Audi 2015 Annual Report Download - page 97

Hobbs, New Mexico. This is where my trip
through the world of Audi e-fuels ends. And
it certainly feels as if I have reached the
end of the world. I drove through the im-
mense emptiness of the American South-
west. The tires of my car throw up clouds
of dust, the sun beats down mercilessly on
an almost-deserted landscape. The only fea-
ture of this barren vista are its oil rigs. Then
suddenly the research facility operated by
the Massachusetts biotech company Joule
Unlimited appears in front of me. One of
the start-up’s masterminds is process engi-
neer Brian Baynes : “With the help of sun-
light, we can produce high-quality fuels
from waste such as CO and e uent.” He is
aided by microorganisms that perform a
photosynthesis process of a di erent kind.
They produce liquid fuels such as e-ethanol
or e-diesel. And apart from water, they
only need sunlight and CO to do so – all
of which are plentiful in Hobbs. The small
town enjoys an average of  days of
sunshine a year. The CO can come from
factory fumes or be removed from the
ambient air. There is no shortage of water
either because the bacteria are content
with e uent, saltwater or brackish water.
For its next move, Joule Unlimited wants
to demonstrate that this brilliant idea is
suitable for use on an industrial scale.
Brian Baynes // Joule Unlimited
evolve.now! 096 >> 097