A New Processing Scheme for Algae Biofuels

Technology Review by MIT
Friday, May 01, 2009
By Monica Heger

OriginOil claims that its technology extracts oil from algae cheaply and efficiently.

OriginOil, an algae biofuel company based in Los Angeles, has developed a simpler and more efficient way to extract oil from algae. The process combines ultrasound and an electromagnetic pulse to break the algal cell walls. Then the algae solution is force-fed carbon dioxide, which lowers its pH, separating the biomass from the oil.

"It's low energy, there's not a lot of machinery, and it's a simple process," says CEO Riggs Eckelberry. The algae and oil can be separated in a matter of minutes, he adds.

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