Uchenna Izundu
OGJ International Editor
LONDON, Aug. 13 -- BP PLC has entered a partnership with Martek Biosciences Corp. to create biofuels from sugar.
Under a joint development agreement (JDA), BP will commit $10 million to a research program aimed at enable large-scale, cost-effective microbial biodiesel production. It estimates that it could cut up to 80-90% of greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional fossil fuel with this biofuels method.
“All intellectual property developed during the JDA will be owned by BP, with an exclusive license to Martek for application and commercialization in nutrition, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications,” said BP.
Martek, a specialist in developing high-value oils from algae and other microbial sources, will use its algae-based technologies and intellectual property in the research, with BP bringing its expertise in fuels markets, applications, biofuels production, and commercialization.
Philip New, chief executive officer of BP Biofuels said: “As an alternative to conventional vegetable oils, we believe sugar to diesel technology has the potential to deliver economic, sustainable, and scalable biodiesel supplies. It is part of our approach of integrating sugar cane and lignocellulosic biofuels with advanced technologies to produce products with a wide range of uses.”
The process of converting sugar to biodiesel involves using unique fermentation microorganisms. Lipids are then converted into fuel molecules through chemical or thermocatalytic processes.
Contact Uchenna Izundu at [email protected].
