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Google and NASA trying to obtain biofuel from algae and wastewater.
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The Cleantech Group reported that Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google founders, have invested around $250,000 on an unconventional technology: to develop algae-based biofuel using sewage.
This project was originally developed by the NASA to help spaceships treat their wastewater during long trips. This project is now known as "Sustainable Energy for Spaceship Earth," and is ready to jump into a pilot-scale demonstration? as long as the team can get some more funds.
It's quite possible that they can get a grant from the California Energy Commission for $800,000. However, if the team finds success in the pilot stage, they will require much more money to move on to the commercial stage.
At this time competition for VC is fierce, so it wont be easy to find resources. There are more than a dozen companies searching to transform sewage into fuel, but Spaceship Earth has the support from the federal government as well as the City of Santa Cruz. The later stated that they are willing to support a pilot demonstration off their coast.
One of the advantages is that this technology offers an energy free process, osmosis makes the job. This competitive advantage might turn this project into one of the lowest cost options to grow algae and perhaps to produce and distribute biodiesel.
Source: Earth2Tech
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