BP joins Arizona biofuel research initiative

London's BP (NYSE: BP) is joining Arizona State University and Science Foundation Arizona in a renewable biofuel research project.

The group plans to focus its efforts on using a specially optimized photosynthetic bacterium to produce biodiesel, a sustainable high-energy fuel that can be used in conventional engines.

Funding for the project was not disclosed.

"We are taking advantage of perhaps our greatest natural resource, the abundant sunshine of the Southwest, as a prime catalyst for new discoveries that will benefit our region," said ASU president Michael Crow.

The university said the use of photosynthetic bacteria in the production of biofuel eliminates the need for costly and complex processing.

In addition, ASU said the large scale microbial cultivation, using only solar energy and an environmentally controlled production facility, can be set up on arid land. The school said the technology has an estimated high biomass-to-fuel yield.

"We will be pursuing two coordinated, parallel tracks in which we will both optimize the metabolic processes involved in the production of the high-energy biofuel and engineer a photobioreactor to make the process efficient and cost-effective," said ASU professor Bruce Rittmann.

The biofuel project will include research and expertise from the university's Biodesign Institute, the School of Life Sciences and the School of Engineering.

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