Bio-powered flight is not the exclusive dream of San Francisco startup Solazyme. There have bee recent bio-flight advancements from Virgin Airlines, which flew from London to Amsterdam using biofuel in February, and the BioJet I. But Solazyme announced it has reached a small milestone that could make greener flying easier for everyone: it has created jet fuel from algae.

This new bio-jet fuel source is not up for mass production quite yet. The first test batch was just 5 to 10 gallons, but the company said that it "had passed eleven tests necessary for use in aviation" at the Southwest Research Institute (a list of those tests is available from Solazyme). Should Solazyme's jet fuel become popular with airlines - and it might, if the company's estimate that the algae fuel would be price competitive with $40- to $80-per-barrel oil - then "potential output will only be limited by the availability of feedstock."

Earlier this year, Solazyme drove an algae biodiesel-fueled car at Sundance

[Source: SFGate, Solazyme]

At the Sundance film festival this week, Solazyme is promoting its scalable process that makes biodiesel from algae by driving a car through the busy streets of Park City, Utah. The Mercedes is fueled by Soladiesel, the Solazyme biodiesel that is "biodegradable, nontoxic and safe" and made using algae. Solazyme is working with Chevron on developing and testing the biodiesel. You can also see the Soladiesel car in Josh Tikell's Fields of Fuel documentary.

In a prepared statement, Solazyme CEO Jonathan Wolfson said, "Biodiesel from algae changes the landscape of renewable fuels. The concept of algal biofuel has been discussed for decades, and Solazyme's technology finally provides a scalable solution based on proven industrial processes. This fuel is just the first example of how algal oil will help the environment through new products that offer attractive economics and performance, as well as environmental benefits."

Solazyme is based in San Francisco. You can watch a video of this news from Solazyme after the break. Solazyme has also put their Multimedia News Release online here.

Related:

• Josh Tickell's Fields of Fuel documentary screening at Sundance on Monday
• Biodiesel Feedstock Development Agreement for algae biodiesel in Seattle

[Source: Solazyme, Inc.]

It has been announced that Solazyme and Imperium Renewables have entered into an agreement to combine their talents to produce biodiesel. The cooperation involves a two-step process, the first being handled by Solazyme. In their research in microalgae, they have found particular strains that produce optimum amounts of oils, which Solazyme cultivates and then extracts. They then deliver it to Imperium will then refine the oil into the actual biodiesel fuel. It sounds simple, but we all know it isn't. Fortunately, the two companies have been working hard to make it a viable commodity, which will be vastly assisted with the construction of Imperium's new 100 million gallon/year plant in Grays Harbor, Washington. Expect that plant to go online next month. Kudos to Solazyme and Imperium for making this happen quickly.

[Source: Solazyme]