BioTork breakthrough: converting Hawaiian agri-waste to fuel precursor

January 2, 2012 |

In Hawaii, BioTork annoucned that it has converted unmarketable Hawaiian papayas to fatty acids that can be refined into green fuels. This result is a first milestone in a developmental research project conducted in collaboration with the US Dept of Agriculture Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center (USDA-PBARC) and Rivertop Solutions.

The objective of the project is to assess the capacity of BioTork’s proprietary technology to convert agricultural by-products into fatty acids, and its implications for the Hawaiian agriculture and military markets. BioTork successfully developed strains of microorganisms, algae and mushrooms, which can eat papaya culls and convert the sugars in that waste stream into high value oil suitable for the production of advanced drop in green diesel and jet fuel.

First laboratory results show that BioTork and PBARC have the capacity to turn an economic liability for Hawaiian papaya farmers into a high value co-product while addressing at the same time the need for domestic production of renewable non-petroleum-based biofuel. PBARC is taking the process a step further by conducting tests to use the meal (de-oiled algae and mushroom) as a high protein feed for fish. Tests are scheduled to start in 2012.

Category: Research

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