AuroraBiofuels.com
Aurora Biofuels Completes 18-month Algae Biodiesel Pilot Project; Ready to Commercialize; Taps Industry Veteran Bob Walsh as CEO
March 4, 2009
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In Florida, Aurora Biofuels announced that they have completed 18 months successful operation of a pilot scale, algae-based biodiesel production system. The patented, low-cost, open pond algae production system has been stably functioning since August 2007 and sequesters more than 90 percent of carbon dioxide fed into the system. The company said its technology is ready for scaling and commercialization, with a target.
The company said that, like PetroAlgae, it has overcome the contamination problem that had previously affected open-pond systems. Unusually, Aurora’s process uses seawater and can be operated on non-arable land. The company said that it expects to open a commercial-scale production plant by 2012 and will be price-competitive with fossil fuels.
In other news, the company announced that former LS9 president Robert Walsh has been appointed CEO of the company; Aurora founder Matthew Caspari will remain as VP, Business Development of the growing algae concern.
Walsh brings more than 28 years of global petroleum industry experience to the venture, including 26 years at Shell, where he served as General Manager Supply for Shell Europe Oil Products before joining LS9 as president. In addition, Aurora Biofuels added Dr. Mario Tredici, a professor of microbiology at the University of Florence, to their scientific advisory board.
