Japanese firms start growing euglena abroad for biofuel english.kyodonews.net

KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 08:41 | Lifestyle, AllA Japanese biotechnology startup and major trading house Itochu Corp. launched demonstration projects last month in Indonesia and Colombia to grow euglena microalgae to be used for biofuel and feed.
The startup, Euglena Co., said that through the projects they will try to determine within about a year if their new business plan is commercially feasible and which place is suitable for stable and large-scale production of the microorganism.
It is capable of doubling the quantity in a day by cell divisions, while absorbing carbon dioxide by photosynthesis.
Areas that have warm climates with more hours of sunshine are suitable for culturing euglena, which has drawn attention as a next-generation source for biofuel production.
The microbe business pioneer in Japan, established in 2005, aims to provide biofuel deriving from euglena for aviation by next September and realize mass production of the energy in 2025.