“Manhattan Projectâ€, as the initiative has been dubbed, has recruited OriginOil, a California-based company that works to make algae competitive with petroleum.
“We are excited to support Mexico’s ‘Manhattan Project’ to produce 1% of the nation’s jet fuel from algae in less than five years,” said Riggs Eckelberry, OriginOil CEO.
The project will be operated by Ensenada-based Genesis Ventures with funding from The National Council for Science and Technology for the first site, which will be used as a model for other projects to be co-located with large CO2 sources.
Ensenada’s Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education will be involved with the project because of its “team of world-class researchers, sophisticated laboratory equipment, and bench-scale algae cultivation infrastructure.” Besides, Ensenada offers a suitable environment for algae growth, with abundant sunlight and access to seawater.
Algae researchers from the University of Baja California will also collaborate on the project.
1% of Jet fuel in 5 years…? Corn ethenal has made a much bigger dent then that. If Algae Oil is so much more promising why isn’t it more like 10% or more? And why not 3 years??? Im I missing something here?