Aquaflow steps up algae-to-biocrude project

NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand-based Aquaflow Bionomic Corp. is about to start producing biocrude from wild algae. Aquaflow Chairman Barrie Leay said the company expects to produce commercial quantities of biocrude from wild algae within the next few months. "We have commissioned our newly built proprietary biorefinery and made our first machine run," he said.

Aquaflow's technology focuses on harvesting algae from industrial waste streams. During the harvesting, the contaminants in the water are removed together with the algae collected for biocrude production. The technology is touted as a twofold solution providing both a water and sludge treatment process and a means to generate a low-cost feedstock for conversion to fuel.

The company has achieved commercial scale continuous harvesting of tonnes of wild algae at the Marlborough oxidation ponds, Leay said. The next step is to step up to the commercial scale production of biocrude, he said.