Posted on 03/02/2011 2:44:33 PM PST by Wonder Warthog
Joule Unlimited has invented a genetically-engineered organism that it says simply secretes diesel fuel or ethanol wherever it finds sunlight, water and carbon dioxide.
The Cambridge, Mass.-based company says it can manipulate the organism to produce the renewable fuels on demand at unprecedented rates, and can do it in facilities large and small at costs comparable to the cheapest fossil fuels.
Joule's process directly yields hydrocarbons that are fungible with existing diesel infrastructure, unlike the biodiesel product that is produced from algal oil.
Highlights include:
Based on empirical measurements, Joule can directly produce 15,000 gallons of diesel per acre annually, as compared to 3,000 gallons of biodiesel produced indirectly from algae.
The solar-to-product conversion efficiency of Joule's direct, continuous process for producing diesel, ethanol and chemicals is between 5 and 50X greater than any biomass-dependent process, and gains additional efficiencies by avoiding downstream refining.
Joule's combined advances in genome engineering, solar capture and bioprocessing result in photosynthetic conversion efficiency of more than 7% relative to available yearly solar energy striking the ground, many times greater than prior
A salt water algae is still algae even if it’s called a “highly engineered photosensitive organism in non-freshwater solution”.
and the promise of about 9 1/2 millions gal. per year per square mile.....right.
Joule Elects Former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta to Board of DirectorsCambridge, Mass.
–January 18, 2011 –
Joule Unlimited, Inc., pioneer of Liquid Fuel from the Sun™, today announced the election of John Podesta to its board of directors. A veteran of two White House administrations, Mr. Podesta will bring considerable expertise to Joule in the realm of public policy as well as partnering with the public sector.
"Since inception, we've sought the guidance of truly world-class directors and advisors to help Joule convert a promising concept into a successful and potentially industry-changing enterprise. We are thrilled to welcome John to the team, given his extensive experience within the US government and internationally as well," said Bill Sims, President and CEO of Joule. "As a leading expert in technology policy and a known advocate for clean energy, John is an ideal champion for Joule, and we look forward to leveraging his insights as we progress towards international deployment."
Mr. Podesta's accomplished career on Capitol Hill spans 30 years. He is currently President and CEO of the Center for American Progress, a "think tank" organization that he founded in 2003 to help develop and advocate for progressive policy. He was previously White House Chief of Staff to President Clinton, serving in the president's cabinet and as a principal on the National Security Council. He also served as both an assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff, as well as staff secretary and a senior policy advisor on government information, privacy, telecommunications security, and regulatory policy.
Most recently, Mr. Podesta served as co-chair of President Obama's transition, where he coordinated the priorities of the incoming administration's agenda, oversaw the development of its policies, and spearheaded its appointments of major cabinet secretaries and political appointees. His prior positions on Capitol Hill included counselor to Democratic Leader Senator Tom Daschle; chief counsel for the Senate Agriculture Committee; and chief minority counsel for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittees on Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks; Security and Terrorism; and Regulatory Reform.
"There is no question that clean energy innovation and adoption are among the top economic and security priorities for our nation, and it's critical that we focus on breakthrough technologies, particularly for liquid fuels, that can sometimes fall through the legislative cracks," said Mr. Podesta. "I have seen and heard many proposals by renewable energy companies, and can unequivocally say that Joule has a technology and a system unlike any other, with industrial viability and a clear path to market within the next several years. It's an honor to join the board of a big-thinking category creator like Joule."
"Joule has an ambitious vision for the future of transportation fuels, with the ability to bring energy security to the US and to other regions around the world," said Noubar Afeyan, Founder and Chairman of Joule, and Managing Partner of Flagship Ventures. "With the valuable addition of John to our board, we've gained the strategic insights and support of a long-time government expert who can help Joule build the lasting relationships needed for long-term success."
Didn't some actor come up with a mo'chine to do just that?
If it he did and it works then he will be richer than Bill Gates.
This sounds way too good to be true. About a gallon of diesel from every three square feet every year?
Yeah, but better this than destroying potential food or arable land.
Let’s see...The area of New Mexico is about 2000 square miles so if the optimistic figures work out in the field all that is needed is just one state covered with machines! Easy!
Yes, if it works. Its selling point seems to be that with typical algae, you first have to squeeze out its vegetable oil, then mix it with lye and ethanol, then strain it to get biodiesel. But somehow their algae generates biodiesel directly, without poisoning itself, and in a concentrated enough form that it is easy to separate from the water.
I guess.
That’s one of those tiny hurdles they have to overcome.
You really ought to check your facts more closely:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108250.html
New Mexico Land area: 121,356 sq mi
2000 square miles is only a rectangle 40 miles by 50 miles, which is a postage stamp compared to most states (except for perhaps Rhode Island). Even Massachusetts is around 8000 square miles.
If it works, hubba hubba. I’d love to get off the Arab tit.
Correct you are! Mea culpa!
Correct you are! Mea culpa! For such a mistake I should say it twice....
Might be, but the science in their peer-reviewed paper doesn't seem to be out of line. I need to spend some time looking at the reference links from that paper.
The MMGW thing cast a pall on the credibility of peer review. They used “incestuous peer review” practices that would have gagged any legitimate scientist. They worked it like this.
One would be the “lead researcher” on a paper, with two others acting as “assistants”. Then a fourth member of their group would write the “peer review”. Then they would rotate positions, so that in one cycle of four papers, each of them would be lead once, peer reviewer once, and assistant twice. Then the cycle would start over with the fifth paper.
With tricks like this, the entire MMGW cabal was restricted to a few dozen insiders, some outsiders who believed, but were kept outside the primary group to cheer lead, and any others they could sucker into supporting them.
Truthfully, they didn’t even innovate this corruption of the peer review process. Credit for that goes to the pharma companies, who for years openly hired peer reviewers with the understanding that they would support the science, unless there were some really glaring errors, which they would quietly refer back to the pharma company.
Very true, unfortunately, and the blatantness of it as revealed in the "Climategate" emails REALLY p*ssed me off, because what they did hurts all of science and technology research.
And the above is why I plan to spend some time working through the references to the paper. But the details given in the paper itself don't raise any serious alarm bells in my mind based on what I already know about science in general and this topic area in particular. There are no "magic unknowns" that have to be overcome or laws of physics that seem to be contraverted (as in cold fusion).
Thanks. It IS 20 mbd. My one senior moment for the day.
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