“From a sustainability standpoint, there are a lot of similarities,” he said. “How the algae-derived biodiesel differs from biodiesels is that our technology platform can produce oils that are specifically tailored for specific applications.”
The company is already working with the U.S. Navy on jet fuel. Genentech and Volkswagen are trying out fuel blends from Solazyme as well, he said.
To get a broader perspective we spoke to Jeremy Martin, a biofuels expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington, D.C.
Back in 2006, then President George W. Bush announced a new initiative to produce fuels from plants in hopes of making the United States less dependent on imported oil.
“The transition has been slower than people hoped,” Martin said.
A lot of attention focused on ethanol, and 40 percent of corn is now used for that purpose, he said. But growing corn itself consumes a lot of energy. Technology to convert cellulose – a compound found in most plants – into ethanol remains promising but has not yet become feasible.
Diesel made by algae offers possibilities, said Martin. But the type used by Solazyme poses a potential problem: it eats sugar. Currently the sugar comes from sugarcane, and that means that automobiles powered by the fuel are indirectly competing with hungry human beings.
“I hope that Solazyme is able to make their process work with nonfood sources of sugar,” said Martin. “That’s ultimately what’s going to really bring us the environmental benefits that people are expecting from biofuels.”
To really understand the environmental pros and cons of algae fuel would require a life-cycle analysis in which scientists look at the energy that goes into creating it, the effects on land, water and air, and emissions of all kinds, among other considerations, said Martin.
No one has conducted such an analysis of the Solazyme fuel, said Ames.
Still, the company is eager to find out how well their fuel is working in Bay Area cars, so if you own one that can run on regular diesel, you'll be welcome at the Propel stations.
Propel and Solazyme see this as a trial – they are only committing to 30 days, after which they will re-evaluate whether to keep selling it to motorists. In the meantime, you can be one of the first.