Algenol Biofuels Breaks Ground on Integrated Bio-Refinery

Algenol Biofuels broke ground in October of 2011 on the pilot-scale Integrated Bio-Refinery in Lee County, Fla.  The production facility will be the first large-scale deployment of Algenol's patented Direct To Ethanol technology, which produces ethanol directly from carbon dioxide, sunlight, and salt water using blue-green algae in photobioreactors. With support from the U.S. Department of Energy, Lee County, and Algenol's strategic partners, the facility will contain 3,000 of Algenol's patented photobioreactors in a commercial module, Algenol's advanced Vapor Compression Steam Stripper ethanol concentration technology, and new membrane-based ethanol dehydration technology. Located on 36 acres, the plant will have a target capacity of approximately 100,000 gallons of fuel-grade ethanol per year.