Joule expands direct CO2-to-Hydrocarbons patents portfolio

This is not the first time that I write (in Spanish) about algae as a potential renewable resource for biobased chemicals and energy. In my opinion, they represent one of the most promising areas in the scene of the bioeconomy. In a few weeks, I expect to launch a new section of the blog with information about algal biorefineries. Meanwhile, I would like to report a recent development from one of the companies that is working hard on this field: Joule. This company announced on June 16 the issuance of a patent covers both the cyanobacterium and the process for directly converting CO₂ into medium-chain alkanes, which are the molecular basis of diesel, jet fuel and gasoline (US Patent #9,034,629, May 19).

The company’s platform continuously converts waste CO₂ directly into renewable fuels such as ethanol or hydrocarbons. In fact, this latest issuance complements Joule’s patent portfolio on the production of long-chain alkanes, ethanol and multiple chemicals. Joule’s system uses engineered photosynthetic bacteria to directly produce and secrete targeted fuel molecules in a continuous, single-step conversion process. I would like to remark that, in the case of the Joule technology, CO₂ is the feedstock and the blue-green algae are just the medium where the transformation takes place. Because the process consumes waste CO₂ emissions, the resulting fuels can enable a low carbon transportation by supplanting their petroleum-derived counterparts. According to the words of Serge Tchuruk (President and CEO of Joule) in the press release, the company can deliver a truly carbon-neutral solution for the mobility sector.

Joule operates from Bedford (Massachusetts, USA) with production operations in Hobbs (New Mexico, USA). There, it has successfully pilot-tested its platform for over two years. Now, it is starting a staged industrialization of its patented process, including the near-term expansion of its production field in Hobbs. This will lead to the longer-term build-out of a 1,000-acre plant to begin in 2017. You can watch a brief video report (by Blomberg Bussines) about the facilities placed in New Mexico that I have attached below these lines.