Researchers at Arizona State University have received a $3 million grant to further develop their aviation fuel derived from algae. The development of algae jet fuel is already progressed quit far and researchers have already moved past the laboratory stage and are working on a pilot project to scale the process. They hope to be able to create large quantities of economically competitive jet fuel as soon as possible. The research team says that cost reduction benefits are greater than with kerosene produced from petroleum.

The breakthrough in the research to create algae jet fuel came when the researchers identified algae strains that can convert pieces of their cellular mass into oil containing high concentrations of medium chain fatty acids. The hydrocarbon chains that are created when the oil is deoxygenated are very similar to those created when regular kerosene goes through the same process.

Researchers hope that this type of jet fuel might end up being cheaper than regular kerosene based jet fuel as an expensive process (thermal cracking) isn’t necessary to make jet fuel from algae oil.

The new fuel can be used in most jet planes when mixed with a small amount of fuel additives.

I will post a more complete introduction to algae oil before the end of this week. (I Hope)