Galp Energia has signed today a partnership agreement with the Portuguese Engineering, Technology and Innovation
Institute (“INETI”) and the company Algafuel, two entities with recognised experience in research and development (“R&D”). The purpose of the agreement is to form a consortium that will develop a project for the production of biomass and biofuel from microalgae crops and the attendant capture of CO2.
This project aims to set up a pilot plant for the production of microalgae-based biomass and vegetable oil, using combustion gases captured at Galp Energia’s refinery in Sines, Portugal, where it will be located. The use of microalgae is a further step in Galp Energia’s development of a sustainable energy source allowing the transformation of CO2 in raw material for biofuel production. The efficiency of microalgae in the use of CO2 is several dozen times larger than the case is for conventional land crops.
The project will attract the participation of internationally renowned scientists and may lead to the establishment of a cluster for the production of sustainable biofuel on internationally competitive terms.
With this agreement Galp Energia will advance its strategy for biofuels by developing a project based on the industrial symbiosis on its refineries, thereby adding considerable value in terms of environmental and economic sustainability. The development of this project is expected to give Galp Energia a front-running position in the commercial exploitation of a new source of renewable energy as the company allocates resources to cuttingedge R&D in the energy field while combating climate change.
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