Sapphire Energy, Inc. produces algae-based crude oil. The company develops technology to produce fungible drop-in transportation fuels, including 91 octane gasoline, 89 octane diesel, and jet fuel out of algae, sunlight, and carbon dioxide. Its products are compatible with cars, refineries, and pipelines. The companys platform uses sunlight, CO2, photosynthetic microorganisms/algae and non-arable land to produce alternatives to the traditional fossil fuel industry. The firm is pioneering an approach that takes two very old processes and synthesizes them into one very new opportunity. Farming and algae have been around for most of human existence, but the two have not been paired in any significant way to bring leverage the positive effects on one another. Sapphires products and processes in this category differ significantly from others because they are made solely from photosynthetic microorganisms (algae and cyanobacteria), using sunlight and CO2 as their feedstock; are not dependent on food crops or valuable farmland; do not use potable water; do not result in biodiesel or ethanol; are compatible with existing infrastructure; and are low carbon, renewable and scalable. Sapphire has an R&D facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and has been operating a 300-acre facility continuously since May 1, 2012.
