Brownsville biofuel firm announces further progress

TheMonitor.com
October 31, 2010 2:45 PM
Steve Clark
The Brownsville Herald

BROWNSVILLE — Photon8 Inc., a biofuels startup company headquartered at the UTB-TSC ITEC Center, is announcing another breakthrough in its development of the commercially viable production of biofuel from algae.

Brad Bartilson, the firm’s president and CEO, said Photon8’s scientists have discovered a way around problems associated with ethanol and biodiesel, the two biofuels currently on the market. Both have to be blended with fossil fuels before they can be burned in engines, but Photon8 has eliminated the need for blending: The company’s scientists have figured out how to produce hydrocarbons from algae that are identical to those from conventional fuels, Bartilson said.

This potentially means less reliance on imported oil in the biofuels production process. This latest development also advances Photon8’s plan to produce jet fuel and diesel fuel, Bartilson said.

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