Algae in the Air - 5 Startups Turning Algae Into Jet Fuel

Basic Information

The jet fuel used by the US Military is a kerosene-based fuel called Jet Propellant 8. Because of the volatile price of petroleum, and the urgent need for energy independence, some research firms are trying to come up with a "green" alternative, using synthetic biology, genetic engineering, and chemical processes to make synthetic fuels out of algae.

See Also: Solar Fuel

Sources

Bibliography

1. earth2tech article: Algae in the Air

Game and Story Use

• Secret formulas always make good MacGuffins
• Note that JP-8 is more than just "jet petrol" (as the JP is traditionally translated) - it also runs a lot of ground vehicles, gets used as a liquid coolant and as fuel for stoves and heaters.
• The semi-universal role (assuming a full substitution for JP-8) and synthetic nature would make this stuff an ideal candidate for the role of "Concentrated Synthetic Fuel" as featured in a lot of military Sci-fi (notably the Battletech universe).