Joule Biotechnologies, Inc. has just announced that a lease agreement has been signed for a new facility in Leander, Texas, which will serve as a pilot plant to develop the company’s solar powered system for producing ethanol and other biofuels. The energy efficient process is based on photosynthetic microorganisms and it operates without the use of conventional biomass or algae biofuel processes.
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CleanTechnica and Gas 2.0 have been eagerly following Joule’s progress, and the company has already produced ethanol and diesel at a lab scale rate. It plans to start ethanol production this year at the pilot plant, with diesel to follow early next year. Once operating at full scale, the facility has the potential to deliver at the rate of 25,000 gallons of ethanol per acre yearly, and 15,000 gallons of diesel. That could be the tip of the iceberg, because the same process can also yield a variety of high-value chemicals in addition to biofuels.
Biofuel from Sunlight and Microorganisms
Joule prefers to call its system “solar fuel,” and rightfully so. The heart of the process is the company’s proprietary SolarConverter, which contains photosynthetic organisms in a bath of brackish water and nutrients, with carbon dioxide fed in. While the concept is similar to producing algae biofuel, there are several significant twists. The organisms are not algae, they are bio-engineered proprietary organisms that produce and secrete fuel without the need for costly fermentation processes, extraction or refinement processes. The system also skips the need to collect and transport large quantities of biomass.
Low Cost, Energy Efficient Solar Fuel
Joule calls its process Helioculture, and aside from its non-use of conventional biomass it has a number of environmental advantages over conventional biofuel production. The use of a highly efficient solar powered process is number one. Running a close second is the use of brackish water rather than potable water (or having to power water filtration equipment). The system is also designed to take in waste carbon dioxide, which would add it to the growing list of carbon-capturing opportunities. As a carbon capturing operation, Helioculture can operate on a large scale, but the SolarConverter modules are also designed to custom fit facilities of any size.
Texas Leading Stampede Away from Fossil Fuels
Big oil may be in for a rough ride if the Leander facility delivers on its promises, because Joule estimates it can produce ethanol at an energy equivalency of $50 per barrel and diesel at $40 per barrel. It seems that Texas is to play host to one of life’s little ironies, as the state’s signature industry is rapidly being elbowed aside by alternative energy including the world’s largest wind farm, along with the growing recognition that Texas has the top solar energy potential in the U.S.
Image: Water drop by Irargerich on flickr.com.
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