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Using natural or unwanted resources to make fuel is an increasingly common goal of green tech companies, already on Smart Planet we've seen sewage turned into electricity and a sugar-powered bio-ethanol plant. But now two Australian firms have partnered up to grow algae that can be used as fuel from that most unwelcome of resources -- emmissions from coal power plants.
Linc Energy and Bio Clean Coal announced the creation of the company last week and said they would spend $1 million over the next year to build a prototype bioreactor, designed to grow algae.
The bioreactor would use the carbon dioxide produced from processing coal for electricity as its "food". The company told GreenTech Media this process should dramatically reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from burning coal, while the dried algae could be burned to generate power, or turned into biodiesel or fertilizer.
The Australian venture is not alone in its work. US-based GreenFuel Technologies has also developed a bioreactor that uses power plant pollution to grow algae. In fact the company had to suspend its pilot project with an Arizona utility earlier this year because it grew more algae than it could harvest.
Several other companies are also looking to grow algae to make biodiesel, although none have come up with a commercial scale process. Looks like we'll have to hold our breath for a little longer...
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