Algae Biofuel Company to Grow Miscanthus as Biofuel Feedstock

23 March 2007

AlgoDyne Ethanol Energy, the developers of a proprietary based process to continuously harvest algae biomass from photobioreactors to produce electricity and fuel, is acquiring 3,000 acres of agricultural land in Saskatchewan, Canada, to grow bioenergy crops, including Miscanthus.

The company had originally intended to purchase 800 acres, but decided to increase the amount.

AlgoDyne says that it discovered that by applying certain aspects of its proprietary enzyme technology gained from its micro-algae research to grain crops and especially to Miscanthus, the production of ethanol from “land-grown biomass” can be sustainable economically.

AlgoDyne says it will establish its own biomass distribution network to supply the biomass for ethanol production.

Miscanthus is a genus of about 15 species of perennial grasses. Miscanthus giganteus or “E-grass” has been trialed as a biofuel in Europe since the early 1980s. It can grow to heights of more than 3.5m in one growth season. Its dry weight annual yield can reach 25t/ha (10t/acre).

AlgoDyne says that its main focus still lies on the development of micro-algae as the primary source of biomass for ethanol production.

AlgoDyne plans to use its harvested algae to offer multiple end products: ethanol via fermentation, biodiesel via oil extraction and transesterification; biomethane via anaerobic digestion; or electricity from a direct alcohol fuel cell.

Resources:

• GreenFuel Technologies: A Case Study for Industrial Photosynthetic Energy Capture