The agreement is a step up on the research to develop algae into renewable bio-fuel, wherein the two partners will look to harness algae’s ability to absorb CO2.
Scripps senior development engineer Dominick Mendola outlined the two phases of the research.
"If the Phase I analysis proves such systems can be safe and economical, we then hope to enter into a Phase II agreement to help SoCalGas build and operate a module of a commercially scaled system, and test its capabilities at a site to be selected within Southern California," said Mendola.
SoCalGas vice president of customer solutions Hal D. Snyder added, "Recovering CO2 from combustion and turning it into a valuable commodity such as biomethane, biodiesel or a high-quality animal feedstock is great for the environment while creating valuable products."
The agreement envisages investigative research and systems engineering study to explore how algae production systems currently capture CO2 emissions from natural gas power plants, large engines used in natural gas compression and water pumping and boilers used in enhanced oil recovery.
