The researchers noted that at the moment there are basically three ways to refine oil from microalgae:

• make use of hydrotreating catalysts like CoMo and sulfided NiMo but these may contaminate the product;
• transesterification of alcohol and triglycerides into glycerol and FAAEs just like how it is done for the 1^st gen biodiesel but this results to problem with flow property in colder weather giving it a limited application;
• make use of base metal and noble catalysts for decarbonylation and decarboxylation of carboxylic acid into alkanes

The experts reports that crude oil from microalgae can be converted to a high grade biofuel fit for transportation application by using Ni as scalable catalyst supported with zeolite Hbeta.

The microalgae used for the study consist of comprised unsaturated fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, and other fatty acids. The microalgae hydrotreated the material using the NI/HBeta catalyst and they were able to obtain good amount of octadecane, propane, and methane.

The new approach in this study gives way to possibilities to produce high grade transportation fuels using microalgae as raw material and doing it in large scale production.

CPT is a start up company based in the United Kingdom which explores development of carbon dioxide-reducing solutions that can be used with today’s vehicles.

At the moment, the company is marketing three basic products: VTES or Variable Torque Enhancement System which is a supercharging system; TIGERS a generator system dependent on exhaust turbine; and SpeedStart12 which is a starter generator system.

Excessive particulate emission is a major issue in the transport industry especially when tougher guidelines and legislations will be in placed by 2012. The supercharger from CTS aims to address the root of the problem by supplying more air to the engine during transient events which may require addition power and fuel. The sufficient air will prevent production of soot which is caused by inefficient combustion.

The CPT supercharger will be able to supply instantaneously the needed air for an efficient combustion. The simple electric supercharger will be able to deliver better mass flow rate and torque response. VTES outperforms turbochargers that have the twin sequential architecture.

The VTES is a Switched Reluctance mechanism that is cooled by air paired with electronics and radial compressor to deliver optimal air flow, efficiency, and pressure. It is primarily designed to make Diesel and Otto engines deliver more torque, decrease emission, and reduce carbon dioxide.