BIOTECHNOLOGY

A process originally developed for algae harvesting shows promise as a solution for treating flowback water from hydraulic fracturing operations. Los Angeles-based technology company OriginOil has developed products to enable the industrial scale harvesting of algae into renewable crude oil that is compatible with the current worldwide petroleum refining infrastructure. In recent third party testing, OriginOil's Solids Out of Solution System--powered by its Single Step Extraction technology, a solids separation and dewatering process--removed 98 percent of hydrocarbons from a sample of West Texas oil well flowback water in the first stage alone. The flowback water was tested in the lab – OriginOil is now getting out into the field to run commercial programs. "We have only tested our process on frac flowback from oil wells and have yet to test on frac fluid from gas wells," said OriginOil CEO Riggs Eckelberry, but said he believes OriginOil's technology can he...

The researchers say tapioca and sweet potato are rich in starch and can produce ethanol through fermentation. SWEET tea-time treats may soon find their way into your car’s petrol tank — a research team from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman’s (Utar) Faculty of Engineering and Science is studying the use of cassava, better known as tapioca, and sweet potato in the production of biofuels. “Rising global crude oil prices has prompted the search for alternative energy sources to reduce the reliance on crude oil, and this has opened up a lot of opportunities worldwide,” says Dr Low Chong Yu, who leads the research team comprising students Lim Syly, Koh Cin Cong and Voon Meng Seap. Dr Low says unlike fossil fuels which are depleting, biofuels are renewable energy sources, which can not only reduce air pollution and greenhouse effects caused by burning of fossil fuels, but also enable sustainable development that provides employment and improves economy. Dr Low adds that the dev...

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