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[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]
PetroAlgae to Partner with IndianOil Company on Algae-Based Fuels
November 04, 2009
Florida-based PetroAlgae Inc. (PA) (earlier post) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enter into an agreement to license its proprietary micro-crop technology to IndianOil Corporation Limited (IOCL) for the future commercial-scale production of biodiesel from algae. ICOL is the 18th largest petroleum company in the world, and is currently India’s largest company by sales.
IOCL and PetroAlgae will initially collaborate on adapting the algal strains and technology developed by PA to suit Indian conditions. Thereafter, IOCL will build a pilot to demonstrate the commercial viability of the technology. A commercial production facility with a capacity of 200,000 TPA of biodiesel would follow, which would also produce a high-value protein that can be used as feedstock for animal feed production as a by-product.
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Blue Marble Energy and Bionavitas Announce Partnership to Produce Industrial Biochemicals from Microalgae
October 09, 2009
| BME’s AGATE process. Click to enlarge. |
Blue Marble Energy Corp.(BME), a company using unique bacterial consortia to produce specialty biochemicals from the anaerobic fermentation of a range of biomass feedstocks, and Bionavitas, an algae producer, formed a partnership in which Blue Marble Energy will produce high-margin biochemicals from microalgae supplied by Bionavitas. Blue Marble CEO Kelly Ogilvie announced the partnership at the 3rd Annual Algal Biomass Summit in San Diego.
Blue Marble Energy’s proprietary AGATE (Acid, Gas and Ammonia Targeted Extraction) system uses different bacterial consortia (“cassettes”) in an anaerobic fermentation process to produce a variety of biochemicals, including short-chain esters, amides and green anhydrous ammonia. It also generates renewable natural gas as a product.
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Sapphire Energy’s Integrated Algal Biorefinery Project
| Overview of the Sapphire Integrated Algal Biorefinery project. Click to enlarge. |
Sapphire Energy, which intends to be the leading producer of renewable petrochemical products derived from algae, is building, with the cooperation of a number of partners, a 300-acre demonstration Integrated Algal Biorefinery designed to produce renewable gasoline, diesel and jet economically from an algal feedstock.
The purpose of the demonstration project is to (1) evaluate the technical feasibility of the project and its various components and (2) evaluate the economic performance of those components, said Dr. Jason Pyle, Sapphire’s CEO, during a presentation at the 3rd Algae Biomass Summit in San Diego. The project also highlights the importance of collaboration, Pyle said.
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NSF Awards NCSU Team $2M For Research on Deriving Drop-in Renewable Hydrocarbon Fuels from Algae
October 08, 2009
| Dunaliella. Source: Texas A&M. Click to enlarge. |
The National Science Foundations has awarded a team of researchers at North Carolina State University a $2-million grant to develop and scale up a unique, multi-step catalytic process to convert a wide range of fats, oils, and lipids produced by algae into transportation fuels that are chemically and physically similar to their petroleum counterparts. The award is one of the eight Hydrocarbons from Biomass (HyBi) projects awarded through the NSF Office of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI). (Earlier post.)
The team will begin working with marine algae called Dunaliella, which grow in brackish or salty water. The first of many parallel steps for the research effort is to mass-culture the best oil-producing strains of Dunaliella, and then to map the Dunaliella genome and identify the genes responsible for regulating the quantities and qualities of the produced fatty acids.
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DESC Awards Solazyme Contract for Naval Renewable F-76 from Algae, Sustainable Oils Contract for Renewable JP-5 from Camelina
September 10, 2009
The Defense Energy Support Center (DESC) awarded an estimated $8.5-million contract to Solazyme, Inc. for an algae-oil derived renewable F-76 shipboard fuel for the US Navy. DESC also awarded Sustainable Oils, LLC a $2.7-million contract for Hydrotreated Renewable HRJ-5 for Navy aviation use. The Navy currently consumes 34.5 million barrels of fuels per year: 42% of that is for aviation, 40% for ships.
The DESC is a field activity of the DLA. As the Department of Defense’s combat logistics support agency, DLA is responsible for providing the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, other federal agencies, and joint and allied forces with a variety of logistics, acquisition and technical services. The Navy’s present base of petroleum-derived mobility fuels includes:
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Algal Fuels Consortium (AFC) Wins $2.724M Australian Development Grant; Commercial Partner Sancon Has Rights for Commercialization in China
August 20, 2009
The Algal Fuel Consortium (AFC) recently won an A$2.724-million (US$2.259 million) research grant under the Department of Resources Energy and Tourism’s Second Generation Biofuels program in Australia. The grant will support the development of microalgal mass cultivation systems to generate biomass from captured CO2 emissions. This will then be used as a feedstock to a pilot-scale second generation biorefinery for sustainable production of biodiesel and value-added products.
Sancon Resources Recovery Inc., an environmental services and waste recycling company with operations in both China and Australia, is the founding commercial partner to the AFC and has the right to commercialize the technology for China.
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Navy to Test 50:50 Hydrotreated Renewable Jet Fuel Blend in F/A-18 Super Hornet; 590,000-Gallon HRJ Solicitation for Navy and Air Force
August 18, 2009
The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) fuels team will flight test a 50:50 blend of hydrotreated renewable JP-5 (HRJ5) and petroleum-based JP-5 in an F/A-18 Super Hornet at Patuxent River, Md., by next spring or summer. Preceding the flight tests will be laboratory and rig testing at Pax River, followed by static engine tests with the Super Hornet’s F414 engine on a test stand at the Lynn, Mass., facility of manufacturer General Electric.
The static tests will probably take place in the December-January time frame, according to Rick Kamin, Navy fuels lead. The NAVAIR fuels team is also getting ready to kick off a similar effort to test and certify biofuels for use on ships.
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OriginOil, Carbon Sciences Apply for DOE Grants for CO2 to Fuels
August 13, 2009
OriginOil, Inc., the developer of technology for efficient and non-destructive (earlier post) extraction of oil from algae, led a consortium in a recently submitted application for a grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 targeting the beneficial use of CO2. The consortium includes the Idaho National Laboratory of the Department of Energy (DOE), two top US universities, and materials technology firm Media & Process Technology.
Carbon Sciences, Inc., the developer of a biocatalytic process to transform CO2 into low-carbon hydrocarbons (C1 to C3) for subsequent upgrading into higher-carbon fuels such as gasoline and jet fuel (earlier post), has also applied for an award under the FOA.
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BP and Martek Biosciences Enter a Joint Development Agreement to Deliver Advanced Microbial Biofuels
August 11, 2009
BP and Martek Biosciences Corporation signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to work on the production of microbial oils for biofuels applications. The partnership combines a broad technology platform and operational capabilities to advance the development of a step-change technology for the conversion of sugars into renewable diesel fuels.
Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, Martek and BP will work together to establish proof of concept for large-scale, cost effective microbial biofuels production through fermentation. Martek, a nutritional products company, has developed and patented two fermentable strains of microalgae which produce oils rich in docosahexaenoic acid, DHA. A similar patented process was developed for a fungus that produces an oil rich in arachidonic acid, ARA. Both DHA and ARA are important nutrients for optimal infant development.
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J.B. Hunt Transport Services Signs Cooperative Agreement with Algal Oil Producer SunEco Energy
July 30, 2009
J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., one of the largest transportation logistics companies in North America, and algal oil producer SunEco Energy signed a cooperative agreement, which could lead to J.B. Hunt becoming a significant purchaser of biodiesel made from natural algae oil using SunEco Energy’s proprietary technology. J.B. Hunt runs about 10,000 tractors in its fleet, and burns some 100 million gallons of fuel per year.
The two companies conducted a series of successful tests using biodiesel made by SunEco Energy from 100% natural algae oil produced at the company’s pilot plant in Chino, California. These tests, using a 20% and 50% blend of algae biodiesel with petroleum diesel, measured an 82% reduction in particulate emissions with no loss of power compared to ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD).
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EERC Awarded Subcontract to Help Produce 100% Renewable Jet Fuel from Algae
July 29, 2009
The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota has been awarded a subcontract by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to help produce renewable jet fuel from algae.
The effort is being funded by the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and is a continuation of the first successful production of 100% renewable fuel for the US military by the EERC. Under a previous DARPA contract, the EERC advanced the development of a feedstock-flexible thermocatalytic cracking and separation process in its production of renewable JP-8 from vegetable oils. (Earlier post.)
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New Life Cycle Analysis Finds that Current Technology for Producing Algal Biodiesel Can Jeopardize the Overall Energetic Balance; Oil Extraction Technique Is Key
July 28, 2009
| Total energetic debt of 1 MJ of biodiesel and its distribution within the production chain. According to the study, only the wet extraction on low-N grown algae has a positive balance. Credit: ACS. Click to enlarge. |
Biodiesel production from microalgae, while looked upon as an environmentally advantageous source of fuel, suffers from several drawbacks at the current level of technology that can jeopardize the overall energetic balance, according to a life cycle analysis (LCA) by a team of researchers in France. An open-access paper on their work was published online 27 July in the ACS journal Environmental Science and Technology.
Despite strong interest and investment in development, there is as yet no industrial-scale production of biodiesel from microalgae, the researchers noted, and hence no thorough LCA of the production chain from culture to fuel is currently available. The key objective of the study was not to offer a LCA of current microalgal biodiesel technology, the authors wrote, but to identify the obstacles and limitations which should receive specific research efforts to make this process environmentally sustainable.
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DOE to Award Up to $85M of Recovery Act Funding for Algal and “Drop-in” Renewable Hydrocarbon Fuels
July 17, 2009
The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award up to $85 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the development of algae-based biofuels, including renewable hydrocarbon fuels; and advanced, infrastructure-compatible cellulosic biofuels—i.e., “drop-in” renewable hydrocarbon fuels.
DOE is seeking consortia of scientists and engineers from universities, private industry, and government to develop new methods to bring the new biofuels to market in an accelerated timeframe. The partnerships are intended to enable cross-fertilization between multiple disciplines and provide the breadth of expertise necessary to develop new technologies to produce biofuels that can be used in today’s fueling infrastructure—e.g., renewable aviation fuels, renewable gasoline, and renewable diesel—from a variety of biomass feedstocks.
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ExxonMobil Launches Major Advanced Algal Biofuel Research and Development Program With Synthetic Genomics; More than $600M Targeted
July 14, 2009
ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company (EMRE) has launched what it calls a “significant” new program to research and develop advanced biofuels from photosynthetic algae that are compatible with today’s gasoline and diesel fuels. As part of the program, ExxonMobil has formed a strategic research and development alliance with Synthetic Genomics Inc., a privately held company focused on developing genomic-driven solutions and founded by genome pioneer, Dr. J. Craig Venter.
Under the program, if research and development milestones are successfully met, ExxonMobil expects to spend more than $600 million, which includes $300 million in internal costs. As part of the multi-faceted agreement, SGI will receive milestone payments for achievements in developing technology related to algal-based biofuels and related products. Total funding for SGI in research and development activities and milestone payments could amount to more than $300 million with the potential for additional income from licensing to third parties.
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Study Calculates Theoretical Maximum Oil Yield of Algae
July 05, 2009
| Theoretical maximum yield as a function of latitude for different cell oil contents. Weyer et al. (2009) Click to enlarge. |
At team of researchers from Solix Biofuels (earlier post), Colorado State University and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have calculated both an absolute upper limit to solar-based algal oil production as well as a feasible target range for production based on realistic efficiencies (calculated for six global sites). Algal oil can be used as a biofuel feedstock.
Based on physical laws and assumptions of perfect efficiencies, the team calculated the theoretical limit to be 38,000 gal·ac-1·yr-1 (354,000 L·ha-1·yr-1) of unrefined oil with an uncertainty of roughly 10% and with 50% cell oil content. Limits for the practical cases examined in their report ranged from 4,900 to 6,500 gal·ac-1·yr-1 (46,300-60,500 L·ha-1·yr-1) of unrefined oil.
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Dow Planning to Build and Operate a Pilot-Scale Algae-to-Ethanol Biorefinery with Algenol Biofuels
June 29, 2009
The Dow Chemical Company plans to work with Algenol Biofuels, Inc. to build and operate a pilot-scale algae-based integrated biorefinery that will produce ethanol, located at Dow’s Freeport, Texas site. Dow, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Membrane Technology & Research, Inc. are contributing science, expertise, and technology to the project.
Algenol submitted its formal request last week to obtain a grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for financial support to successfully conduct the pilot. Upon approval of the grant, Dow and the other collaborators will work with Algenol to demonstrate the technology at a level to sufficiently prove that it can be implemented on a commercial scale.
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Tsinghua Researchers Find that Sugarcane Juice is a Good Fermentation Feedstock for Algal Biodiesel
June 28, 2009
Researchers at Tsinghua University in China have shown that sugarcane juice is a good feedstock for biodiesel production, when used to support the growth of the alga Chlorella protothecoides by heterotrophic fermentation. In fermentation in a 5-liter bioreactor, algae using sugarcane juice hydrolysate (SCH) grew faster than algae using glucose. Conversion ratios of sugar/biomass and sugar/oil using SCH were 15.2 and 8.8% higher than that using glucose, respectively. The highest oil content was 53.0% by cell dry weight.
The results suggest that sugarcane is not only a good feedstock for fuel-ethanol production but also for biodiesel production, the authors wrote in a paper on their study, published online in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels.
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Researchers Propose Milking Diatoms to Yield Massive Amounts of Oil or Bio-Hydrocarbon Fuels
June 18, 2009
| A pennate diatom, NaVicula sp., showing an oil droplet. Click to enlarge. |
Scientists in Canada and India are proposing a variety of ways of harvesting oil from diatoms—single cell algae with silica shells—using biochemical engineering and also a new solar panel approach that utilizes genomically modifiable aspects of diatom biology, offering the prospect of “milking” diatoms for sustainable energy by altering them to actively secrete oil products. Their communication appears online in the current issue of the ACS’ bi-monthly journal Industrial Engineering & Chemical Research.
Richard Gordon, T. V. Ramachandra, Durga Madhab Mahapatra, and Karthick B note that some geologists believe that much of the world’s crude oil originated in diatoms, which produce an oily substance in their bodies. Barely one-third of a strand of hair in diameter, diatoms flourish in enormous numbers in oceans and other water sources. They die, drift to the seafloor, and deposit their shells and oil into the sediments. Estimates suggest that live diatoms could make 10-200 times as much oil per acre of cultivated area compared to oil seeds, Gordon says.
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DOE Issues RFI on Draft National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap
June 04, 2009
| Schematic of the potential conversion routes for whole algae into biofuels. Source: Draft Algal Roadmap. Click to enlarge. |
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit feedback on a Draft “National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap” Document prepared by a working group commissioned by DOE. The Algal Roadmap is intended to assist in the development of an Algae Platform within the Office of the Biomass Program at DOE. Feedback will be incorporated into the finalized draft report for public release.
The Algal Roadmap resulted from a two-day Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap Workshop conducted by DOE 9-10 December 2008 at the University of Maryland. Chairs and Co-Chairs for each of the nine breakout sessions outlined chapters for the Draft based upon feedback from participants of the workshop.
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Genifuel Licenses High-yield Algae-to-Natural Gas Process from PNNL
May 06, 2009
Battelle is granting an exclusive license to Genifuel Corporation for a process developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to convert algae into renewable synthetic natural gas (SNG) for use in pipelines and power generation. Battelle operates PNNL for the US Department of Energy.
The method, called catalytic hydrothermal gasification, creates natural gas out of algae more quickly, more efficiently and at higher yields than other biofuel processes, according to PNNL. Genifuel expects the process also requires less capital investment. The license agreement moves this technology for renewable energy production a step closer to commercial reality.
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A Project-Based Perspective: Algae Biofuels Economic Viability
April 21, 2009
Perspective by Jeff H. Hassannia, Vice President, Business Development Diversified Energy Corporation
The commercial viability of algae-based biofuels production is ultimately going to depend on economics. Regardless of whatever advances might come in terms of technological and biological breakthroughs, the fact remains that the commercial marketplace will not have an appetite for funding capital intensive energy projects unless the risk-return ratio is acceptable to debt and equity financiers.
A number of companies and government organizations have previously assessed different production designs and offered estimates of costs for algae systems. The most popular of designs previously analyzed include open ponds, open raceways, and closed photobioreactors. Generally these assessments have taken a first-order look at capital and operations and maintenance (O&M) costs. The capital costs are usually broken down into costs associated with algal biomass growth, harvesting (removal of the biomass from the culture), dewatering (getting the algae to an acceptable concentration for further processing), and algal oil extraction systems.
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Ames Laboratory and Catilin Seek to Commercialize New Nanoparticle-Based Algal Oil Extraction Process
April 15, 2009
| An example of a mesoporous silica nanosphere (MSN). The mesoporous structure is illustrated by the hexagonally packed light-colored dots. Credit: Victor Lin. Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University have developed a unique method that uses sponge-like mesoporous nanoparticles to harvest biofuel oils from algae without harming the algae. The nanofarming technology promises lower production costs and shorter production cycles.
Commercialization of this new technology is at the center of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between the Ames Laboratory and Catilin, a nanotechnology-based company that specializes in biofuel production (earlier post). The agreement targets development of this novel approach to reduce the cost and energy consumption of the industrial processing of non-food source biofuel feedstock.
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Genomes of Two Strains of Micromonas Algae Show Surprising Diversity
April 10, 2009
| Transmission electron micrograph of one of the smallest known eukaryotic algae, Micromonas. Credit for TEM: A.Z. Worden, T. Deerinck, M. Terada, J. Obiyashi and M. Ellisman (MBARI and NCMIR). Click to enlarge. |
Scientists from two-dozen research organizations led by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have decoded the genomes of two strains of the photosynthetic algal genus Micromonas, highlighting the genes enabling them to capture carbon and maintain their delicate balance in the oceans.
The analysis of the genomes, sequenced by a team led by Alexandra Z. Worden of MBARI and published in the 10 April edition of the journal Science, offers insights into ecological differentiation and the dynamic nature of early plant evolution with relevance for work on climate change and cellular processes related to algae-derived biofuels being pursued by DOE scientists.
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DARPA Awards SAIC $25M Prime Contract to Develop Algae-Derived JP-8 Fuel
January 26, 2009
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) a prime contract to help develop an affordable alternative to petroleum-derived jet fuel (JP-8) from agricultural and aquacultural feedstock materials.
Under this contract, SAIC will lead a team of industrial and academic organizations to develop an integrated process for producing JP-8 from algae at a cost target of $3/gal. SAIC and its team will develop technologies and processes to help achieve DARPA’s goal including integrating algae strain selection, water and nutrient sourcing, farming, harvesting, separation, triglyceride purification, algal oil processing, and economic modeling and analysis.
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Primafuel Partners with Ben-Gurion University on International Algae Biorefinery Program
January 09, 2009
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| One section of the MBL-developed large photobioreactor at Ketura. Click to enlarge. |
Primafuel, a company focused on the development and commercialization of technology and infrastructure for low-carbon fuels, is partnering with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s Microalgal Biotechnology Laboratory (MBL) in an international algae biorefinery program.
Primafuel holds an exclusive licensing agreement with the MBL on its photobioreactor work and strain selection, as well as any biofuels and coproducts technology developed in the future, according to Rahul Iyer, Primafuel’s Chief Marketing Officer. The MBL has been engaged in algae research for more than three decades, and has a successful record of commercializing algae production systems for the feed and nutraceutical markets. This record includes one of the world’s largest production photobioreactor systems and strain of green algae (Haematococcus Pluvialis) used by Alga Technologies to produce astaxanthin at Ketura, in Israel.
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Optimizing Algae for Biofuels Production by Genetically Truncating Their Chlorophyll Arrays
December 18, 2008
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| Photosynthetic O2-production with C. reinhardtii wild type and tla1 mutant as a function of Chl concentration. Note the greater rates of O2-production in the tla1 than in the wild type under conditions of high cell density (high Chl concentration). Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley are developing an approach to improving the solar-to-biofuels energy conversion efficiency of algae in mass culture by genetically truncating the size of the light-harvesting chlorophyll arrays that serve to absorb sunlight in the photosynthetic apparatus. A paper on their work appears in a special energy issue of the open-access journal Optics Express.
Researchers have calculated, based on a quantum yield of 0.103 O2 per photon absorbed, that the productivity of microalgae under bright sunlight could be up to 75 g dry weight m-2 d-1. However, small-scale cultures of microalgae grown under full sunlight show maximal photosynthetic productivity of about 20-30 g dw m-2 d-1. The reason for this discrepancy, the Berkeley team of Mautusi Mitra and Anastasios Melis notes, is that green algae assemble large arrays of light absorbing chlorophyll (Chl) antenna molecules in their photosystems.
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Early Stage Algae Biofuel Company Closes $10.5M Funding Round; Additional $5M for Pilot Plant
November 11, 2008
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| Solix calculations on the theoretical maximum production of algal oil. (See below.) Click to enlarge. Source: Kristina Weyer, Solix Biofuels |
Solix Biofuels, a Fort Collins, Colo.-based early-stage company focused on algae-based intermediates for fuel and chemical production (earlier post), has raised $10.5 million in its first round of outside funding, and has reached an agreement with investors for an additional commitment of $5 million, to be used to build an algae biofuel facility near Durango, Colo. The pilot project is intended to showcase Solix’s ability to produce biofuel and feedstocks for the chemicals industry at commercially-feasible production levels and costs.
The funding will support Solix’s development of its fourth-generation technology, including a proprietary closed photo-bioreactor system intended to produce biocrude from algae cost-effectively. The $5 million follow-on commitment from the investor group will provide construction financing for the pilot plant, which will be developed jointly by Solix Biofuels and Southern Ute Alternative Energy LLC.
