The Problem: Fossil fuels damage the environment and cause global conflict

Microalgae can be grown and farmed worldwide. They provide a reliable and secure source of liquid biofuel while consuming atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Gasoline and diesel today

Gasoline today is comprised of "hydrocarbons" - meaning molecules containing carbon and hydrogen. These molecules are refined and extracted from crude oil, which is extracted from underground deposits.

These four molecules are commonly found in gasoline (isooctane, butane, 3-ethyltoluene, and MTBE).

Diesel is another molecule used as fuel today. It is comprised of two major molecule groups: paraffins and aromatic hydrocarbons

Two common paraffins found in diesel.

Napthalene is an example of an aromatic hydrocarbon found in diesel

Microalgae produce fatty acids for diesel production

Microalgae produce lipids that can easily be chemically converted into diesel molecules.

Biodiesel production from transesterification. From left to right, algae-derived fatty acids (in this case, fatty acid methyl esters) and methanol are combined to make biodiesel and glycerol.

Challenges for microalgal biofuels and Demeter's solutions

Biofuels can easily be synthesized from microalgal biomass. The largest challenge for microalgal biofuels is cost-effective and sustainable processes to produce adequate amounts of biomass. Proprietary technologies at Demeter Biosciences have solved the following challenges in microalgal growth: 
               1) cost-effective fertilizers
               2) resistance to biotic predators and abiotic stresses that prevents culture crash
               3) two independent, cost-effective, and energy efficient biological modes of microalgal biomass extraction 
               4) sustainable lipid accumulation techniques