Shell Oil Grows Marine Algae to Produce Biodiesel - 1/02/08

Shell Oil has partnered with HR Biopetroleum, calling the joint venture Cellana.  Shell owns a majority stake in the venture.  A facility on the Kona coast of Hawaii will start production immediately.  This site is leased from the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority.  The goal of the site is to research which natural microalgae species produce the highest yields for diesel type biofuel.  Scientists with the facility will explore the potential of algae to capture CO2 from power plants.  

Graeme Sweeney, Shell Executive Vice President Future Fuels says:  "Algae has great potential as a sustainable feedstock for production of diesel-type fuels... This demonstration will be an important test of the technology and, critically, of commercial viability."

The economic viability of the process has to be proven.  Algae is a promising non food source of biodiesel type fuels, giving 15 times the yield of rape seed using the ocean instead of farmland which is used now.

Start making your own biodiesel fuel for only 70 cents a gallon! - Fuelmeister Biodiesel Processor

Back To the BioDiesel Alternative Fuel Page