Marlborough-based Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation, which announced last month it had produced biofuel from algae growing on sewage, is to work with a multi-national company to commercially exploit its technology.
Aquaflow said today it had signed a memorandum of understanding with United States-based UOP LLC, wholly owned by Honeywell International Inc, to work together to convert wild algae into fuel products and sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) for Aquaflow's algal oil production.
"This is a very significant move for us. UOP is a leading provider of technology for refiners around the world, and they have commercially viable methods for producing green fuels from biological feedstocks so it makes sense for us to work together," Aquaflow director Nick Gerritsen said.
He said Aquaflow would work with UOP to study the feasibility of sequestering CO2 from a refinery or power plant, for example, by adding it to wastewater streams to boost the productivity of the wild algae population.
Aquaflow sources its wild algae from the oxidation ponds in Marlborough. It does not currently add CO2 to the wastewater.
"Our engagement with UOP underpins the significance of the Aquaflow proposition globally -- our number one aim is to get our solution into the market as quickly and powerfully as we can," Mr Gerritsen said.
UOP, formerly known as Universal Oil Products, started in 1914 when its Dubbs thermal cracking process created the technological foundation for the modern refining industry.
