BioFuels Journal

On Monday, June 15, BioFuels Journal spoke with William Thurmond, managing principal of Emerging Markets Online about the future of algae.

Highlights of the Podcast

• The U.S. can’t grow enough soybeans to meet its biodiesel targets.

• Two alternative feedstocks for biodiesel that are sustainable are jatropha and algae. Jatropha still in testing phase. Algae can be grown in northern climates.

• On yields, algae farms yield between 5,000 to 10,000 gallons per acre per year, 100 times more than soy

• Production of oil from algae is technically feasible now, but not economically feasible.

• Roadblocks include what works in lab do not when scaled up in the field; and algae production systems are a composite of multiple systems including dewatering and refining which have varying costs.

William Thurmond's Biography

William Thurmond is president and founder of Emerging Markets Online.

He is also the author of Biodiesel 2020: A Global Market Survey (2nd edition) and the forthcoming study Algae 2020: Advanced Biofuels and Commercialization Outlook.

Thurmond is also an analyst and columnist on advanced feedstocks and technologies for Biofuels International Journal, Biofuels Digest, and Renewable Energy World, and speaks regularly at biofuels conferences.

He serves the American Biofuels Council as chairman of research, was formerly a volunteer adviser and chairman of research and development for the National Algae Association, serves the Houston Technology Center as an Energy Adviser, and is a member of The International Association for Energy Economics, the World Affairs Council, and the Association of Professional Futurists.

See Related Websites/Articles:

• Emerging Markets Online

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