A Cambridge biotech company is on a bold mission to transform the energy industry by producing “liquid fuel from the sun.”Joule Unlimited claims its genetically engineered microorganism can secrete pure diesel that’s interchangeable with the fuel that goes into trucks.
CEO Bill Sims calls Joule — 22nd on Biofuels Digest’s “50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy” list in December — a “transformational” company. That’s because its microorganism, known as cyanobacteria, doesn’t need biomass feedstock such as corn, grass or algae
“All of that takes time and energy,” said Sims, noting that Joule’s technology produces more power than the fossil energy that it consumes. “We’re not aware of any biofuel that can make that claim.”
Biomass is the “Achilles’ heel” of biofuel production because of its fluctuating costs and the expense of transporting, processing and disposing of it, said Sims.
Joule’s process for photosynthetic fuel production uses a solar converter and microorganism to capture sunlight and convert carbon dioxide and water directly into liquid fuels and chemicals.
A peer-reviewed article published this month in Photosynthesis Research supports Joule’s claims that it can produce renewable fuels and chemicals — including 15,000 gallons of diesel per acre annually at full commercial scale — at yields that are up to 50 times greater than processes that use biomass
“Biofuels, by nature, are not scalable, whereas we have created technology where the solar converters are modular and therefore scalable,” Sims said. “And we can show at small scale what the technology is capable at large scale.”
Joule projects it can produce diesel for as low as $30 a barrel, including all of its costs, and ethanol for $50 a barrel.
After four years in business and $30 million in venture capital, Joule is set to break ground this year on a commercial-scale production plant. The company is evaluating out-of-state sites for what’s envisioned to grow into a 1,000-acre facility for its solar-to-fuels technology.
Production is scheduled to start in 2012 in the first phase of the commercial plant
Joule operated a pilot plant last summer on about five acres in Texas that essentially works as an outdoor lab. It’s been piloting ethanol production and will soon start testing diesel.
The board is led by Noubar Afeyan, the CEO of Flagship Ventures, and includes John Podesta, former White House chief of staff under President Clinton, and the head of Troika Dialog, Russia’s largest investment bank.
By Donna Goodison
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