Greentech Lead U.S: Propel Fuels, a retailer of renewable
fuels and clean mobility solutions, in association with Solazyme, are bringing
algae-derived fuel to retail pumps.
The companies partnered to deliver Solazyme’s algae-based
SoladieselBD to drivers through Propel’s Bay Area network of retail
renewable fuel locations. The month-long pilot program provides the industry’s
first opportunity to test consumer response to this advanced renewable fuel.
Solazyme’s high quality algae-based
SoladieselBD meets or exceeds ASTM quality specifications and has shown
performance enhancements including cold temperature operating performance. The
fuel is compatible with existing diesel engines and the fuel’s performance is
guaranteed by Propel. The fuel will be sold at the same price as conventional
diesel fuels and will be available exclusively at Propel’s Clean Fuel Points in
Redwood City, San Jose (N. First St.), Berkeley, and Oakland.
“Propel is committed to providing our customers with
access to the highest quality, most sustainable, domestically produced fuels,
so we’re proud to introduce the next generation of fuels to the retail
market,” said Matt Horton, CEO of Propel Fuels. “Propel’s growing
station network provides the critical link between these future fuels and today’s
consumer fuel tanks, giving our customers a chance to make history.”
Solazyme’s technology platform converts plant sugars into
oils by feeding the sugars to microalgae in standard industrial fermentation
equipment. The algae consume the sugars and convert them into oils rapidly and
efficiently. While it takes millennia to make petroleum, Solazyme’s process
takes merely a few days, the company said.
As per the recent testing undertaken by the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), SoladieselBD significantly outperforms
ultra-low sulfur diesel in total hydrocarbons (THC), carbon monoxide (CO) and
particulate matter tailpipe emissions. This includes an approximate 30 percent
reduction in particulates, a 20 percent reduction in CO and an approximate 10
percent reduction in THC.