J.B. Hunt Transport Services has signed a cooperative agreement with SunEco Energy, which could lead to the company using biodiesel made from natural algae oil developed by SunEco.


The two companies have been testing the biodiesel made by SunEco Energy from 100 percent natural algae oil at the SunEco's Chino, Calif., plant. The tests use a 20 percent and 50 percent blend of algae oil with petroleum diesel. The results came back with an 82 percent reduction in particulate emissions with no loss of power.

"Transportation fuel is virtually 100 percent oil-based," said Gary Whicker, senior vice president of engineering for J.B. Hunt. "Finding alternative energy sources to put in our fuel tanks is good business for our company and our nation. SunEco's innovative process to produce renewable fuel supplies from algae grown in American ponds is an intriguing new option."

"The SunEco technology has been in development for over five years, with an operating pilot facility over the past two years which has allowed us to continually produce barrels of oil rather than beakers, enabling us to provide oil for tests in a variety of applications," said Dan Gautschi, chairman and CEO of SunEco Energy.

To create an oil product suitable for making renewable transportation fuels and other oil-based products, SunEco uses naturally occurring algae strains in a monitored environment. A high-quality animal feed supplement is produced as a byproduct of the process. SunEco is currently raising additional funding to enable the large scale deployment of the technology in U.S. and international markets, including a large development in the Imperial Valley region of California.