US-based bioenergy company OriginOil has developed an extraction method to help transform algae into a competitive transport fuel. The company plans to commercialize the patent-pending solution for use by others in the algae industry.
Initial testing indicates that the new algae oil extraction process is simpler and more efficient than current systems, without requiring chemicals or significant capital expenditure for heavy machinery.
A time-lapse video posted on the company’s website begins with a batch of algae that has just gone through OriginOil’s process. In less than an hour, the oil, water and biomass separate by gravity alone. Unlike conventional systems, no chemicals or heavy machinery is used in this single-step process, and no initial dewatering is required.
“Our technology accomplishes key parts of the harvesting process in a single, cost-effective step. We are planning to make our new technology available to the industry,” said OriginOil CEO Riggs Eckelberry.