A new pilot project is to be launched in the Eastern Cape, with plans to use marine algae to convert carbon dioxide into biofuels.

The project is a partnership between Germany’s Jacobs University and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in Port Elizabeth, according to a report on Engineering News.

Research currently being carried out in Germany is said to have delivered some impressive results, and the project will expand on this research by establishing pilot sites at a number of industrial sites in the Eastern Cape such as breweries, refineries and cement factories.

In December a memorandum of understanding was signed by Phytolutions, which is jointly owned by Jacobs University and a number of German investors, and InnoVenton, NMMU’s institute of chemical technology.

A photobioreactor is expected to be operational at NMMU by June, capable of producing 2 t of dry biomass a year, to be followed by a further two additional photobioreactors that will be located near industrial partners interested in the technology.

Eventually, it is hoped that the green technology could be rolled out across South Africa and the wider continent.