DeuSEL MIDORIMUSHI BIO FUEL

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Watch the project movie

1min. 57sec.

About DeuSEL®

DeuSEL® is a biodiesel fuel derived
from euglena (Japanese: midori-mushi).

A research collaboration between Isuzu Motors and Euglena
to produce next-generation biodiesel from microalgae euglena,
tiny organisms, only 0.05 mm in length, with the features of both plants and animals.

This is the DeuSEL® project.

Isuzu Motors, as an automotive company manufacturing a lot of transport vehicles every day,
envisions realization of an environmentally-friendly distribution system.

Euglena, as the world’s only company that has technology
to mass-cultivate euglena outdoors, is pursuing commercialization of euglena-derived biodiesel.

DeuSEL® is an original name to refer euglena-derived diesel,
created by combining of the words diesel and euglena,
and is jointly trademarked by Isuzu Motors and Euglena.

The shuttle bus service between
Isuzu Fujisawa Plant and Shonandai Station
since July 1, 2014.

DeuSEL®bus, a bus equipped with a normal diesel engine, runs on biofuel made from euglena algae. The bus shuttles between Isuzu Fujisawa Plant and Shonandai Station every day starting on July 1, 2014. The service is available to Isuzu employees and visitors to the plant.

Isuzu’s company bus is used to provide the DeuSEL® bus service.
The service is subject to cancellation without notice for maintenance or other reasons.

A bus runs on euglena?

About euglena

What is microalgae euglena?

As being biodiesel fuel feedstock, it is drawing attention as a potential contributor to solving environmental issues.As being biodiesel fuel feedstock, it is drawing attention as a potential contributor to solving environmental issues.It is also highly nutritious, containing 59 varieties of nutrients including vitamins, essential amino acids and DHA, and is already used for health foods.

About euglena

Euglena produces
oil similar to diesel.

Depending on how it is grown, euglena produces and stores oil similar to diesel in its body. By extracting and purifying this oil, it’s possible to produce fuel for trucks, buses and airplanes.

How DeuSEL® is produced.

1.cultivation of euglena
2.pulverization
3.oil extraction
4.purification to DeuSEL®

DeuSEL® may save the world.

About DeuSEL®

DeuSEL® contributes to CO2 reduction.

Euglena grows through photosynthesis, absorbing carbon dioxide and giving out oxygen. Its photosynthesis efficiency is said to be several times higher than that of rainforests. Euglena photosynthesizes efficiently, captures CO2 and produces oil during its growth phase.The carbon dioxide emitted when DeuSEL® is burned, had just recently been absorbed by euglena as food, making DeuSEL® nearly a carbon neutral fuel with minimal environmental load.

About DeuSEL®

Euglena does not compete with agriculture.

Since euglena cultivation does not require farmlands, it does not compete over farmland with traditional agriculture unlike other biofuels. Therefore, its impact on food prices is limited. Its oil productivity per given area is higher than other biofuel candidates, which is another feature of euglena attracting attention.

DeuSEL® envisions:

Future

Society with carbon cycle distribution system.

Commodity distribution is essential to our daily life, which is supported by diesel vehicles like trucks and buses. If those vehicles become more friendly to the environment? Like other automotive companies, Isuzu is pursuing various environmental projects such as hybrid diesel and natural gas. Among them, Isuzu has great expectations for DeuSEL®, biodiesel derived from euglena which absorbs CO2 when it grows. This project is the first step toward the realization of a sustainable carbon cycle society.

Future

New energy that resource-scarce Japan aspires for.

There are various studies of alternative energies being conducted around the globe aiming to reduce environmental load. Development of alternative energies, which is to be tackled with technical strength not with natural resource, means a lot to Japan, as a nation with limited natural resources.Mass-cultivation of euglena is Japan’s unique technology. And the euglena-derived DeuSEL® may play a role in development of sustainable fuels.We will push forward with DeuSEL® project, for future of Japan, and for global environment.

Future

Imagine
if you find everywhere
in the world:

a truck with a cultivation pool on its roof
where euglena grows in the sunlight absorbing CO2,
which is then purified in the truck to DeuSEL®.
The truck’s diesel engine is powered by DeuSEL®,
and CO2 in the exhaust gas is carried
to the cultivation pool through the atmosphere.
The CO2 feeds euglena. Closed carbon cycle in a truck.
Isuzu engineers envision such a dream truck.

If a lot of these trucks run around the world,
the earth will be more beautiful.