Plenty of companies are working on creating biodiesel from algae, but this is the first I’ve heard of an individual making homemade algae-based biodiesel . Australian Charlie Trafford has been making biodiesel from cooking oil for many years, but he recently decided to switch over to a more sustainable source— algae.
So Charlie, a friend, and a biochemist set out to grow algae comprised of 10 to 40 percent oil. Eventually, the crew actually succeeded in building a unit that can produce a few liters oil a day. In the process, they supposedly created a technique to grow and harvest enough algae to make it commercially viable for biodiesel.
Now the retirees are looking for financial assistance to develop their technology. Of course, they’ll have plenty of competition from existing companies. But whatever the outcome of their commercial aspirations, Trafford and co. deserve kudos for their do-it-yourself success.
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Electrifying Industrial Heat for Steel, Cement, & More
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...
