Bio Architecture Opening Chile Plant to Convert Seaweed to Fuel
Bio Architecture Lab Inc., the U.S. biotechnology company that turns seaweed into ethanol, will open a pilot plant in Chile in the third quarter to tap the growing demand for biofuels in developing regions.
The plant will crush seaweed grown in four ocean farms and ferment the sugary juices into alcohol, Chief Executive Officer Daniel Trunfio Jr. said yesterday in an interview.
Bio Architecture’s technology is well-suited for emerging markets in Asia and South America with established aquaculture industries and growing demand for transport fuels, Trunfio said.
“It’s a perfect fit,” he said. “Energy demand is growing in the same places seaweed is plentiful.”
Building a plant in the U.S. would be “about two or three times more expensive,” than in Chile, he said. It will have annual production capacity of 6,000 liters (1,600 gallons) of a diluted form of ethanol a year. About 60 percent of the dry biomass of seaweed is fermentable carbohydrates.
Bio Architecture, based in Berkeley, California, is seeking funds to build a second pilot project next year to process seaweed into chemicals including precursors for nylon and green plastics, he said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Stephan Nielsen in Sao Paulo at snielsen8@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net
Rate this Page