In September, Joule Unlimited, a privately held U.S. biotech company received a patent for a genetically-engineered cyanobacterium. They claim this bio-proccess can produce high quality diesel fuel and ethanol. Cyanobacterium uses water, sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce renewable fuels without a need for feedstock. Researchers at the firm said that they can produce conventional fuel that runs combustion engines using the same ingredients that make plants grow. They also claim to be able to make at comparable costs to the cheapest fossil fuels (equivalent to $30 a barrel of crude oil).

If these claims are true, Joule Unlimited may be the first producer of alternative energy technologies to lead the way to greener global oil production markets. Based on empirical measurements, Joule can produce an estimated 15,000 gallons of diesel per acre annually.

Joule Unlimited is a Massachusetts based company in Cambridge and was founded in 2007. 

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