by Rob White
Solix Biofuels, an alternative energy technology company for the large-scale commercialization of microalgae-based fuels and co-products, has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Los Alamos National Laboratory (“LANL”) which grants Solix access to use and expand upon LANL’s technology; specifically its patented acoustic technology that is beneficial to Solix’s algal oil extraction process.
LANL’s acoustic technology utilizes sound waves to concentrate the harvested algae mixture and to extract the oil from algae cells. Combining these processes greatly reduces the energy required to extract algal oil and eliminates the need for chemical solvents.
Bryan Willson, Chief Technology Officer of Solix, commented, “The agreement with LANL will allow Solix to quickly move forward with extracting oil from algae crops harvested at our Coyote Gulch Production Facility.” He continued, “We will be able to apply and expand upon LANL’s valuable research in our effort to develop energy efficient extraction processes of algal oil which is the next key step in bringing to market a commercially viable alternative to petroleum based fuels.”
About Los Alamos National Laboratory (www.lanl.gov)
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and the Washington Division of URS for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.
About Solix Biofuels
Solix Biofuels, Inc., based in Fort Collins, Colo., is an alternative energy production technology company with emphasis on supplying scalable photo-bioreactors that will enable the global production of biofuels using microalgae as a feedstock. Solix is an intellectual descendant of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Aquatic Species Program, which started in 1978 to explore ways to produce biodiesel from algae. In early 2006 Solix was founded with the support of Colorado State University with a goal of creating a commercially viable biofuel that will help solve climate change and petroleum scarcity without competing with global food supply. Solix began operations at its Coyote Gulch Demonstration Facility, located on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, on July 16, 2009. For more information, visit www.solixbiofuels.com.