Alberta spin-out forges fuel

Forge Hydrocarbons, a spin-out of the University of Alberta, has revealed a new method for turning waste oils and animal parts from agriculture into hydrocarbons.

The process heats feedstock such as animal fat or crop seed oil and breaks them down into fatty acids and water. Once separated, the fatty acids are then heated to release oxygen and leave a hydrocarbon that can be processed into gasoline, kerosene, natural gas, and diesel.

The Canada based process essentially removes the 50 million or so years it takes to create the hydrocarbon naturally, and doesn’t utilise hydrogen or other expensive catalysts.

David Bressler, the Alberta academic behind the research, said: “The long story short is you go from the same fats and oils, you get rid of the CO2 early, you get a higher-density energy and produce a product that’s going to be much more compatible with our hydrocarbon system.”

The company is now moving to construct its first large-scale plant, due to open in 2015. Once opened, the facility should be able to manufacture 15 million gallons of fuel annually, and will also have the option of extending revenues through licensing the technology globally.