| 28-01-2008 Recently,
Shell and HR Biopetroleum announced the construction of a pilot facility to grow
marine algae and produce vegetable oil for conversion into biofuel. The announcement
is a further step in Shell's ongoing effort to develop a new generation of biofuels
using sustainable, non-food raw materials. Algae hold great promise because they
grow very rapidly, are rich in vegetable oil and can be cultivated in ponds of
seawater, minimising the use of fertile land and fresh water. Shell and HR Biopetroleum
have formed a joint venture company, called Cellana, to develop this project,
with Shell taking the majority share. The facility will grow only non-modified,
marine microalgae species in open-air ponds using proprietary technology. Protection
of the local environment and marine ecosystem has been central to facility design.
Once the algae are harvested, the vegetable oil will be extracted. The facility's
small production volumes will be used for testing. An academic research programme
will support the project, screening natural microalgae species to determine which
ones produce the highest yields and the most vegetable oil. HR
Biopetroleum Inc. is a developer of large-scale microalgae production technology.
It was founded by a group of leading marine scientists and is dedicated to the
development of commercially viable and socially responsible biofuel production
technology. The company constructs and operates algae biofuels plants that use
effluent gases from power plants to produce renewable fuels and to mitigate emissions
of carbon.
Editor:
Frederick Wei from Chinabuses.com
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