The company said it will produce hydrocarbon fuels requiring no raw material feedstocks – setting the stage for fossil fuel replacement at unprecedented efficiencies and costs as low as $30 per barrel equivalent.
US Patent #7,794,969, titled ‘Methods and Compositions for the Recombinant Biosynthesis of n-Alkanes,’ covers the use of engineered photosynthetic microorganisms for the direct synthesis of diesel molecules.
Joule’s microorganisms function as biocatalysts that use sunlight, waste CO2 and non-fresh water to directly and continuously produce diesel-range hydrocarbons, which are chemically distinct from biodiesel and are compatible with existing infrastructure.
