A tiny single-cell organism could be a key source of fuel for powering jet planes in future. The simplest of organisms – algae – might hold the key to the development of clean and affordable biofuel, as Japanese research shows. Producing oil at a higher efficiency than oil palm, euglena algae also does not compete for land with other food crops, minimising its impact on food prices. Read more.

Kwan Weng Kin for The Straits Times (12 May 2012)

From ‘green bug’ to green energy

Researchers at Japan start-up plan commercial production of jet fuel from algae by 2018

TOKYO: As a graduate student, Mr Kengo Suzuki used to spend hours in the lab studying ways to speed up the growth of a variety of algae known as euglena.

Today, the 32-year-old helms research that has not only turned the tiny single-cell organism into a key source of fuel for powering jet planes in future, but also made it a nutritious addition to pasta sauce and food bars.

In Japan, the 0.1mm-long, egg-shaped organism is commonly known as midorimushi – literally, green bug – because of its colour.

Euglena contains an oily substance that can be processed into biofuel. The algae, which lives in fresh water, was first successfully cultivated in bulk in 2005.

A start-up that Mr Suzuki helped to set up in August 2005 has already successfully extracted oil from the algae.

The start-up, which goes by the name Euglena, has a laboratory within the grounds of prestigious Tokyo University.

Mr Suzuki, who is head of research and development, and eight research staff are currently engaged in finding ways to grow the algae commercially and to turn euglena-derived oil into jet fuel.

What makes euglena so eminently suitable as a source of a new type of recyclable energy is its huge capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, which it turns into food and oil through a chemical process.

‘Compared to oil palm, for instance, euglena produces more than 10 times as much oil per unit area,’ said Mr Suzuki, who graduated from Tokyo University’s Faculty of Agriculture.

‘The oil from euglena can also be easily processed into jet fuel,’ he added. The reason is that the oily substance in Euglena has a molecular structure that makes it suitable for use as jet fuel.

Unlike biofuels produced from sugar cane or corn that compete with other crops for land and consequently drive up food prices, euglena has no impact on food production as it grows in water, Mr Suzuki pointed out.

Nevertheless, cost remains a major hurdle to the use of euglena-derived biofuel.

‘At the moment, the production cost is very high. But we already know how we can commercialise it. What is left is to be able to do so on a scale large enough to make it cheap,’ he said.

The company hopes to make jet fuel from euglena commercially available by 2018. Mr Suzuki declined, however, to disclose details of the project as the company is working with two major firms.

One partner, Nippon Oil Corp, has the know-how to process euglena into jet fuel. The other, Hitachi Plant Technologies, has the incubation and other technologies to grow euglena on a large scale.

Experts have lauded the research that can produce jet fuel from algae.

‘Japan does not have enough farmland to make biofuel from crops, unlike countries like Brazil. So making biofuel from algae is right for Japan, since not much land is required,’ said Mr Toshihide Ohnuma, deputy director for the Japan Petroleum Energy Centre, which promotes petroleum technologies and conducts studies on the energy sector.

Dr Hironori Miyauchi, who is with the Japan Research Institute’s Centre for the Strategy of Emergence, believes that euglena research holds great promise for the future.

‘Fossil fuels are expected to be depleted in time. Even if fuel from algae cannot completely replace fossil fuels, it can be used in combination with fossil fuels,’ said Dr Miyauchi, whose work involves analysing problems faced by government, society and industries and creating new businesses for clients.

Professor Hiroshi Nakamura of the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology says oil from euglena is a good substitute for palm oil.

‘Fuel from euglena is useful in helping to diversify our oil resources. It also boosts our energy security by allowing us to produce our own fuel,’ said the expert on marine-related bio industries.

‘What’s crucial is whether we can produce euglena in the large quantities needed, and also produce the jet fuel cheaply enough,’ he said.

The government will have to play a role in bringing costs down.

‘Government subsidies will be needed at first, probably in the form of tax breaks, to make prices of algae biofuel compatible with those of fossil fuels,’ said Dr Miyauchi.

But euglena is in the spotlight not just as a source of recyclable biofuel.

Scientists have long known euglena to be a rich source of nutrients, from amino acids to vitamins.

In fact, turning euglena into food is far easier than getting oil from it. Which is why, after extensive test-marketing, the start-up recently launched a line of euglena-fortified foodstuff including rice, pasta sauce and energy bars.

The company hopes to eventually produce euglena in countries where people have difficulty obtaining nutritious food.

Euglena, which is very rich in protein, has also been successfully tested as livestock feed and pet food.

In addition, the ‘green bug’ is set to play a key role in cleaning up the environment. Given its ability to absorb huge quantities of carbon dioxide, its cultivation will help cut carbon dioxide emissions from thermal power plants and industrial facilities.

Euglena has been found to grow much faster in carbon dioxide-saturated environments. It makes food through photosynthesis, a process that uses water, carbon dioxide and some minerals, and produces oxygen as a result.

Tropical rainforests use the same process to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. But Mr Suzuki says euglena is far more efficient at doing so.

In February this year, the start-up launched a joint research programme with Tokyo’s Waterworks Department to use euglena to treat waste water by making use of its ability to absorb nitrogen and phosphorus.

Source: www.straitstimes.com/