The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), a division of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), is funding partner organizations to create more efficient processes for the manufacture of bio-fuels. If successful, the program will create bio-fuels for half their current cost, finally making U.S. renewable fuels cost-competitive with foreign oil.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden recently commended the success of startup OPX Biotechnologies, Inc., whose mission is to accelerate the production of bio-fuel stock. A partner in this effort includes Professor Bill Roberts, Ph.D., Director of the Applied Energy Research Laboratory at North Carolina State University. Dr. Roberts is using OPXBIO’s fuel stock to develop a replacement for petroleum based fuels, such as standard JP-8 jet fuel. Professor Roberts is testing his fuel formulations in a real jet engine manufactured by Turbine Technologies, Ltd. (TTL) of Chetek, WI.
TTL’s Vice President, Perry Kuznar, P.E., stated: “We’re excited to offer a low cost test device that can assist in ARPA-E’s alternative energy efforts. Our portable gas power turbine engine system (MiniLab™) allows researchers to complete tests for a fraction of the cost of using a commercial aero engine test facility. Our product offers a turnkey solution for fuels performance and emissions testing. The MiniLab™ gas turbine power system is rapidly growing in popularity in both educational and research settings”.
About Turbine Technologies, Ltd.: A United States manufacturer of premier educational and research laboratory equipment, focusing primarily on energy related turbine equipment. For more information, contact Perry Kuznar, Turbine Technologies, Ltd. Phone: 715-924-4876, Web: http://www.turbinetechnologies.com - E-mail: perry(at)turbinetechnologies(dot)com.
About ARPA-E’s Bio Fuel Initiative
This is ARPA-E’s fourth round of funding opportunities. In its first year, ARPA-E awarded $363 million in Recovery Act funding to 121 groundbreaking energy projects based in 30 states, with approximately 39% of projects led by universities, 33% by small businesses, 20% by large businesses, 5% by national labs, and 3% by non-profits. OPXBIO is a Colorado-based company using its proprietary, leading EDGE™ (Efficiency Directed Genome Engineering) technology to manufacture renewable bio-based chemicals and fuels that are lower cost, higher return and more sustainable than existing petroleum-based products. With unprecedented speed and capital efficiency, in just 18 months OPXBIO developed and piloted the microbe and bioprocess that will produce its first renewable chemical product – BioAcrylic – at 25 percent lower cost than petro-acrylic and with a 75 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The company’s second product is diesel gas bio-processed from carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded OPXBIO $6 million to support this development. OPXBIO was founded in 2007.
For more information:
info@turbinetechnologies.com