Technology moves algae biofuels closer to commercialization

clipped from www.biofuelreview.com Groundbreaking "nanofarming" technology that safely harvests oil from the algae so the pond-based "crop" can keep on producing has been developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University. The "nanofarming" technology uses nanoparticles to extract oil from the algae. The process doesn't harm the algae like other methods being developed, which helps reduce both production costs and the production cycle. Once the algal oil is extracted, a separate and proven solid catalyst from Catilin will be used to produce ASTM and EN certified biodiesel. Commercialization of this new technology is at the center of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between the Ames Laboratory and Catilin, a nano-technology-based company that specializes in biofuel production. The agreement targets development of this novel approach to reduce the cost and energy consumption of the industrial processing of non-food source biofuel feedstock.