ALGAE-FUELED MOTORCYCLE SETS SPEED RECORD
“The Texas Mile organizers, racers, and spectators were
extremely supportive of our team during the speed trials and
I would really like to thank them for the warm welcome and
opportunity to put algae fuel to the test. I am excited to work
with them more in the future,” said Gustavson.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography alumnus Kristian Gustavson on his
racing motorcycle powered by a 50/50 blend of biodiesel derived from
algae and cooking oil waste from UC San Diego. On March 24, 2012
Gustavson and team member Devin Chatterjie established the fastest
(and only known) algae-fueled motorcycle speed records at The Texas
Mile land speed event in Beeville, Texas. Photo: RED i Nation
Below the Surface’s “Driving Innovation”
Team established the first official algae-fueled motorcycle
speed records during The Texas Mile land speed event on
March 24th, 2012. Team leader Kristian Gustavson reached
94.6 mph using a 50/50 blend of biodiesel derived from algae
and cooking oil waste from the University of California at
San Diego (UCSD). Fellow team member, Devin Chatterjie,
reached 96.2 MPH on 100% algae-derived Green Crude
diesel fuel supplied by Sapphire Energy Inc., one of the
world’s leaders in algae-based oil crude production. Together,
they established the fastest and only known records to date
for an algae-fueled motorcycle.
In a project entitled One Barrel for Baja, Gustavson led
a team of UCSD students to make a portion of the biofuel
themselves under the supervision of Dr. B. Greg Mitchell’s
Scripps Photobiology Group, with assistance from the San
Diego Center for Algal Biotechnology. The students grew and
harvested algae using a sponsored Dissolved Air Flotation
(DAF) unit supplied by World Water Works from ponds at the
Carbon Capture Corporation’s facility near the Salton Sea
and at a greenhouse facility on the university’s campus.
After the algae harvest, its biomass was isolated and sent
to Dr. Skip Pomeroy’s Laboratory at UCSD. In the laboratory,
the lipids and fats were then extracted and further converted
into usable diesel fuel by the Biofuels Action and Awareness
Network.
The Driving Innovation Team rode a unique turbo-charged,
800cc diesel powered Track Motorcycle manufactured in
Holland. The bike was shipped from Holland to the US last
fall courtesy of FedEx Express in a show of support for the
project. They rode five times, registering 94.6, 95.1, 95.2,
95.6, and 96.2 MPH. Their next official speed trial will be in El
Mirage, Calif., on May 19th.
Gustavson, a recent graduate of the Center for Marine
Biodiversity and Conservation’s MAS Program at the Scripps
Institution of Oceanography, is a co-founder of Below the
Surface, a nonprofit organization dedicated to exploring
waterways and educating the public about issues pertaining
to water. He started the One Barrel for Baja Project in order to
synthesize enough algal biodiesel to compete in various speed
trials and the grueling Baja 1000 race this fall (http://algae.ucsd.
edu/Blog1/Blog-1-Baja.html). Below the Surface is committed
to finding solutions to pollution and believes that biofuels from
algae can help reduce run-off going into America’s waterways.
The Driving Innovation team is supported by: Dr. B. Greg
Mitchell and his team from the Scripps Photobiology Group,
Phitec, FedEx, Sapphire Energy, RED i Nation, Fun Bike
Center, Clif Bar, Earth Protect, World Water Works, Carbon
Capture Corporation, the BIOCOM Institute, Goal Zero,
Screwed Industries, Dockers, New Leaf Biofuels, SD-CAB,
BAAN, and the UCSD Student Veterans Organization.
www.thunderroadscolorado.com
October 2014
Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 13