Hydrocarbon Fuels: Sugar to Diesel via Microbial Fermentation
by Kirk Apt (Chief Research Scientist, Martek) Martek extracts sugars from cost-effective sources like lignocellulosic biomass or sugar cane. They employ a proprietary microorganism to biochemically convert the sugars into lipids or oils, which can be upgraded into usable hydrocarbon fuels (like FAME, fatty acid methyl ester). This microorganism is heterotrophic, rather than photosynthetic, which is beneficial in terms of cost, process control, productivity, scalability, and technical risks. Martek has over twenty years of experience in isolation of microbes and commercialization.
The presentation includes diagrams depicting processes and photos of the microoranisms.
Presented at Biomass 2010: Fueling Our Future March 30 and 31, 2010. READ MORE



