Boshoek biofuels project gets under way

Xstrata Alloys has begun a ground-breaking project to investigate the possibility of using off-gas from its enclosed ferrochrome smelters to grow algae - the world's fastest growing plants - for fuel.

Algae already have numerous industrial applications, for example, in nutritional supplements and fertilisers. But in recent years there hasbeen growing focus on their use as a source of energy because, like all plants, they use photosynthesis to harness sunlight and CO2 and produce energy and oxygen. Biofuel from algae is carbon neutral because the plants absorb as much CO2 as using the fuel emits. It has less impact than crop biofuel because algae can be grown in tanks, rather than cultivated across large areas of high yield agricultural land.

At Boshoek in South Africa, Xstrata Alloys has established a pilot project to see if it can successfully grow a strain of high oil content algae on the CO2 it emits. Our aim is to produce a sustainable, carbon-neutral fuel source that we can use to power our operations.

We began growing algae at Boshoek in 2009. The pilot project will run for at least a year to observe how algae growth is affected as the seasons change, and to gather information about the plants' optimal temperature and nutrient requirements.

If successful, our next step will be to build a commercial-scale algae biofuel facility.