energy.agwired.com

The world’s first biodiesel plant using algae as its feedstock is set to open within a year at a location in Alabama.

This story on Checkbiotech.org says the CEO of energy company PetroSun, Inc. has been working for some time to build the plant fueled with pond scum:

Gordon M. LeBlanc Jr., CEO of PetroSun Inc., believes America’s energy future lies not beneath the sands of the Middle East, but on top of ponds across Alabama and the Southeast.

The Phoenix (Arizona)-based company has spent years and hundreds of thousands of dollars, some of it in Lee County, trying to perfect the technology of drawing oil from pond algae to produce biodiesel fuel.

LeBlanc, 55, said his considerable investment and work will pay off when the Alabama plant starts making 30 million gallons of biodiesel fuel a year. LeBlanc, a geologist, said plans call for similar facilities to be built in Arizona and Australia.

While he didn’t name a site where he might put the Alabama plant, a hint may be found in that much of the groundwork for the PetroSun algae initiative has been done on a farm just outside of Opelika, near Phenix City (Alabama).

Those close to the project say biodiesel is a better source for energy than ethanol, and algae is easier to grow than just about any other feedstock.

The first 50,000 gallons of biodiesel has rolled off the line at the new Momentum Biofuels, Inc. refinery at LaPorte, Texas.

This story posted on Grainnet.com says it cost less than 25 cents/gallon to build the facility, not including the costs for the building and land:

Management believes this CAPEX is significantly lower than what is typical in the industry and could permit the Company to achieve a higher than average return on investment.

“Having proven our technology, combined with the strength of our new management team, we are now ready for full-scale commercial production.”

Full scale production is expected to begin later this summer.

Meat-producing giant Tyson is making a bid to be a player in the burgeoning biodiesel market.

This story posted on the Meatingplace.com says Tyson has announced a joint venture with Syntroleum Corp., a Tulsa-based synthetic fuels technology company:

The move creates Dynamic Fuels LLC, which will produce synthetic fuels targeting the renewable diesel, jet and military fuel markets.

The first facility, expected to start construction in 2008 at a yet-to-be-determined site in the south central United States, will produce about 75 million gallons of synthetic fuel annually using a process patented by Syntroleum, with production set to begin in 2010.

The $150 million project adds to Tyson’s growing biodiesel ventures. You might remember last April, Tyson announced a partnership with ConocoPhillips to produce biodiesel. That partnership has drawn the ire of the National Biodiesel Board and some lawmakers who say the companies are trying to take advantage of a tax credit intended for up-and-coming biodiesel producers, not big oil companies (see my posts on April 18th and April 20th).