SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Sept. 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. Defense Department selected energy company Solazyme Inc. to provide the world's first jet fuel derived from algae for testing by the U.S. Navy.
Solazyme will develop the world's fist jet fuel that is derived 100 percent from algae for testing and certification by the U.S. Navy.
Together with conglomerate Honeywell, Solazyme will provide 1,500 gallons of its SolaHRJET-5 algae-derived jet fuel for Navy compatibility testing in 2010.
Solazyme, a leader in algal synthetic biology, was awarded a contract for research and development and delivery of more than 20,000 gallons of renewable algae-derived fuel for U.S. navy ships earlier this month.
The algal fuel goes toward reducing U.S. dependence on foreign energy resources and contributes to push for clean and renewable energy options, the company said.
Jonathan Wolfson, chief executive officer of Solazyme, said the algal fuel was an inexpensive alternative that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 85 percent compared to conventional fuels.
"Since producing the world's first algae derived jet fuel in September 2008, we have focused our research on developing a process to scale production at a commercial level while driving down costs," he added.
