BlueFire’s Patented Process Gives Solazyme the Edge It Needs
BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, Inc. [[BFRE.OB]] announced that Solazyme Inc., a renewable oil production company and leading algae synthetic biology company, is testing sugars produced through BlueFire’s patented process for compatibility with its renewable oil process to produce the oil cost effectively and at scale. The Concentrated Acid Hydrolysis Technology Process converts cellulosic waste materials to ethanol, a viable alternative to gasoline.
“Our technologies are a great fit for each other,” stated Arnold Klann, CEO of BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, Inc. “Our patented acid hydrolysis process allows BlueFire Ethanol to utilize a variety of non-food feedstocks to produce sugars that can be used to make a variety of different types of fuels and chemicals. Supplying these low cost sugars to Solazyme’s technology provides them with the option of creating a variety of oils for the renewable energy industry and beyond.”
Some energy analysts have been critical of sugar-based processes, like Solazyme’s, because it adds feedstock costs. However, the company has tried growing algae with sunlight and found that it does not make economic sense. In fact, GreenFuel Technologies, one of its key competitors using sunlight, went under after receiving some $70 million in VC funds. Solazyme is hoping that BlueFire’s low cost feedstocks will help improve its commercial viability.
BlueFire is also one of four ethanol companies awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to construct ethanol production facilities. Its first facility is being developed in Lancaster, California and will use post-sorted cellulosic wastes diverted from landfills in Southern California to produce 3.9 million gallons of fuel-grade ethanol per year. The company was also awarded $40 million from the U.S. DOE for construction of a second plant in the area.
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