LiveFuels Announced a Shift in its Business Plan

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LiveFuels recently announced a shift in its business plan – moving from algae fuel company to fish aquaculturist/fish oil/biofuel/co-products supplier.

To date, the company has largely discussed raising different species of algae in open ponds to produce fuels. Today, it stated that it will grow algae, but then let filter-feeding fish eat it. It will then capture the fish, squeeze them for oil, and then feed the oil to a refinery.

Having the fish feed on algae clearly will require more algae than would be required if the algae were harvested directly. The company will also have to find ways to optimize the growth of its grazer fish and algae.

But the food-chain business model has other advantages. LiveFuels won't have to build complex bioreactors complete with carbon dioxide bubblers. It also won't have to extract algae from water, an arduous task considering that only a few grams of usable algae are found in every liter of water. The fish will make the oil and sequester it in easily recognizable organs in their bodies. Some other researchers have discussed employing tilapia for this and harvesting fish oil and fish excrement.

"We know a lot more about fish aquaculture than algae farming," said Eric Wesoff with GTM Research, who nonetheless added that the science and economic challenges await.

The company has a test pond in Brownsville, Texas. Algae blooms will be fertilized by pollution streams from the Mississippi. 

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