Version: 2008
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May 20, 2005 4:00 AM PDT

Start-up drills for oil in algae

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requires a great deal of land. GreenFuel estimates that 70 percent of power plants in the United States have enough land and "food"--that is, carbon byproduct.

Still, CEO Bullock is convinced there is a clear demand for energy-related technologies that reduce the environmental impact of operating a business. "It struck me as a technology that might just make a big difference," he said.

"They can be seen as heroes...but the bottom line is that it makes sense economically."
--Isaac Berzin, CTO, GreenFuel

Some of the impetus to reduce greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming is mandated by the Kyoto Treaty, which the United States has not signed. The treaty, expected to go into effect in Asia and Europe, calls for reducing the amount of carbon dioxide released and for implementing a system for purchasing carbon emission credits.

"Certainly when I talk to utility executives, they're thinking about carbon, even though they don't have $10 or $20 emissions permits," Bullock said. "At a business level, it's a contingent liability."

Outside of business circles, Bullock notes that people in general are increasingly showing concern over the environment, particularly outside the United States. The prospect of being perceived as a "green"--and community-minded--company may also help drive sales of GreenFuel's products to energy utilities.

GreenFuel's pilot customer is considering a plan to sell or donate the biodiesel it generates from the bioreactors as fuel for local school buses.

"They can be seen as heroes by taking something dirty and making something wonderful and sharing it with the community," Berzin said. "But the bottom line is that it makes sense economically."

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Another example
by sanenazok May 20, 2005 7:44 AM PDT
Hopefully the people who keep complaining about "waste" of space exploration see this and hundreds of other technological breakthroughs that this is responsible for.
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I agree
by May 24, 2005 3:32 PM PDT
Finding new uses for biologically safe organisms is good for business and the Earth.
Location
by bretticus June 11, 2007 3:54 PM PDT
There is alot of "waste" land around the Great salt Lake and plenty of water! Site idea???
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by Raja_Nayak July 28, 2008 9:53 PM PDT
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