HutanBio Takes a New Approach to Algal Biofuels
For decades, the promise of algal biofuel has remained tantalisingly out of reach. Despite significant investment from major oil companies, the industry has faced persistent challenges: unstable algae populations, prohibitive infrastructure costs, and insufficient oil yields. While many consider algal biofuel the industry’s cautionary tale, the research team at HutanBio, in England, decided to take a more radical approach to attack the problem.
“We had to challenge conventional wisdom,” says Dr John Archer, HutanBio Co-Founder. “We had a hypothesis which stemmed from simple observation: nature had already solved complex biological challenges through evolution. With the immense biodiversity of algae in our oceans, we believed the ideal organism, capable of industrialization already existed – waiting to be discovered.”