The California-based Bio Architecture Lab (BAL), along with its subsidiaries in Chile, BALChile and BALBiofuels Chile, has broken ground on a seaweed-to-advanced biofuels experimental pilot facility. The companies aim to advance the technology to create renewable biofuels at a lower cost from native seaweed that has been grown sustainably.
The new facility will enable BAL to demonstrate the complete cycle from seaweed farming to biofuel production. The BAL facility is expected to commence operations in 2012.
BAL has been partnering with the Universidad de Los Lagos and the InnovaChile CORFO (the Chilean Economic Development Agency) to develop novel technologies for sustainable energy in Chile and in other countries. These new sources of chemicals and fuels reduce CO2 emissions and do not compete with freshwater or land for the production of food.
Seaweed does not require freshwater or arable land. It contains fermentable carbohydrates of nearly 60%, which makes it suitable as a feedstock for commercial scale chemical and biofuel production. BAL has produced isobutanol and ethanol from seaweed. It has developed a platform that has the ability to metabolize sugars that are in brown seaweed. The company presently has Macrocystis pyrifera native seaweed farms in Caldera, Ancud and Quenac.
The new biofuel experimental pilot facility will contain fermenters, bioreactors and milling equipment, which will enable BAL to advance its technology. BAL plans to increase the size of the facility to commercially produce biochemicals and biofuels, while creating more jobs.
Source: http://www.ba-lab.com/