New Technology Milks Algae for Oil
by Derek Markham in Alt Fuels and Transportation
A new cost-effective, high speed manufacturing process for extracting oil from algae, called ‘Live Extraction™’ has been developed by OriginOil. This breakthrough technology has the potential to provide an endless supply of cost-competitive and environment-friendly oil to displace petroleum, says the company.
Algae
OriginOil’s Live Extraction™, or milking, achieves continuous production of algae oil without destroying the algae cell, and is inherently efficient because a single algae cell can now produce more oil during its lifetime using lower amounts of energy. The company’s process does not employ expensive consumables like other live extraction techniques such as reverse osmosis membranes, and is not limited to oil-bearing algae strains, such as Botryococcus braunii.
Algae Live Extraction
Algae oil is typically protected behind a tough cell wall, and the challenge of live extraction is to harvest that oil without causing permanent damage to the algae cell. This has been achieved in the lab by OriginOil and is now being scaled up to an intermediate 200-gallon tank size for further testing.
“Live Extraction works by stimulating the algae cells through specific electrical modulations. The challenge is how to keep the cells alive while continuously extracting the oil, and we have achieved this.” – Riggs Eckelberry, CEO of OriginOil
OriginOil has applied for a patent for the new Live Extraction process, entitled “Procedure for Extraction of Lipids from Algae without Cell Sacrifice.” The new ‘milking’ process will be joined with the company’s Cascading Production™ technique for increased efficiencies.
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Posted on Aug 27, 2009
algae, algae oil, alternative fuel, Live Extraction, OrginOil
About the Author
Derek Markham
Derek Markham is a father, writer, and social media butterfly based in New Mexico, with a passion for all things sustainable. For the last ten years, he's worked in the natural foods industry, most recently running a small co-operative grocery store. In his personal time, he loves to ride his bike (an 80s Trek singlespeed), go bouldering and slacklining, and he can usually be found in the middle of about ten different books. You can also find him on other sites including Twitter and Natural Papa.12 Responses to “New Technology Milks Algae for Oil”
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Jeff
Aug 27, 2009
And I’m assuming the electricity to milk algae is less than the energy produced from the oil, right? While I like this from the standpoint of getting away from drilling, it still requires some form of energy production upstream and likely the results of using this subsequent energy source is not as clean as other solutions. Still, nice to see folks looking for solutions.
Ron
Aug 27, 2009
Electricity comes from steam generation using natural gas – the cleanest and now cheapest fuel we have.
Calvin Khor
Aug 27, 2009
@Jeff: Perhaps it can become self-supporting?
Links42
Aug 28, 2009
It is possiable that on the small scale there is a net loss of energy. But it might be possiable on a larger scale. Perhaps it takes the same amount of energy to harvest from a larger sample. Obviously this is in it’s infant stages of development and we need more testing. If it becomes aparent that we can not get a excess of energy from the alge it will be abandoned as many other “cheap energy” sources has been before.
Daniel
Aug 28, 2009
Electricity? Why would you need to use electricity? Algae is practically a plant and captures the sun in its chlorophyll to produce its own energy. There would be no need for electricity.
Jill Leven
Aug 28, 2009
Looks like a great alternative fuel source. Go Science!
jayson
Aug 28, 2009
maybe its chemical?
Jeff
Aug 28, 2009
Ron: That’s good to know.
Calvin: I thought of that but unless it is 100% efficient I don’t believe it could be fully self-supported.
dakota
Oct 01, 2009
that is awesome, so cool and enviornmentally friendly
Uncle B
Twitter: @Twitter Name (optional)
Oct 07, 2009
Bio-Diesel! and Off of Foreign Oil…The new “American Dream” closer now than ever! If we do all the things that draw us nearer to that goal, including using super insulation and Einstein cycle, solar powered refrigeration, Solar water heaters, and other supporting technologies, we may, by the time oil supply declines, force less oil use, have the means to maintain our status, and not fall to Third World, with an even greater divide between the haves and the have-nots in America! Technology seems to hold all the answers for tomorrow, and save for a dramatic paradigm shift in American life-styles, we will depend on them to maintain the current “Status Quo”. America, however suffers even with todays hi-tech miracles in place, because we emulate European royalty in place of evolving into a newer hi-tech society, and plant lawns like British Lords, instead of food for starving Americans, and exploit even the greatest of hi-tech miracles for frivolous purposes – computers here, play games, in China, they teach science! Cellphones here, for gossip, In India, replace landlines in serious fashion! Some behavioral changes are in store for Americans, who eat far too much, very oil-intensive beef, for example, while their Indian counter-parts are Vegans! A lot cheaper to feed! hopefully, Bio-Diesel from this process will not be turned into American’s beloved gasoline, in Exxon’s “Cracking Towers”, polluted with additives, then wasted in inefficient low compression spark-ignition engines, as is the fate of most imported oil today, and an utter folly for the American economy! Hopefully this Bio-Diesel will go to power Euro-Diesel engines, 40 % more efficient, by high compression design than current gasoline engines, yielding a sizable competition for foreign oil, and a greater boost for the American economy! Beware the follies and deceptions of Exxon! They will do anything to maintain “Market Share” and lie away the Diesel Engine Fact! Scrubbers and all, and even including the new Mercedes Blue Burn technologies, to keep Arab ROI’s high – this is their corporate mandate! Beware of this “Fact of American life”!
james
Dec 13, 2009
it looks like a good topic to talk about for my assignemnt
I have to give a presentation about a new technology to convince a colleague about
can you provide me with other resources about the technology ?