Botryococcus braunii is a colonial, unicellular green alga which synthesizes and accumulates special kind of hydrocarbons, extracellularly and in the colonies, up to over 50% of its total dry biomass.
It became clear about fifty years ago that this unique alga had ever flourished in geological ages in many places of the world and formed many kinds of oilshales, Torbanite in Australia for instance.
Coorongite, which is considered to be the peat stage of Torbanite, was found in South Australia in the earlier period of this century. And many disputes and speculations occured around the “fool's oil” drived from Coorongite.
No oil fields were discovered after all with big investment. And now this organism is highlighted as a “oil plant” for a renewable fuel in the future.
Berkeley strain was found to be most suitable for mass-cultivation among the many strains of
Botryococcus braunii. The productivity of biomass and hydrocarbon were highest, and the hydrocarbon gave 60% of gasoline fraction of octane number ab-out 95.
The growth characteristics and the features of the hydrocarbon were investigated. And the feasibility of production of the renewable fuel by mass-cultivation of this alga was discussed.
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