LOS ANGELES --- OriginOil Inc. said it has developed a single-step process to extract oil from algae and plans to commercialize the patent-pending process for use by the fast-growing algae industry. Initial testing indicates that the new algae oil extraction process is more efficient than current systems, without requiring chemicals or significant capital expenditure for heavy machinery, OriginOil said. A time-lapse video on the company website (www.originoil.com) demonstrates the benefits of the process. In less than an hour, the oil, water and biomass separate by gravity alone. Unlike conventional systems, no chemicals or heavy machinery are used in this single-step process, and no initial dewatering is required, the company said. Harvesting algae is a challenge. Algae grow suspended in large volumes of water. Once ready for harvest, the algae culture must be concentrated and the oil extracted from each cell. Then, the oil, water and biomass must all be separated for processing. The new OriginOil process, the company said, achieves all these steps in one pass. |
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