Photo-bioreactor produces biodiesel from algae

23 April 2007
Photo-bioreactor to produce biodiesel from algae

BioKing Green Energy NV have developed new, high performance and continuous photo-bioreactors for algae for the purpose of producing biodiesel.

BioKing Green Energy NV is a recently formed subsidiary, fully owned by BioKing Inc. It will engage in research and development of algae cultivation as an energy source for the production of biodiesel, which is an economically feasible and eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-based fuels. The production facilities for algae bio fuels will be based in The Netherlands, Spain and Portugal.

Pilot plant in operation

According to Hans and Marco van de Ven, founders of BioKing states, with the increasing interest in biodiesel as an alternative to petrodiesel, many have looked at the possibility of growing even more oilseed crops as a solution to the problem of peak oil. However, there are two problems with this approach. Firstly, cultivation of even more oilseed crops will usurp valuable space needed to grow food crops to feed mankind. And secondly, traditional oilseed crops are not the most productive or efficient source of vegetable oil.

"Micro-algae have the highest potential of energy yield in vegetable oil crops. Some species of algae are ideally suited for biodiesel production due to their high oil content, some as much as 50%, and their extremely fast growth rates. They can grow in adverse conditions like deserts and saline water. That is why algae are the crop of the future,” they say.

BioKing Inc. is a developer of scalable photo-bioreactors for the production of biodiesel developed with patented technology. They also produce other valuable bio-commodities produced from algae oil. This technology has the potential to dramatically improve biodiesel yields from algae oil.

“After only 3.5 hours inside the newly designed continuous photo-bioreactor system algae can be collected and processed,” van de Ven states. “ With our fast growing algae and our advanced photo-bioreactor it only takes four days to be in full production and to collect the first algae. And the cost of biodiesel feedstock will only be 5 / 10 cents a liter.”

BioKing Inc., based in the Netherlands, aims to build a world-wide sustainable network that will deliver value from "earth-to-engine". Operations cover agronomy, refining and trading.

“We are pioneering the science of biodiesel production. We design, build, own, operate and market biodiesel refineries. We also manufacture, transport and trade algae, algae bioreactors, algae oils and biodiesel. Our vision is to be the world's leader in the biodiesel industry,” they describe.

For further information, see www.bioking.nl