Sun Plant Agro to produce algae biofuel

A city-based organization in Bengal, India, is conducting a pilot project at the Kolaghat thermal power plant to grow algae as fuel. “The algae technology can be integrated with a power plant or a sponge iron factory where carbon dioxide (CO2) emission is very high. For instance, the 1,260-MW Kolaghat thermal power plant emits 15,000 tons of CO2 every day. We can trap this gas and channelize it into a pond where algae will be farmed. CO2 and dissolved nutrients will give a major spurt to algal biomass,” said Professor Sarajit Basu, the mentor of the project and an expert on biofuel. Sun Plant Agro, which is leasing land near Canning for the project, plans to start commercial production of algae biofuel by 2010. “Algae can be the fuel of the future. It can produce nearly 300 times more oil per acre than soybean or jatropha, and has a short harvesting cycle, thereby lowering the production cost,” said Sunil Jha, chief manager (projects) of Sun Plant Agro. (August 30, 2009)