Joule

Sustainable Diesel from Sunlight

Diesel is the world’s fastest-growing transportation fuel, conventionally derived from petroleum in a process with many known environmental and economic consequences. Many alternatives are being explored to reduce petroleum dependence, but they require tremendous scale at economical costs to meet global demand. To date, the complex processes used to convert biomass to oils that are refined into diesel are cost prohibitive at large scale. Moreover, biodiesel that is derived from algae can only be blended into the diesel pool in small concentrations without further chemical upgrading. 

Joule Sunflow-D is the world’s first hydrocarbon diesel fuel – not biodiesel – produced directly from sunlight and waste CO₂. It is uniquely capable of displacing petroleum-derived diesel in larger concentrations than biodiesel, and in a much more efficient process at highly competitive costs.

• Renewable and sustainable, derived solely from sunlight and waste CO₂
• Infrastructure-ready, forms 50% or more of the diesel blend (unlike biodiesel)
• Inherently free of sulfur and aromatics
• Very high cetane content
• High quality, meets industry specs
• Easily refined to make jet fuel
• Lowest known carbon footprint
• Available in high volumes – targeting up to 15,000 gal/acre/year 
• High areal efficiency – 5X that of algal oil to biodiesel
• Stable, competitive costs – targeting $50/bbl without subsidies
• Avoids use of crops, arable land and fresh water
• Amenable to localized production around the world for energy security