Next Phase

With a new partnership with Audi, biofuel startup Joule Unlimited will be able to develop and test its fuels, Technology Review reports. Joule also recently announced that it commissioned a demonstration plant that is to produce ethanol within a few weeks. To produce ethanol, Joule has engineered a microorganism, removing excess processes to make it an ethanol-focused machine that only needs carbon dioxide, sunlight, and water. Further, Tech Review says, the microorganism is then grown in clear tubes, the final design of which the company plans to refine during its demonstration phase. "Joule has calculated that its organisms could, in theory, produce 25,000 gallons of ethanol per acre per year, which would allow the company to produce ethanol at $1.28 per gallon," Tech Review adds.