled with a new technology though, the economics need to be proven before commercialization is feasible.

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