Sapphire Energy announced last week that it has produced renewable 91 octane gasoline that conforms to ASTM certification, made from a breakthrough process that produces crude oil directly from sunlight, CO2 and photosynthetic microorganisms, beginning with algae.

"It's hard not to get excited about algae's potential," said Paul Dickerson, chief operating officer of the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy "Its basic requirements are few: CO2, sun, and water. Algae can flourish in non-arable land or in dirty water, and when it does flourish, its potential oil yield per acre is unmatched by any other terrestrial feedstock."

According to the company production facilities can grow easily and economically because the system is modular, transportable, and fueled by sunlight -- not constrained by land, crops, or other natural resources.

"Any company or fuel that hopes to solve the biofuel conundrum must be economically scalable -- and that requires conforming to the existing refining distribution and fleet infrastructure," said Brian Goodall, Sapphire's new vice president of downstream technology. Goodall led the team responsible for the highly visible, first-ever Virgin Atlantic "green" 747 flight earlier this year.

The company's processes and science, it says, are so radical, that it is at the forefront of an entirely new industrial category called 'Green Crude Production.' Sapphire explained the products and processes in this category differ significantly from other forms of biofuel because they are made solely from photosynthetic microorganisms, sunlight and CO2; do not result in biodiesel or ethanol; enhance and replace petroleum-based products; are carbon neutral and renewable; and don't require any food crop or agricultural land.

The final products meet ASTM standards and are completely compatible with the existing petroleum infrastructure, from refinement through distribution and the retail supply chain.