In March our team won a grant to research turning algae into “JP-8″ fuel, which is a fuel for military jets. It is absolutely great that such a high-end machine is using a biofuel. It makes using it in your car look pretty tame, eh?

We’re excited about this grant because it is awarded through DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. They do some really cool things, so being a part of a DARPA project is, well, cool.

Additionally, the lead group on this project is General Atomics. It’s great to work with them on an alternative energy project. This really shows the changes the world can achieve when motivated.

Our part is to develop new methods to harvest and extract the oil from the algae. This has been one of the economic barriers to making fuel from algae a reality. Blue Sun will also be helping commercialize and bring to market this new technology.

Why are algae such an interesting feedstock for biofuel? Algae yield 15 to 30 times more energy than standard crops, do not require the use of fresh water resources and can grow in marginal areas, including deserts. Algae absorb CO2 as part of their life cycle, making algae a carbon-neutral solution. Furthermore, algae represent a domestic energy source that increases energy security for the U.S.

The study will begin this spring and result in a commercially viable process to produce JP-8 from algae oil. The project is expected to be completed by June 2010.