Biodiesel From Algae

Wellington, New Zealand — The world’s first wild algae bio-diesel fuel, produced in New Zealand by Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation, has been successfully used during a test drive by the New Zealand Minister for Energy and Climate Change Issues, David Parker. The Minister filled up a diesel-powered Land Rover with Aquaflow B5 blend bio-diesel and drove around the forecourt of Parliament Buildings in central Wellington.

Aquaflow announced in May that it had produced the world’s first bio-diesel derived from wild micro-algae sourced from local sewage ponds. “We believe we are the first company in the world to test drive a car powered by wild algae-based bio-diesel,” said Aquaflow spokesperson Barrie Leay. “This will come as a surprise to some in the international bio-diesel industry who believe that this breakthrough is still years away.”

Bio-diesel based on algae could eventually become a sustainable, low-cost, cleaner-burning fuel alternative for New Zealand, powering family cars, trucks, buses, and boats. It can also be used for heating or distributed electricity generation. There is now a global demand for billions of litres of bio-diesel per year.

Algae are readily available and produced in huge volumes in nutrient-rich waste streams, such as the settling ponds of effluent management systems. The breakthrough comes after Aquaflow agreed to undertake a pilot with Marlborough District Council to extract algae from the settling ponds of its effluent management system in Blenheim. By removing the main contaminant to use as a fuel feedstock, Aquaflow is also helping clean up the council’s water discharge — a process known as bio-remediation.

Dairy farmers and many food processors can benefit in similar ways by applying the harvesting technology to their nutrient-rich waste streams. Blended with conventional mineral diesel, bio-diesel can run vehicles without the need for modifications.

Fuel derived from algae can also help meet the New Zealand Government B5 (5% blended) target. “Our next step is to increase capacity to produce one million litres of bio-diesel from the Marlborough sewerage ponds over the next year,” said Leay. The bio-diesel was used successfully in a static engine test at Massey University’s Wellington campus on December 11, 2006.