DARPA awards $25 million to SAIC for algae jet fuel development: $3 per gallon target

In California, SAIC announced that it has been awarded a $25 million contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration (DARPA) to develop jet fuel (JP-8) from biomass, including algae. The contract has a total value of up to $25 million if all phases of the development program are completed. Work will be performed primarily in Georgia, Florida, Hawaii and Texas. The algae-fuel cost target is $3 per gallon, and SAIC will lead a team performing algae strain selection, water and nutrient sourcing, farming, harvesting, oil extraction, and processing.

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