90-95% Cost Reduction in Algae Production Claimed by Solix Biofuels

Science & Technology (alternative energy)

solix biofuels algae photo
image: Solix

Though the first phase of the Solix Biofuels facility outside of Durango, Colorado won’t be up and running for another 12-18 months, the Fort Collins-based company is wasting no time in touting the benefits of its technique for turning algae into biofuel. According to Solix CEO Doug Henston, Solix will be able to cut the cost of growing algae by 90-95%. (Greentech Media) Here’s how they’ll do it:

Different Shaped Bioreactor Allows Passive CO2 Circulation
The key is in Solix’s bioreactors, which because of their design allows the CO2 injected into them to “essentially enter and swirl inside the tank in a relatively passive manner”. This saves money compared to other production techniques in which more active circulation is used.

The shape of the bioreactor also plays a part; Solix believes that its large flat shape can increase the amount of light absorbed by the algae. “Productivity is directly related to photons. We want to capture as many photons as possible.”

Solix’s biofuel facility will be built in two stages on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, with a final size of 10 acres.

More about Solix and the competing methods of algae production: Greentech Media

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