Algae - Future Fuel

Interview: Algaeventure System’s Ross Youngs

2010-03-14T04:06:00.001+05:30

The A.I.M. Interview: Algaeventure System’s Ross Youngs

On March 10, 2009, Algaeventure Systems, Inc. (AVS) announced a technological breakthrough for one of algae’s major road blocks, getting algae out of solution—harvest and dewatering. In the recently introduced Department of Energy ARPA-E project, the DOE described the AVS system as a “potentially transformative innovation” as it made its debut in the algae industry.

AVS was developed within Univenture, a company that has appeared on Inc.’s List of the 500 Fastest Growing Companies five times. In October 2009, AVS was separated as an independent corporation. I caught up with Univenture and Algaeventure Systems Founder and CEO, Ross Youngs, in his corporate headquarters in Marysville, Ohio, where we talked about his business philosophy, his AVS harvester, and his vision of where the algae industry is heading.

Q: When did you first become aware of algae as a potential energy source?

A: I learned a lot about algae in the mid-70’s, going to the Florida Institute of Technology, but didn’t have the realization about its full potential and what it really could do. As a company focused on developing the most practical and ecologically-friendly packaging, we began exploring biofeedstocks for plastics. As we explored many bio-based sources, we realized bio based plastics were not going to come from terrestrial plants. You can’t get enough of it. Jim Cook, our Director of Project Development did some research and, pulling a graduate move, said one word, “Algae!”

Q: After digging deeper into the subject, what conclusions did you draw?

A: Algae has remarkable characteristics. It is a very efficient organism that can be grown in significant volume to provide food, feed, plastics, fuels, etc… We have only begun to unlock the potential of algae. Within fifty years of the true commercialization of algae as a biofuel, it will be a larger industry than the consumer electronics and the computer industry combined because we are talking about fuel, food, feed, fertilizer, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and chemicals. We’re talking about a spectrum of new, high quality, sustainable products that will drive this industry to unbelievable heights.

Q: How do you see this taking place?

A: When starting out, we’ve got to find the most opportunistic, highest value products first. The economics that will drive that algae will not be initially used for oil. It will be used for higher value products initially. Even the oil companies don’t go straight to fuel. Their fuel is somewhat of a by-product, even though it’s the vast majority of petroleum usage. The vast majority of petroleum revenues come from chemicals and plastics. So where algae usage will be initially adopted will be for chemicals and plastics, long before we go to fuels.

Q: How hard is algae technology going to be to develop?

A: As tough as everyone acts like it is, I’ll give you a representative challenge. Erase all the documents and take all the engineers off the planet Earth that know how to make an Intel chip factory. Ok, they’re gone. There are no records, no information, none of the tools currently available to us. Start now and build a complete Intel chip factory. It’s going to take awhile, but guess what? We’ve done that. We’ve built integrated circuits from scratch. We’ve built these factories from scratch without any knowledge.

The integrated circuit was invented in 1959. Look at where the technology is today. You are talking about the technology curve in the information age. We have the complete capacity to do this. Algae technology is simple compared to the task of building an integrated chip factory from scratch.

Q: Let’s go back to the question about algae being a potential energy source. How did that interest lead to your AVS harvester?

A: Knowing that there were already complete, valid, working models for algae in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries, we are already way ahead of the game. So we looked at the existing systems and thought, “Where there are barriers, there are opportunities.”

We started to grow algae and ran into the same problem everybody else ran into; getting it out of the water. It really boiled down to, “Well, let’s try this. Let’s try that.” We probably tried everything that everyone else had tried. Then we tried things that people may have tried but didn’t connect how it might work.

So on harvesting, instead of trying to move the solid out of the liquid… why not try to move the liquid out and away from the solid? And instead of doing it at high energy, doing it at virtually no energy or low energy? That’s really what took us to looking at nature and saying, “You know what? We don’t deal with a blood pressure system of 900 psi.” Biological systems don’t work at those pressures, but yet they work. So the real question was why and how could we mimic nature?

We latched on quickly to the fact that when you put a differential pressure on something, you could potentially change its shape and impart energy into it. So our whole goal was NOT to put that differential energy on algae. When we started focusing on and demonstrating it on a very small scale, we were blown away by how successful it was. The difference between putting energy on it and not putting energy on it was dramatic.

Our task at hand right now is taking that to what would be our third and fourth scales. We need to get to the point to where we can handle hundreds of tons in a reasonable amount of time with this equipment. From what we’re seeing, we think that’s doable. We also see opportunities to improve this technology along that pathway. We look at the award from DOE and ARPA-E as being an honor and our entire team has a great sense of responsibility and obligation to succeed and deliver. We’re really excited about being entrusted with this. We have to find a way to be completely successful.

Q: What is your time frame going forward?

A: Our medium scale production model is supposed to be testing in June and July. We’ve got a lot of work to do with that. We’re at the beginning stage of the DOE contract so we’re lining up our own financing and capability to make sure we deliver.

Q: Can you tell me about your rapid algae farming(RAF) system?

A: That is a concept that we think everyone else has thrown out because there are a lot of people who say, “You can’t, you can’t, you can’t.” I am a firm believer in understanding cost vs. benefit analysis. It may be easy on the back of an envelope to say,” You can never, ever do this,” but I believe that by understanding industrial production systems, that we can actually cover an acre with what we describe as a roll-out greenhouse with a range of environmental controls, and the goal of using very low energy. Yes, it would be made of plastic, but the plastic would last seven years. So we amortize our cost over a seven-year period. At the end of seven years, we roll that plastic up, and as a part of the manufacturing supply chain, recycle it…and that plastic is worth almost more than what we bought it for seven years earlier.

So it’s about capital. If I challenge somebody to go build a cell phone from scratch, what is it going to cost? Well, the first model of a Blackberry might have cost $12-$15 million. Who knows? But now go build me a million of them. You’ve got a whole different calculation. That’s the power of what production can lead to, so we’re trying to industrialize the roll-out greenhouse.

Q: What advice would you give Barack Obama on his stimulus spending on renewable energy?

A: If he were looking for an opportunity, the investment and advancement in algal technologies will be more bang for the buck than he would ever get out of anything else. It is going to be what leads us to another level of civilization. This is key and a lot of our thought leaders do not get it yet or they would be investing money in this field like crazy.

Q: Any advice for other early stage algae processing system companies?

A: I would say that it’s critically important for them to find the economic viability while executing their vision. If they have the capability to find ways to make money along that pathway and continue to invest in algae, then that would be a very smart thing to do.

If they are starting up an algae firm because they believe they are going to be funded and they’re going to be able to have a great career studying or researching algae, they are making a huge mistake. They need to stay focused, execute, get profitable and then, for the benefit of everyone including themselves, keep investigating and keep understanding what they would do next in the algae field.

Building the right staff is critical. If you think you’re doing this on your own, you’re only going to get two to three people working for you, let alone a hundred or a lot more. Ours is a teamwork approach. It’s great that I’m in a position where I can assist people to be their best. And they assist me to be my best. Together we achieve more. It really helps us stand out from other businesses.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

A: I think that in our industry we’re not really sure who are snake oil salespeople and who are actually real. This industry needs to ferret out these people because they are going to create a lot of harm.

Also, this industry needs more openness. I think that sharing, collaborating and finding ways that work are the most important things we can do at this stage. We’re not just battling technical challenges but we are going to be battling awareness challenges as well. If we can influence thought leaders and investors, then this is going to be a powerful combination and result in a delivery of technology and products to civilization that is unheard of.—A.I.M.

Source: Algae Industry Magazine

Copyright ©2010 AlgaeIndustryMagazine.com. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reprint this article in its entirety. Must include copyright statement and live hyperlinks.

Veronica Cassandra

Algae Strains for Production - Russell Industries

2010-03-14T03:43:00.001+05:30

Russell Industries, Inc. Larry Peyton, Principal of Peyton and Associates, reports, the full scale production pilot reactor has been constructed and currently undergoing water conditioning.

Initial inoculation is planned for the first week in March for a one-month test run. The bench scale unit is being reconfigured as a culture enhancement / concentrator system. Several algae strains are being evaluated for production optimization. The Proof of Concept Pilot to Scale project continues on budget and schedule.

The Company is also pursuing development of a commercial scale algae production facility through its wholly owned subsidiary, Algae Farm,LLC.

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Veronica Cassandra

Algal Product controls Cholesterol

2010-03-13T21:24:00.001+05:30

Researchers at Wayne State University's Department of Nutrition and Food Science believe they've uncovered a unique method to control and regulate cholesterol using biologically active molecules isolated from ProAlgaZyme -- a proprietary algal infusion produced by Health Enhancement Products, Inc., of Scottsdale, Arizona

The company has filed a new patent application to describe the method or methods of cholesterol regulation, which are considered novel and scientifically significant. Dr.Smiti Gupta, associate professor at Wayne State University and the principal investigator leading the research team, will be providing additional information in the near future.

Results of this most recent study indicate that these biologically active molecules regulate cholesterol metabolism by stimulating genetic signals that help spur the creation of HDL and simultaneously slow down the degradation of existing HDL particles back to the LDL form of cholesterol.

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Veronica Cassandra

Algae Research – Oceanic Algae to fight Cancer

2010-03-13T21:23:00.001+05:30

Medicines from the sea. At UCSD’s Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, William Gerwick is studying oceanic algae for its potential in fighting cancer, inflammation or bacteria. “This algae, which is sort of like pond scum, is rich with treasure troves of unusual organic structures,” he said. And because he only expects to use 30 percent to 40 percent the algae he collects, the rest could be used for biofuel, he said.

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Veronica Cassandra

Algae Fuel - Green Fuel of the Future

2010-03-13T21:22:00.001+05:30

It is hoped the £383,000 project based at Swansea University will lead to increased biofuel businesses across Wales which will turn micro-algae into the fuel of the future.

It is hoped the £383,000 project based at Swansea University will lead to increased biofuel businesses across Wales which will turn micro-algae into the fuel of the future. Algae can double its mass several times in a day and can produce more than 15 times more oil per hectare than alternatives such as rape, palm, soya or jatropha.

Marine blooms of algae also have the ability to absorb carbon dioxide so farming it also has the potential to absorb waste emissions directly from industrial or power plants. And as it can be grown in areas not needed for food, it would not lead to the type of deforestation seen with alternative fuels such as palm oil.

Particular interest has been shown in Botryococcus braunii algae, which excrete oil if their microscopic green strands are given enough light and plenty of carbon dioxide.

The oil globules that form on the surface of the algae can be easily harvested and then refined using the same technologies with which the oil industry now converts crude oil into everything from jet fuel to plastics.

The cost of breeder tanks and tracts of well irrigated land plus intensive labour have in the past put investors off, particularly at times when oil prices have been low.

Algal Biotechnology for Wales project leader, Dr Robin Shields, said: “The Swansea centre has been established in response to a growing number of business enquiries to the university’s Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture Research.

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Veronica Cassandra

Algal Biomass Organisation urges Tax parity for Algae based Industries

2010-03-13T21:20:00.001+05:30

Current federal tax policy discourages the production of algae-based fuels by failing to provide the same incentives accorded to other advanced biofuels feedstocks, which has made it more difficult for algae producers to attract the capital that is required to construct commercial-scale production facilities.

Specifically, algae producers' inability to access the $1.01 per gallon production tax credit currently afforded to other advanced biofuels has slowed the algae industry's development.

"The recent ruling by the Environmental Protection Agency that algae-based fuels provide at least 50% emissions reductions compared to petroleum based fuels supports what we've been saying all along: algae-based fuels are one of the most environmentally sustainable biofuels in the United States," said Rosenthal.

"Algae's environmental benefits, coupled with its enormous potential to stimulate our green economy, are just a few of the many reasons Congress should ensure that the tax code provides incentives to advance the development of an entire industry focused on creating renewable, sustainable and domestically-produced fuels that reduce emissions, enhance American energy security and, when fully commercialized, create tens of thousands of American jobs."

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Veronica Cassandra

Algae to produce Human Protein

2010-03-13T21:18:00.001+05:30

Pharmaceutical companies could substantially reduce the expense of costly treatments for cancer and other diseases produced from mammalian or bacterial cells by growing these human therapeutic proteins in algae—rapidly growing aquatic plant cells that have recently gained attention for their ability to produce biofuels.

That's the conclusion of a study, published online this week in Plant Biotechnology Journal, which sought to determine whether seven diverse human therapeutic proteins could be produced in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a green alga used widely in biology laboratories as a genetic model organism, much like the fruit fly Drosophila and the bacterium E.coli.

The scientists reported in their paper that all of the algal-produced proteins in their study showed biological activity comparable to the same proteins produced by traditional commercial techniques. And because algae cells can be grown cheaply and quickly, doubling in number every 12 hours, they noted that algae could be superior to current biological systems for the production of many human therapeutic proteins.

What makes algae particularly attractive compared to bacterial and mammalian systems, the scientists say, is its ability to produce proteins cheaply and at very large scale. With algae currently being produced at about $3 per kilogram at commercial scale, the researchers estimate that making recombinant protein would cost about 60 cents per gram prior to purification.

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Veronica Cassandra

Algae biodiesel commercialisation by 2013

2010-03-13T21:17:00.002+05:30

Soy oil is used in about 60 percent of the biodiesel made in the United States today, but that is expected to change in the near future. Dozens of potential feedstocks have been tested and many show promise.

With a grant from the Iowa Power Fund, Renewable Energy Group - an Ames, Iowa-based biodiesel company - tested 34 feedstocks.

The feedstocks included two types of algae, beef tallow, borage, camelina, canola, castor, choice white grease, coconut, coffee, corn oil, cuphea, evening primrose, fish, hemp, linseed, mustard, palm, poultry, rice bran, soybean, sunflower, used cooking oil and yellow grease.

Though not there yet, many scientists and biodiesel enthusiasts hope algae can be customized for biodiesel production. Commercialization of algae is expected in 2013, said Mary Rosenthal, executive director of the Minnesota-based Algal Biomass Organization.

The Algal Biomass Organization has 173 members and was formed to facilitate commercialization and market development of microalgae biomass specifically for biofuels production and greenhouse gas abatement.

It's not very likely that algae for biodiesel will be raised outside in the northern states, but there are several companies that are looking at raising algae in brackish or non-potable water with access to light and heat.

Algae can be raised in sludge water, wastewater treatment facilities, salt water and outdoor ponds in warm climates. The young industry has several challenges, though.

Companies that are developing algae biodiesel are keeping the information proprietary at this time. Other challenges include acquiring algae feedstocks, finding ways to make algae biodiesel profitable and keeping protozoa at bay.

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Veronica Cassandra

Open-pond growing and closed-tank bioreactor plants for algae

2010-03-13T18:50:00.001+05:30

Oil giant Exxon has partnered with Synthetic Genomics Inc. to create and develop algae biofuel.

The tremendous industrialization of the 20th and 21st centuries, with its corresponding increases in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, has posed a unique and challenging problem for the United States namely, that of safe and reliable energy. The solution to this dilemma may lie within algae, certain types of which can be harvested and refined into a biofuel replacement for oil. One company at the forefront of research and development for algal fuel is Synthetic Genomes Incorporated, which has entered into a $300 million partnership with oil giant ExxonMobil to find new ways to tackle problems such as the efficiency, practicality, and implementation of the biofuel.

Algae can be used as a fuel due to its innate chemical properties. It uses carbon dioxide, nutrients and solar energy to create an oil compound stored within itself. The oil is extracted using one of three methods, each of varying efficiency. The first method is simply using an oil press, similar to an olive press in function, to remove up to 75% of the contained oil. When this process is followed up by the usage of hexane, a liquid solvent derived from petroleum, that number goes up to 95%. The hexane is mixed in with the leftover algae and then put through a filter, which causes most of the remaining oil contained within the algae to separate. The third method is known as the supercritical fluids method, which involves extremely pressurized and heated carbon dioxide – the supercritical fluid – being mixed with the algae to completely turn the algae into oil. While this yields 100% of the algae’s usable oil, it is relatively impractical due to the equipment necessary to fulfill the reaction. Because of these problems, SGI seeks to bioengineer a new type of algae that constantly secretes oil from its cell walls, removing the need to continuously harvest and replenish the algae stores. This could potentially be the most efficient of all of the methods, though it is still in the early stages of development.

The extracted oil is then refined using fatty acid chains in transesterification, which involves mixing an ester and alcohol compound. A catalyst is mixed with an alcohol, creating a biodiesel fuel combined with a glycerol which is then further refined to remove the glycerol and create the final fuel product. On the molecular level, this is a feasible and universal process; the real question with algae biofuels is how they can effectively be produced on a large-scale basis.

This production method is precisely what SGI and Exxon seek to discover. There are two specific techniques being researched by the companies as of now: open-pond growing and closed-tank bioreactor plants. The former is akin to farming the algae, and involves growing algae in ponds. The problems faced with this process are primarily natural, as the algae must be kept in hot, sunny areas with water at a constant temperature. For better regulation of algae production, indoor facilities can be used to grow algae at optimum conditions inside large, round drums. Nutrients, carbon dioxide, and water are pumped into the containers and oil is continuously extracted.

Despite these difficulties, Exxon and SGI claim that the potential benefits of algae are worth taking a look at. Algae is a non-food product and can be grown in areas unused for farming, unlike other biofuels such as corn. It is the most efficient of all biofuels, and an acre devoted to the growth of algae is estimated to produce 2,000 gallons of fuel per year. When that is compared to palm (650 gallons) and corn (250 gallons), it is easy to see why algae is so promising. Algae biofuel can easily be incorporated with current fuel infrastructure, and modern car engines can run on it without any modifications. If SGI and Exxon are successful in their endeavors, algae will likely become commercially viable within five to ten years as the price of oil rises and demand for new fuel grows.

Veronica Cassandra

Algae biofuel commercialisation by BIO

2010-03-12T16:59:00.001+05:30

Commercialization of algae-based biofuels can create jobs, increase energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on par with other advanced biofuels, but algae producers are at a disadvantage in attracting investment because these biofuels are not currently recognized in the tax code as advanced biofuels.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization(BIO) today urged Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus and Ranking Member Charles Grassley to extend tax code parity to algae-based biofuels as soon as possible.

“Algae-based biofuel technology is advancing rapidly and is ready for commercialization. Production of algae-based biofuels can generate thousands of domestic green jobs in facility construction and operation and have the potential to greatly enhance our country’s energy and environmental security,” Brent Erickson, executive vice president for BIO’s Industrial and Environmental Section, stated.

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Veronica Cassandra

Algae energy conference March 17 and 18

2010-03-12T16:56:00.001+05:30

The conference on "Algae & Energy in the Northeast," co-hosted by UVM, the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund and VT EPSCoR will be held on campus March 17 and 18.

Foremost algae biofuel researchers and entrepreneurs will present on the current state and projected future of algae as a biofuel feedstock. Topics will include the challenges of algae feedstock production in the Northeast, algal harvesting, lipid extraction, biofuel conversion, and uses and markets for algal oil and by-products. A concurrent poster session will feature algae research and development projects.

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Veronica Cassandra

Genetic Mapping of Algae Biofuel Species

2010-03-12T16:53:00.001+05:30

Using green algae to produce hydrocarbon oil for biofuel production is nothing new; nature has been doing so for hundreds of millions of years, according a Texas AgriLife Research scientist.

“Oils from the green algae Botryococcus braunii can be readily detected in petroleum deposits and coal deposits suggesting that B. braunii has been a contributor to developing these deposits and may be the major contributor,” said Dr.Timothy Devarenne, AgriLife Research scientist with the Texas A&M University department of biochemistry and biophysics. “This means that we are already using these oils to produce gasoline from petroleum.”

Devarenne said, "B. braunii is a prime candidate for biofuel production because some races of the green algae typically accumulate hydrocarbons from to 30 percent to 40 percent of their dry weight, and are capable of obtaining hydrocarbon contents up to 86 percent of their dry weight."

As a group, algae may be the only photosynthetic organism capable of producing enough biofuel to meet transportation fuel demands.

Devarenne is part of a team comprised of other scientists with AgriLife Research, the University of Kentucky and the University of Tokyo trying to understand more about B. braunii, including its genetic sequence and its family history.

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Veronica Cassandra

NASA Photobioreactor

2010-03-12T16:49:00.001+05:30

Among the promising clean energy alternatives is an algae photo-bioreactor that grows algae in municipal wastewater to produce biofuel. Developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the bioreactor consists of large plastic bags made from a permeable "forward osmosis" membrane. The bags hold the algae and waste nutrients in place while allowing cleansed water to pass through.

The bags could potentially be deployed in contaminated and "dead zone" coastal areas, removing excess nutrients while growing algae for biofuels. NASA's Ames Research Center licensed the patent-pending photo-bioreactor to Algae Systems, LCC, which plans to develop and pilot the technology in Tampa Bay, Florida. The company hopes to integrate the technology into biorefineries to produce renewable energy products, including diesel and jet fuel.

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Veronica Cassandra

Algae Farms & Breweries to Co-habit?

2010-03-12T16:47:00.001+05:30

A high-tech company called Solix Biofuels has partnered with New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, Colo., to turn waste — the carbon dioxide produced in brewing beer — into energy by "feeding" it to a type of algae that naturally contains high lipid levels, which then allow biofuel to be created from the algae's lipids (oils). The requirements to grow the algae consist of an exposure to the sun, water and carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is naturally emitted in the brewing process, and from it, energy is produced as the algae grow, which is then used to make more beer.

Algae biofuel has the potential to be many times more efficient than other biofuels. According to the U.S. Energy Department, if algae biofuels replaced other alternative fuel crops, they would yield up to 30 times more energy. This would equate to an area in the United States as big as Maryland, or 15,000 square miles needed to supply energy to the United States.

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Veronica Cassandra

Algae strain - ISU to tailor

2010-03-12T16:44:00.001+05:30

A researcher at Iowa State Universitywill use a $4.37 million grant from the U.S. DOE to stack traits in Chlamydomonas alga that will improve oil yield, growth rate and offer better thermal resistance.

“The goal is really to develop it to be able to do breeding for microalgae,” said researcher Martin Spalding, professor and chair of genetics, development and cell biology, and a council member of ISU’s Plant Sciences Institute. His research will aim for treatment of the strain as any other terrestrial crop.

A more immediate goal for the 3-year project is to develop one or more strains that can compete for commercial biofuels production. “The algae we’re working with currently are not competitive with other strains for biofuels,” he said. More important, he’d like to have a platform breeding stock at the end of the project that can be used to respond quickly to biofuel needs that may arise. “We hope to bring this alga to the point where we can tailor it to meet the needs of the industry,” he said.

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Veronica Cassandra

DARPA cracks the oil out of Algae - $2/gallon

2010-03-12T16:40:00.001+05:30

Here’s the quote that has everyone’s attention, “DARPA’s research projects have already extracted oil from algal ponds at a cost of $2 per gallon. It is now on track to begin large-scale refining of that oil into jet fuel, at a cost of less than $3 a gallon.”

The Guardian article misses informing about just what step(s) in the process they’re breaking through. In my conversation the breakthrough is described as cracking out the oil from the algae. What is still not available is the technology, be it physical, chemical, or thermal and the processing inputs to make it work. But DARPA’s representatives are certain they have the way.

Late 2011 could see the first scaled production. The lead contractors are General Atomics and Science Applications International Corp. The news report is a result of successfully demonstrating a lab process of growing affordable algae triglyceride and its production into jet fuel at price point of $2.00 per gallon. There is a phase 2 in the contract whose target is $1.00 per gallon that’s getting underway.

More: http://bit.ly/a2KaAU

Veronica Cassandra

Interview With an Algae CEO

2010-03-12T16:17:00.001+05:30

So I am finally back home for the next 10 days, and slowly catching up. I had a good trip to Panama and then to Stanford. I had my luggage sniffed by dogs when I connected in El Salvador, and then when connecting in LAX Gwen Stefani and her husband walked by within 3 feet of me. I told my wife that I probably could have touched her, but then I might have been delayed by a trip to the L.A. County Jail. I also read Oil on the Brain Interview With an Algae CEO on the long plane trips, and will soon post a review of that. I will also put up the slides I delivered at Stanford.

One of the things I did on the trip was take a tour of an algae farm. I spent some time with the CEO, and got to ask numerous questions. He had some very interesting comments, which I will capture below. Because he has to work in this industry, I am not going to identify him or his company. Below I will indicate his comments as CEO and mine as RR.

RR: Talk about some of the challenges of growing algae.

CEO: The list is exhaustive. It takes a lot of water. It takes a lot of electricity. Solar penetration is only about an inch into the water, so we really have to keep the ponds mixed well. One thing people never mention is the phosphorous requirement. Phosphorous is a limited resource, but a critical one for the algal growth. If you are trying to make oil, then you have to stress the algae and push it into a lipid production mode. But that causes growth rates to stall. If you engineer algae for higher oil production rates, they can’t out-compete the native species in the ponds.

RR: I talk to John Benemann on a fairly regular basis, and he has said much the same. He likes algae for the potential, for the water treatment possibilities, and as something that should continue to get funding for lab research. But he is pretty harsh on the uber-optimists.

CEO: Yes, I know John as well. He has done some good work in the field. Have you seen his latest paper?

RR: (He shows me the paper, and I acknowledge that I do in fact have that one).

RR: I was looking at those open ponds and wondering if the evaporation rates wouldn’t be problematic. That could create seriously high water usage, especially for those schemes that propose to use open ponds where the solar insolation is high (like in the Arizona desert).

CEO: Yes, those open ponds require a lot of fresh water. You should see our water bill.

RR: What about photobioreactors? Some people envision them as a solution to some of the problems (evaporation, contamination) of the open pond system.

CEO: They are ungodly expensive relative to how much algae they can produce.

RR: So how do you foresee the future of algal fuels?

CEO: There is no future. Look, some of these guys are out there committing fraud with their yield claims. Nobody is making fuel except for small amounts in the lab. I just don’t see how anyone will ever make cost-competitive fuel from algae.

RR: How about fermentation approaches like Solazyme? I haven’t written that off yet.

CEO: Yes, but they are using sugar, and sugar is food. They say they won’t always use sugar, but who knows?

RR: I could see their model working in Brazil as sugarcane ethanol does. Instead of fermenting to ethanol, they could ferment to oil. I also recently had someone write to me and claim they were using a feedstock other than sugar.

CEO: Maybe cellulose?

RR: If it is cellulose, I am on the next plane to go see them. That would indeed be a tremendous breakthrough, presuming their conversions are reasonable. I presume you get a lot of phone calls from aspiring algae fuel producers wanting to do a deal?

CEO: Oh yeah. All the time. Someone with a business plan and no appreciation for the scientific challenges wants to form a company and go after investors. It used to happen every other day, but has tailed off some now.

RR: So you see the main barrier to commercialization of algal fuel as cost?

CEO: Yes, but it is important to note why the cost is high. I don’t see much hope of dramatically cutting those costs. For algae that has other uses – like in the nutraceutical market – the economics are sometimes there because the product is much more valuable. I can make 4-5 times as much revenue per acre growing algae for the supplements market, and at a lower cost than it would take to make fuel.

RR: How about if you extracted oil as a byproduct of the nutraceutical market? I could see that working if you had a much higher value product carrying the costs. On the other hand, you probably aren’t going to get a whole lot of oil.

CEO: Exactly. You could produce oil in that scenario, just not in bulk.

RR: OK, many thanks for your time.

CEO: My pleasure.

Source: Akca textile

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae freind in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Honeywell UOP Funded for co2 capture and Algal growth

2010-03-11T18:57:00.001+05:30

UOP, a Honeywell company, announced today that it has been awarded a $1.5 million cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Energy for a project to demonstrate technology to capture carbon dioxide and produce algae for use in biofuel and energy production.

The funding will be used for the design of a demonstration system that will capture carbon dioxide from exhaust stacks at Honeywell's manufacturing facility in Hopewell, Va., and deliver the captured CO2 to a cultivation system for algae.

Algal oil can then be extracted from the algae for conversion to biofuels and the algae residual can be converted to pyrolysis oil, which can be burned to generate renewable electricity.

More: http://bit.ly/9NWD2K

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Biojet fuel

2010-03-11T18:56:00.002+05:30

Qatar looks at biojet fuel growth.

Qatari airline and oil businesses have agreed with Airbus to contribute to greener skies by developing a sustainable biojet fuel, reported AMEinfo.com.

Qatar Airways and Qatar Petroleum along with the Qatar Science & Technology Park will work on the biofuel project.

Last year, Qatar Airways and Qatar Science & Technology Park undertook a feasibility study with Verno Systems Incorporated for biomass jet fuel and possible byproducts such as biodiesel.

The study looked at all available bio feedstocks that would not affect food or fresh water supply.

More: http://bit.ly/9tG8uH

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

National Algae Association

2010-03-11T18:47:00.002+05:30

The National Algae Association’s Mid-South Chapter has announced a call for presentations on the topic of “Algae: Mining Wastewater for Nutrients, Fuel and Fertilizer.” The event will be held in Huntsville, Alabama on March 26.

More: http://bit.ly/bw20ij

Veronica Cassandra
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Algae oil Production

2010-03-11T18:46:00.001+05:30

Kansas State University researcher's work on making the costs of algae oil production more economical is being recognized by the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Program.

K-State's Weinqiao "Wayne" Yuan, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering, has received a five-year, $400,000 grant through the foundation's CAREER program for his project, Multi-scale Structured Solid Carriers Enabling Algae Biofuels Manufacturing in the Ocean.

The long-term goal of Yuan's project is to make energy manufacturing from algae economically viable.

His vision is to identify the best large solid carriers -- thin sheets of metals or polymers -- that oil-rich algae can be grown on for biofuels manufacturing in the ocean.

The project also includes determining what surface textures -- such as smooth or dimpled -- are best for algae growth through both experimental and theoretical investigations.

"Knowledge obtained from this research will foster design and manufacturing of solid carriers -- the major equipment proposed for manufacturing algae biofuels in the ocean," Yuan said.

The CAREER program supports the early career-development activities of junior teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their institution. Yuan's grant was awarded through the foundation's Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation.

More: http://bit.ly/cePwXN

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Marine Algae Data Base compiled

2010-03-11T16:55:00.001+05:30

A new, online identification guide to more than 120 marine algae of the Pacific Panama has been developed by Smithsonian marine biologists Diane and Mark Littler in conjunction with the bioinformatics office at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. The guide is designed to make it easy for non-specialists to accurately identify seaweed species around Panama´s offshore islands from Las Perlas in the Bay of Panama to the Gulf of Chiriqui.

More than 158 stunning underwater photographs and 445 photomicrographs showcase the major seaweeds. The treatment also documents 87 new records of marine macroalgae for Panama and 32 new records for the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The database can be accessed at the Web address: http://bit.ly/aMNGSf

More: http://bit.ly/d9Tuto

Veronica Cassandra
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Algae Strains

2010-03-11T16:53:00.001+05:30

Russell Industries, Inc. Larry Peyton, Principal of Peyton and Associates, reports, “the full scale production pilot reactor has been constructed and currently undergoing water conditioning. Initial innoculation is planned for the first week in March for a one-month test run. The bench scale unit is being reconfigured as a culture enhancement/concentrator system. Several algae strains are being evaluated for production optimization. The Proof of Concept Pilot to Scale project continues on budget and schedule.”

The Company is also pursuing development of a commercial scale algae production facility through its wholly owned subsidiary, Algae Farm, LLC.

More: http://bit.ly/cmqKzR

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Craig Venter asks Algae Cos to scale up

2010-03-11T06:12:00.001+05:30

Craig Venter, considered to be the father of genomics and the founder of synthetic biology startup Synthetic Genomics, said there’s a fundamental problem with algae fuel at the Wall Street Journal’s Economics conference on Thursday: in his view, if algae fuel companies can’t generate billions of gallons of fuel then people are “just playing” and “wasting investors money.”

In other words the algae companies need to be able to reach the scale at which the oil companies currently operate to be competitive.

Synthetic Genomics is different than many of the algae fuel companies out there — Venter estimated there are 200 or so — because Synthetic Genomics is looking to use its synthetic genetic processes to tweak algae and other microorganisms to create synthetic super bugs that can crank out as much fuel as possible. Such genetically-altered bugs could consume CO2 and create synthetic hydro-carbons that could be a fuel replacement.

More: http://bit.ly/bI9dA6

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Co location of Algae Farms makes money sense

2010-03-11T06:04:00.001+05:30

Co-locating algae farms with other industrial facilities could be one strategy that makes algal biofuels pay.

Typical algae strains use sunlight and water to convert carbon dioxide into lipids. Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus can boost production, depending on the process. At prototype scales, supplying the "inputs" is not a problem, but at industrial scales, large quantities will be needed. Plentiful sources of CO2 and other nutrients are not readily available in many places, and even where they are, purchasing them at market prices could make algal biofuels too expensive.

The answer? Turn the waste from other industries into a resource for this new one, helping to solve the waste problem at the same time.

For example, algae production facilities could be located next to coal-fired power plants, which happen to be under increasing pressure and regulation to reduce CO2 emissions. Similarly, algae producers could locate near municipal wastewater treatment plants.

These integration concepts can be taken further, noted Norm Whitten, CEO at Sunrise. When the algae are harvested for their lipids, the remaining plant matter can be processed into animal feed, or converted into a syrupy liquid he calls bioleum that can be burned somewhat like oil, enhancing the economics of an algae biofuel plant.

More: http://bit.ly/9KCXni

Veronica Cassandra
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Algae Gene Modification yields Omega 3 Oils

2010-03-11T06:01:00.001+05:30

Australian researchers believe they may have solved one of the most pressing food supply problems of the 21st century by breeding canola containing the same omega 3 oils found in fish.

As genetic modification goes it is a simple marriage of oil-rich marine algae and the easily grown canola seed crop, but its implications for global aquaculture are immense.

More: http://bit.ly/d5ou4Z

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Researchers meet at Amsterdam

2010-03-11T05:58:00.001+05:30

Biofuel Conference at Amsterdam 15th-17th March 2010. Europe’s largest biofuel conference.

One of the field's leading experts, Sandia researcher Ron Pate will present an overview of the current state of research on Algae. Pate's presentation, "The Promise and Challenges for Algae Biofuels: Overview of Approaches and Issues for Sustainable Production Scale-up," will cover many of the current issues surrounding algae research and development. Algae is emerging as an attractive resource because it reproduces quickly, uses large quantities of carbon dioxide and can thrive in non-freshwater, including brackish and marine water, thus avoiding competition with traditional agriculture's freshwater needs. In addition, algae can produce biomass and oils, and is attractive as feedstock for renewable fuels, with potentially greater productivity and significantly less land use requirements than with other commodity crop feedstocks such as corn, soy and canola.

In recent assessments that build on earlier work done under the DOE-funded Aquatic Species Program during the late-1970s through the early 1990s, Pate and others have been taking a new look at the nation's potential for algae biofuels production capacity development and resource requirements.

More: http://bit.ly/cBCWqS

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Living Tower - An architectural miracle

2010-03-04T17:58:00.000+05:30

The Living Tower is a proposal for a new kind of living in the Melbourne CBD, one which proactively engages inhabitants to imagine and change for a better future. Embracing a concept where ‘sustainable’ is not enough, architecture becomes a catalyst for giving back to the urban and natural environments. Wind, water, solar, and geothermal resources are harvested not only to create better living environments, but to generate algae production, generating energy for the building and back into the power grid.

Conceived as a living Klein bottle, with a continuous skin folding from the inside to out, a street level bio-cube harnesses the cooling effect of a temperate mirco-climate, passively controlling the climate within the tower. Above the bio-cube, pods are inserted into the bottle skin, organised through a recursive aperiodic tessellation. An algorithm for growth and decay, with mathematical properties related to phi, the tessellation creates distinct spatial properties, as well as a strong organic quality to the architecture.

More: http://bit.ly/doBONt

Veronica Cassandra
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Catalytically Active Particles Revolutionize Algae Oil Production

2010-03-04T17:55:00.000+05:30

Sachtleben, a unit of Rockwood Holdings Inc. and a producer of specialty titanium dioxide and functional additives, has developed catalytically active particles that may revolutionize the production of biofuels using sustainable and environmentally friendly means.

Sacthleben is working with Augsburg College and biodiesel producer Ever Cat Fuels LLC, which is currently designing the first commercial-scale pilot plant incorporating this fluidized-bed catalyst system at Isanti, Minnesota, near Minneapolis.

The new process, developed by Professor Arlin Gyberg from Augsburg College in Minneapolis and Clayton McNeff, Ph.D., cofounder of Ever Cat Fuels LLC., a biodiesel company, uses highly catalytically active particles supplied by Sachtleben. The process also will permit the conversion of inferior fats, paper-industry waste, and algae oil to high-quality diesel fuel.

The particles are, on the one hand, sufficiently stable to withstand the extreme reaction conditions, and are, on the other hand, the factor that makes rapid and complete transesterification of the feedstocks possible at all. Up until now, the reaction time in the process took several hours, whereas the new process takes just a few seconds.

In addition, the catalyst particles also are capable of converting free fatty acids present, for example, in spent or rancid natural fats and oils, to biodiesel.

Recent research results obtained by Gyberg, McNeff and Yan show that even certain types of algae, characterized by a high free fatty-acid content, can be converted to biodiesel.

More: http://bit.ly/cl3UXO

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Microalgae Harvesting for Fish Feed Stock

2010-03-04T17:53:00.000+05:30

Belgium-based SBAE Industries wants to replace fishmeal with a product at half the cost and with more nutrients. The company, which raised $14 million in a Series A and $2 million in grants, is already selling products to about 20 customers around the globe.

It has applied for 380 patents to protect its technology, which also has applications as a biofuel feedstock.

SBAE grows diatoms, a subset of algae, in ponds. The dewatering process is simple: Microalgae attaches to nets, which can be rinsed off. In the end, SBAE only must process about 3 percent to 5 percent of the water. The process can use seawater and occur on non-arable land, with production of about 50 tons per acre.

SBAE, co-founder and CEO Jan Vanhoutte said large scale production costs less than $1,000 per ton, but the product has a sales price of $3,000 per ton.

Vanhoutte said the demand for fishmeal will increase to meet the needs of the growing global population. Meanwhile, the cost of fishmeal, which is a high-protein supplement in aquaculture, is skyrocketing. The alternative, soy meal, is too poor in nutrients. SBAE combines its diatoms with soy meal and fish meal to produce a supplement high in fish oil. SBAE has secured its first American investors and aims to do a project in Florida.

More: http://bit.ly/dyJGCm

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

New Algae Bioreactor

2010-03-04T17:51:00.000+05:30

IKA Works, Inc. was displaying its new Bio Reactor, at National Biodiesel Conference.

IKA is a hundred year old company. Working with a marine science center they helped them build a photo bio reactor to grow algae. They built a prototype which the marine center used effectively and now they’ve come out with a production model which was on display at the trade show. The unit is a small R&D 10 litre fermenting tank with light for the photosynthesis reactions. This can be done in larger volumes too. They will work with a client company to build one to the size they need. Their customers will be “anybody who is looking to harvest algae for biodiesel, nutriceuticals, pharmaceuticals and food.”

More: http://bit.ly/cedmQ7

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Renewable fuel

2010-03-01T12:32:00.000+05:30

A company based in Clear Lake is turning waste and algae into renewable fuels.

Bud Jermeland, 51, president of Energae LP, said the primary focuses of his company are waste-based ethanol and the use of algae in the making of ethanol for the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical markets.

Energae is producing algae in South Carolina that will be used as a low-cost extract for alternative fuels. “We are committed to the fact that algae is the best long-term solution for biofuels — biodiesel in particular,” said Jermeland.

“There are several uses for algae that can be profitable in the short-term,” said Jermeland. “One is gasification of the algae biomass and using the green fuels — the end product from that process — to power generators creating green electricity to sell on the grid.”

He said another possibility for algae use is to grow pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals.

Jon Alexandres of Tallahassee, Fla., a former Mason City businessman, did research on the algae project and helped raise $4 million to build a complete algae producing system in South Carolina.

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Biofertilizer

2010-02-27T16:07:00.001+05:30

Bioalgal Marine, an Almeria University spin-off company specialised in cultivating and integral usage of microalgae has developed a new fertilizer manufactured from a microalga called Spirulina, called Algafert. This natural fertilizer visibly enhances plants' roots and resistance, without compromising its final quality, thanks to its innocuousness.

According to Marta Sánchez de Puerta, Bioalgal Marine's Manager, “This biofertilizer, which is particularly suitable for intensive agriculture crops, is simply a mixture of the microalga Spirulina, water and enzymes. This mixture is heated and, upon reaching a specific temperature, the microalgae break up and release the amino acids. By applying this fertilizer on the crops we save the plant the work of creating the amino acids, with which it grows faster.”

The main peculiarity of this microalga is its high concentration in amino acids, polysaccharides, phytohormones, oligoelements and antioxidants, which makes it the biological complement par excellence. All these substances, extracted using natural and environmental-friendly methods, act on secondary root growth, cell growth multiplication of the plant's mass and multiplication of new shoots, as well as enhancing flowering, which in turn provides greater uniformity in the fruits, both in terms of size and their external appearance. Furthermore, it gives the fruits greater shine and consistency.

More: http://bit.ly/5QYeRx

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Based Plastics Moulding our future

2010-02-27T15:59:00.001+05:30

Cereplast a renewable plastics company, is looking into using algae as a new and renewable source of this seemingly ubiquitous material. In October 2009, it announced that algae-based resins “could replace 50 percent or more of the petroleum content used in traditional plastic resins.”

Cereplast CEO, Frederic Scheer explained that there are several benefits to switching over to algae-based plastics over traditional petroleum based ones.

One reason is that it has the potential to help cut down the United State’s reliance on foreign oil.

Additionally, bioplastics can offer a smaller impact on the environmental since some types of plastics created from algae will biodegrade within 180 days without leaving any harmful chemical residue.

Mr.Scheer, though, has great faith in the algae industry and believes that we will begin to see these production models within the next 18 to 24 months.

More: http://bit.ly/a9oDAi

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

DOE Funds Microalgae Research at Iowa State University

2010-02-27T15:57:00.001+05:30

Genetic modification has the potential to create super strains of algae capable of ramping up biofuel production to meet growing demand. The challenge so far has been finding the most productive pathways to grow the algae.

With the help of a $4.37 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, researches at Iowa State University intend to develop a micro-algal platform that will allow micro-algae to be treated as a crop.

According to Martin Spalding, the Iowa State professor leading the project said, "We have a sequenced genome, we understand the metabolism, and we have the tools available to us to work with this algae."

Much of the current research on algae is being conducted on wild strains that have certain desirable traits such as high oil yield. Since the Chlamydomonas genome is already mapped, however, work can be done to tailor the genetic makeup of this alga to meet the growing biofuel industry’s needs.

More: http://bit.ly/cke5eg

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Fuel Research by European Algae Biomass Association

2010-02-26T18:35:00.001+05:30

A European lobbying group weighed in on a fierce debate over the environmental value of using algae to produce biofuels for vehicles.

The group The European Algae Biomass Association, said members of its scientific committee were “confident that the commercial production of algae biofuels can be achieved with a positive carbon footprint and will represent a further important step in the direction of reducing CO2 emission in European transport, including aviation.”

The association also said a consortium called Aquafuels would deliver a report in the coming months offering a “sound scientific assessment of algae-based biofuels in terms of both their expected sustainability and increased carbon efficiency.”

The Brussels-based association said its scientific committee included experts from major universities and scientists in the field of algae biomass.

More: http://nyti.ms/av5FGk

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

$500 Milion for Algae Jet fuel Plant in Israel

2010-02-26T18:33:00.001+05:30

The renewable energy investment company Rosebud Energy Deutschland is ready to invest $500 million in research in Israel for the production of algae-based bio jet fuel, the Israeli business newspaper Globes reported yesterday.

John Antoniadis, the CEO of the German company, met last week in Israel with Minister of Environmental Protection Gilad Erdan and Minister of National Infrastructures Uzi Landau, as well as with potential strategic partners. Antoniadis revealed that Rosebud Energy Deutschland has a signed commitment from a large European airline to buy algae-based bio jet fuel from the company.

The third phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), scheduled to enter effect in 2013, is expected to greatly boost the market for green jet fuel. Under the new ETS regulations, airlines landing in EU member states will be required to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by 15% a year, or else pay a fine for air pollution.

According to Dr. Isaac Berzin, founding director of the Institute for Renewable Energy Policy at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, the fines will make algae-based biofuel a more viable alternative to conventional jet fuel. “A market for bio jet fuel has been created, which is competitive in price to regular fuel when the emissions fine is added,” he explains. Israel can play a leading role in this field, Berzin told Globes, but it must act quickly to exploit this window of opportunity.

More: http://bit.ly/b8nsRR

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Cultivation near Power Plant

2010-02-26T18:30:00.001+05:30

Using algae, brine shrimp and tilapia, researchers have designed a novel system that extracts oil for use as biofuel, potentially reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a proposed electric power plant.

Microalgal biomass production offers the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by providing biofuel replacement of fossil fuels as well as carbon-neutral animal feeds, says David Brune, an MU bioprocessing engineering professor.

“Algae have been shown to produce 100 times more fuel than soybean oil, but they are hard to extract and convert into usable fuel,” Brune says.

Brune and colleagues developed a biomass cultivation model for a proposed 50-megawatt natural-gas-fired power plant in Southern California. In the researchers’ design, sludge-fed algae would be cultivated in large raceways. Paddle wheels would hasten reproduction by moving the water.

The brine shrimp eat the algae and convert it into a consistent, high-quality protein and oil,” Brune says. The tilapia consume the algae to prevent overproduction, reduce zooplankton and clean up algal waste to provide clean water.

The shrimp are harvested and separated into high-protein feeds and oils. The shrimp waste is collected and fermented in an anaerobic digester.

“If 100 percent of the algal biomass consumed by the shrimp were harvested and fermented, the resulting biomass production could replace 26 percent of the plant’s natural gas usage,” Brune says.

Another advantage of the system is that carbon dioxide generated by the plant can be fed to the algae. The research appeared in the November 2009 issue of the ASCE Journal of Environmental Engineering.

More: http://bit.ly/boRcur

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Biofuel via Hydrothermal Process

2010-02-26T18:27:00.002+05:30

In the near future, people could be filling up their cars with biofuels made from algae.

Lance Schideman, assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering, Champaign Urbana said certain kinds of the seaweed can be turned into biodiesel, which has some advantages over corn-based ethanol.

The basic idea with algae is that some algae have a high lipid (fat) count, which can be turned into biodiesel,” Schideman said. “One area where we’ve made some progress is making algae into a biocrude product via hydrothermal process (pressure-cooking), when we can convert the non-oils into oils,” Schideman said.

Algae can grow very fast, so the productivity is faster than corn or other possibilities to biofuels,” Schideman said. “(It) can be grown on water bodies, so it doesn’t compete for prime agriculture land.”

He added that it can grow in both fresh and salt water, even if the water is polluted. However, there are some limitations to using algae as a fuel.

“One is that you must have high-oil algae (to convert to fuel)” Schideman said.

Another problem is that there are two general categories: algae is closely related to plants and bacterial algae,.. Bacterial algae is easier to cultivate.. he added. Some plant-like algae have a tendency to have more oils than bacterial algae and some of the fastest-growing algae are not high in oil, Schideman said.

Getting rid of the water that the algae grows in is also a problem, but pressure-cooking is a good way to get around this. Pressure-cooking the algae produces self-separating oil, meaning it can be easily separated from the water Schideman said.

More: http://bit.ly/bgAsHv

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae has Great Potential for Biofuel

2010-02-26T18:10:00.001+05:30

Microalgae has the potential to produce more biofuel per acre than any other potential source, according to Texas AgriLife research scientists.

Most of the technology necessary to grow and harvest algae already exists, says Ron Lacey, professor in Biological and Agricultural Engineering. “We just need to adapt the equipment and make the process less costly,”

“We’re working on growth and harvest and how to produce large scale in the field,” he said.

The efforts are boosted by a recent $4 million grant from the Governor’s Emerging Technology Fund and a matching $4 million from the U.S. Department of Defense. Texas A&M also has entered into a partnership with General Atomics, a San Diego high-technology company.

The efforts are boosted by a recent $4 million grant from the Governor’s Emerging Technology Fund and a matching $4 million from the U.S. Department of Defense. Texas A&M also has entered into a partnership with General Atomics, a San Diego high-technology company.

More: http://bit.ly/9Ur7QL

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae biofuels Measured with Raman Spectrometer

2010-02-26T18:08:00.001+05:30

Raman-specific 1064 nanometres spectrometer has been designed for measuring micro-Algae. The new Raman Spectrometer resolves fluorescence issues seen at lower wavelengths.

Traditionally, these microalgae were treated in bulk, lyophilised or in extracted forms, making it impossible to assess the information on fundamental biological processes in the single-cell or sub-cellular level. Utilising the new 1064 nanometres Raman spectrometer, in situ, in vivo and label-free Raman characterisations of modelled algal lipids are made, extracted algal oil and most importantly, single living algae.

Studies have demonstrated a label-free and direct method to obtain quantitative information of chain length and degree of unsaturation of the oil produced inside algae. It also connects with the important issues of the cloud point and the quality of algal biodiesel. Single-cell, real-time and in vivo study of algae, with various lipid-triggering mechanisms, enables the possibility of researching and engineering of the best conditions and the best species for algal growth and oil production.

More: http://bit.ly/99m3kL

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Association rewards the Commercialization of Algae Fuels

2010-02-26T18:06:00.001+05:30

National Algae Association Awards Top Honor to Cyclone Power Technologies. The Algaepreneur Award honors companies and individuals who make important contributions to the development and commercialization of algae-based fuels.

In tests performed by the company earlier this year, the Cyclone engine’s fuel atomizers and combustion chamber successfully burned several different variations and grades of the same strain of algae fuel without engine modification and equally important, without expensive processing of the fuel.

It is this adaptability in utilizing algae fuels, as well as other renewable and traditional fossil fuels, to power generators, automobiles and virtually any other engine application in the near future which marks a major milestone for the industry.

More: http://bit.ly/1bmFHR

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae cultivation in Urban Bioreactor

2010-02-26T18:05:00.001+05:30

The site of Nordhavn, Copenhagen offered the pretext for looking at the problematic of an ex-industrial site now vacated and the chance of turning it into an extraordinary site; Exploiting the contextual situation (industrial sites >> CO2 emissions), the site conformation itself (proximity to the sea >> free water source) and converting the industrial pre-existence (preserving them on site) into new technological needs (sustainable energy production cycle), will be the ingredients to generate a new environment upon which the sustainable city of the future can be settled.

All the emissions from the buildings which will be constructed in Nordhavn, will be sent to the tubed-algae structure, which will absorb CO2, releasing oxygen and produce algae biomass that will be turned into dry-fuel for the heating systems of the area.

Emissions won’t be just reduced, but the overall balance will be increasingly active.

The place itself is in this case the starting point, source of inspiration for the new program of reconversion: pre-existence (physical and cultural) should be considered a local resource and be regenerated into a sustainable structure (ecologically, socially and economically) which will work as a urban machine, an Urban Bioreactor.

Gas emissions are captured, stored in the existing silos at Sandkaj and sent to the harvesting ponds located in a reconverted structure in the heart of Nordhavn, where micro alge grows and produce biomass used by the incinerator plant to generate electricity (out of its own emissions then!), or processed into biofuel.
At Sandkaj a new structure of tubed-algae (15.000 liters capacity) would absorb all the emissions of the new buildings, acting as a bioreactor on urban scale; scraps will be used as dry-fuel for heating systems in the whole district.

More: http://bit.ly/cmNxYI

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Photobioreactors for algae growth

2010-02-23T16:37:00.000+05:30

Although application of algae for renewable biofuels of both liquid and gaseous forms and high-value products, and for environmental bioremediation is scientifically and environmentally sound, economic viability of algal applications is determined by the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of industrial-scale culture vessels, or so-called photobioreactors (for short, reactors), in which algal grow.

Industrial photobioreactors currently are commonly designed as open raceways, i.e. shallow ponds The open raceways in which the algal culture is open to the air is also responsible for culture contamination with airborne microorganisms and dusts, often causing culture failure or crashes. The significant drawbacks of the open raceways have prompted the development of closed systems, i.e. photobioreactors made of transparent tubes or containers in which the culture is mixed by either a pump or air bubbling.

A number of tubular photobioreactors have been proposed and developed since the pioneering works of Tamiya et al. (1953) and Pirt et al. (1983. During the last ten years, however, attention has focused on flat plate-type photobioreactors.
Flat plate-type designs offer greater advantages over the tubular-type systems.

However, application of flat plate-type reactors has encountered a major engineering obstacle, i.e. difficulty of scaling up the flat plat-type design to a commercial level. Therefore, flat plate reactors have only been used as bench-top culture devices and as small outdoor culture units for study of algal growth physiology, and have never been applied to industrial cultivation of algae.

For more details on the kinds of photobioreactors available visit the site below: http://bit.ly/b4qxvB

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Harvesting MicroAlgae

2010-02-23T16:32:00.000+05:30

With Algaeventure system”s harvesting, dewatering and drying technology and equipment they have broken through a barrier for economic viability of algae for fuel. This technology and equipment will sell all over the world for not only the algae industry but chemical, agricultural, food processing, pharmaceutical and other businesses that deal with getting something concentrated or out of water that is small.

Prototype and laboratory testing has successfully been achieved with three species attempted including Chlorella vulgaris, Euglena gracilis, and Botryococcus braunii. The company plans to continue development on the process, equipment and technology and is looking to establish relationships with potential customers, licenses, distributors, as well as funding or investing sources.

More: http://bit.ly/csVF0P

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Light harvesting coherently wired Algae

2010-02-23T16:29:00.000+05:30

One particular type of algae is able to perform the function of capturing and transferring light energy in low lighting. Most other plants shut down photosynthesis for the night, while “cryptophytes” continue to harvest light.

According to a paper published in Nature, researchers discovered that the light-harvesting proteins used by the algae are structured differently from those of other plants and that their particular configuration can pick up low-light energy and hold it in coherence. They called these plants "coherently wired."

In order for these algae to harvest light in low-light conditions, their method of photosynthesis must be much more efficient than that of other plants. The “coherent” wiring of this protein enables “quantum effects [to] facilitate the efficient light-harvesting by cryptophyte algae.” The ingenious configuration that allows this protein to manipulate light adds to the list of similar finds that have been controversial because of their stunningly skillful construction.

More: http://bit.ly/bUWrWk

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

MicroAlgae Oil

2010-02-23T16:27:00.000+05:30

Microalgae potentially the most efficient raw material for bio energy. Although neither Nannochloropsis sp. nor Neochloris oleabundans alone can produce biodiesel, when used in conjunction with other microalgal oils and/or vegetable oils, they are viable.

Oleaginous crops are normally used to produce biofuels, recent research has concluded that microalgae can be 10-20 times more efficient than oleaginous seeds or vegetable oils. In addition, microalgae fix carbon dioxide and thus help to decrease greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. After oil is extracted from the algae, the remaining product can be further processed to create fertilizer, feed, biogas, or high value chemical compounds.

More: http://bit.ly/cpPuFM

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Oil at $2 a gallon - TRUE!!

2010-02-23T09:23:00.002+05:30

The following correction was printed in the Observer's for the record column, Sunday 21 February 2010:

This item contained incorrect information supplied by the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). We repeated its assertion that jet fuel production from refined algae would begin next year. Darpa now says that it should have told us that testing will begin next year with production not planned until 2013.

The brains trust of the Pentagon says it is just months away from producing a jet fuel from algae for the same cost as its fossil-fuel equivalent.

The claim, which comes from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) that helped to develop the internet and satellite navigation systems, has taken industry insiders by surprise. A cheap, low-carbon fuel would not only help the US military, the nation's single largest consumer of energy, to wean itself off its oil addiction, but would also hold the promise of low-carbon driving and flying for all.

Darpa's research projects have already extracted oil from algal ponds at a cost of $2 per gallon. It is now on track to begin large-scale refining of that oil into jet fuel, at a cost of less than $3 a gallon, according to Barbara McQuiston, special assistant for energy at Darpa. That could turn a promising technology into a market-ready one. Researchers have cracked the problem of turning pond scum and seaweed into fuel, but finding a cost-effective method of mass production could be a game-changer. "Everyone is well aware that a lot of things were started in the military," McQuiston said.

The work is part of a broader Pentagon effort to reduce the military's thirst for oil, which runs at between 60 and 75 million barrels of oil a year. Much of that is used to keep the US Air Force in flight. Commercial airlines – such as Continental and Virgin Atlantic – have also been looking at the viability of an algae-based jet fuel, as has the Chinese government.

"Darpa has achieved the base goal to date," she said. "Oil from algae is projected at $2 per gallon, headed towards $1 per gallon."

McQuiston said a larger-scale refining operation, producing 50 million gallons a year, would come on line in 2011 and she was hopeful the costs would drop still further – ensuring that the algae-based fuel would be competitive with fossil fuels. She said the projects, run by private firms SAIC and General Atomics, expected to yield 1,000 gallons of oil per acre from the algal farm.

McQuiston's projections took several industry insiders by surprise. "It's a little farther out in time," said Mary Rosenthal, director of the Algal Biomass Association. "I am not saying it is going to happen in the next three months, but it could happen in the next two years."

But the possibilities have set off a scramble to discover the cheapest way of mass-producing an algae-based fuel. Even Exxon – which once notoriously dismissed biofuels as moonshine – invested $600m in research last July.

Unlike corn-based ethanol, algal farms do not threaten food supplies. Some strains are being grown on household waste and in brackish water. Algae draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere when growing; when the derived fuel is burned, the same CO2 is released, making the fuel theoretically zero-carbon, although processing and transporting the fuel requires some energy.

The industry received a further boost earlier this month, when the Environmental Protection Agency declared that algae-based diesel reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50% compared with conventional diesel. The Obama administration had earlier awarded $80m in research grants to a new generation of algae and biomass fuels.

For Darpa, the support for algae is part of a broader mission for the US military to obtain half of its fuel from renewable energy sources by 2016. That time line meant that the Pentagon needed to develop technologies to make its hardware "fuel agnostic", capable that is of running on any energy source including methane and propane.

The US Air Force wants its entire fleet of jet fighters and transport aircraft to test-fly a 50-50 blend of petroleum-based fuel and other sources – including algae – by next year.

More: http://bit.ly/9Xv19y

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Super Algae - Article by Ronie Calugay

2010-02-22T10:44:00.000+05:30

Among the hundreds of thousands of species of microalgae, a superhero is on the rise — meet Botryococcus braunii! This single-celled superscum which clusters in colonies produces a higher amount of a substance called hydrocarbon, which closely resembles the various contents of crude oil from fossil fuels, than the fatty acids that other microalgae produce. Invisible traces of Botryococcus braunii from soil and oil well samples were recently detected and analyzed by biogeochemists revealing new information that this microorganism contributed to the chemical formation of crude oil millions of years ago.

The other special power of this microalga is, unlike other microalgae, it does not accumulate oil inside its cell but pumps it out! This eliminates the time and cost of extracting out the oil. The patent for this oil-excreting microalgae belongs to a Nobel laureate for the development of renewable energy from the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Arthur Nonomura.

More: http://bit.ly/cPgBs8

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Annual Algae Biomass Summit at Phoenix

2010-02-22T10:43:00.000+05:30

The Algal Biomass Organization is inviting submission of abstracts for the program of the 4th Annual Algae Biomass Summit which will take place September 28-30 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona. The abstracts will describe proposals for the following program areas:

Panel discussions
Oral presentations
Posters

For registration and other details visit, http://bit.ly/bMRJ0Q

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Oil to cost $2 per gallon

2010-02-22T10:39:00.000+05:30

Darpa's research projects have already extracted oil from algal ponds at a cost of $2 per gallon. It is now on track to begin large-scale refining of that oil into jet fuel, at a cost of less than $3 a gallon, according to Barbara McQuiston, special assistant for energy at Darpa. That could turn a promising technology into a market-ready one.

McQuiston said a larger-scale refining operation, producing 50 million gallons a year, would come on line in 2011 and she was hopeful the costs would drop still further – ensuring that the algae-based fuel would be competitive with fossil fuels. She said the projects, run by private firms SAIC and General Atomics, expected to yield 1,000 gallons of oil per acre from the algal farm.
The US Air Force wants its entire fleet of jet fighters and transport aircraft to test-fly a 50-50 blend of petroleum-based fuel and other sources – including algae – by next year.

Researchers have cracked the problem of turning pond scum and seaweed into fuel, but finding a cost-effective method of mass production could be a game-changer. "Everyone is well aware that a lot of things were started in the military," McQuiston said.

More: http://bit.ly/bsNaiG

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Macro Algae Cultivation in the ocean

2010-02-19T14:41:00.000+05:30

C-Dragon technology which amongst other things is designed to supply energy to provide power for the utilisation of wave powered bio-reactors to produce biomass in the form of marine micro- algae or phytoplankton and macro-algae or seaweed. Phytoplankton can be grown in bio-reactors using continuous fermentation of marine plant cell suspension cultures in a similar manner to C-Questor’s automated production strategy for trees.

C-Questor intends to begin the process of taking farming into the deep oceans, enhancing carbon capture, opening up new food resources to feed the world’s growing population and offering the possibility of large scale carbon neutral bio-fuels from floating algal bio-reactors. Power will be used producing biofuels, in the running of bio-reactors and in the associated deep water fish farms.

More: http://bit.ly/cJgPJI

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Shit for Fuel turns BA Green - Thanks to Algae Fuel Co “Solena“

2010-02-19T14:38:00.000+05:30

British Airways has signed up for a revolutionary biomass-for-jet-fuel process which will power part of its fleet from 2014.

It involves taking the entire bio-jet fuel output of a waste processing plant in London that will use a process developed by the US - based Solena Group equivalent to the twice the amount of fossil carbon releasing kerosene it currently uses for its small jet operations out of London City Airport.

It is to replace the carbon in the fuel stock, in this case waste material that can include shit as well as other organic sources of garbage, with carbon taken from the atmosphere.

The goal is to end not just the liberation of excess carbon into the atmosphere from coal, oil and natural gas, but to remove some of it through new energy technology, and thus shorten the time it will take for the atmosphere to lose its overload of the carbon dioxide that regulates the retransmission of heat radiated from the earth’s surface back into space.

In lay man’s terms this is what Solena does:

Taking its bio-energy concept to the next level, Solena creates its own source of biomass by sequestering CO2 emissions. Working in cooperation with Bio Fuel Systems S.A. in Spain, Solena produces micro-algae from CO2 that is then used for plasma gasification technology. The micro-algae are produced in industrial bio-reactors using artificial light to photosynthesize sequestered carbon dioxide to grow the algae. The algae are then gasified to produce electricity. Through Solena’s gasified technology, the result is the production of electricity that is completely emission free.

More: http://bit.ly/bjPY88

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algal Biomass Organisation lauds Obama’s Support

2010-02-19T14:28:00.000+05:30

The Algal Biomass Organization (ABO) recently praised President Barack Obama for his strong support of the U.S. biofuels industry as outlined in his biofuels strategy released earlier this month.

According to Mary Rosenthal, executive director of ABO, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent biofuel findings were most significant to the algae industry.

The EPA found that algae-based biodiesel and algae-based renewable diesel reduce emissions by more than 50 percent compared to petroleum-based diesel. The EPA made this determination based on a methodology that includes an analysis of the full lifecycle of algae-based fuels.

"This ruling is a strong and welcome show of support by the Obama administration for the biofuels industry as a whole,” Rosenthal said. ““But most important to our industry is the recognition by EPA that algae-based fuels reduce overall CO2 emissions on a lifecycle basis. This supports what we’ve been saying all along."

More: http://bit.ly/bpc9KN

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

UNL seeks Ideal Algae Strain

2010-02-19T11:40:00.000+05:30

Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will expand their algae research this year, revamping a portion of the school’s Beadle Center greenhouse to accommodate an algal biofuels research facility.

Scientists will begin growing algae in small containers, moving to oblong ponds, in an effort to address three important goals: identify the best strains for maximum oil production; identify optimal growing conditions; and modify the algae for maximum cell density, according to Paul Black, a lipid biochemist at the university. The team is working currently with a photobioreactor that is designed to increase cell density per unit volume from about two grams per liter to eight to 10 grams per liter, by exploring maximum light and carbon dioxide conditions, Black said. “You’re in essence, fooling them,” he said of the algae strains.

The university received $1.9 million in federal funding for its research and is in line for tens of millions more for several related research angles.

More: http://bit.ly/bzTVVX

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Ethanol from Algae - by Algenol

2010-02-19T11:38:00.000+05:30

Algenol is a fully integrated biofuels company using direct algae-to-ethanol technology to produce transportation fuel and alternative green-based chemicals.

The $10 million incentive package for Algenol to consolidate worldwide operations and relocate administrative offices and biological laboratories to Lee County provides a return on investment well beyond the initial 120 jobs within the next several years.

Algenol has developed partnerships with world leading companies such as Dow Chemical, Biofields and The Linde Group to transform algae to ethanol from the pilot stage to commercial scale production.

Algenol’s technology of algae-to-ethanol produces a dual benefit as a source of renewable transportation fuel and sequestration of carbon emitted by fossil fuels.

More: http://bit.ly/c0dibT

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Biofuel workshop

2010-02-18T17:35:00.000+05:30

Algae biofuel workshop is to be held at Delhi on April 12th & 13th 2010.

Topics to be discussed are mentioned. Coroporate heads, professors from leading universities, researchers, entrepreneurs are expected to attend.

Details for registration are given at the site.

More: http://bit.ly/cs0CgM

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae in Wastewater Purification

2010-02-18T17:33:00.000+05:30

The results of investigating biological rehabilitation of wastewaters and polluted water bodies with the use of Chlorella vulgaris strain BIN which promotes acceleration of natural self -purification and prevention of water bloom are given.

Preview of the larger article is given.

More: http://bit.ly/bsbb6c

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Photobioreactors – A Study

2010-02-17T11:51:00.001+05:30

ALGAE EUROPE is the first Conference & Expo in Italy dedicated to the technologies and industrial applications of algae culture, which will take place from 26 to 28 October 2010 at Fieramilanocity.

The transformation and exploitation of algae today are made possible thanks to ever more advanced technologies such as the production of high-efficiency photobioreactors and considerable investments in research and development.

ALGAE EUROPE 2010 is therefore aimed at manufacturers of technologies, plants and machinery for the production of algae, as well as companies involved in their production, commercialization and use, research centres and investors.

Other than an exhibition area, the conference sessions of ALGAE EUROPE 2010 will analyze the main topics of the sector with authoritative specialists who will take stock of the state-of-the-art of the sector at both Italian and international level.

More: http://bit.ly/bByQHJ http://bit.ly/9A7Egv

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Oil to Drive You to the Airport

2010-02-17T11:49:00.000+05:30

St.Louis-based conglomerate Enterprise Rent-A-Car is going green. Algae green, to be specific.

The company is converting its entire fleet of airport shuttle buses -- more than 600 vehicles -- to biofuel. For now soybeans will provide the power but a report from yesterday's St.Louis Business Journal says algae -- the tiny blue-green plants that clog up your favorite fishing hole -- is their fuel of the future.

More: http://bit.ly/aF3eYM

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Micro Algae - A winner

2010-02-17T11:46:00.000+05:30

Fuji Health Services received 2009 Frost & Sullivan Product Innovation Award for its AstaReal.

It has taken them 15 years of intensive research, process development and market development to become the most vertically integrated supplier of natural astaxanthin made from the microalgae called Haematococcus pluvialis. This was possible through the collaborative efforts of Japanese, Swedish and American scientists.

The product has positive impact on eye, skin and muscle endurance.

More: http://bit.ly/983Wxu

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

DOE Roadmap on Algae Biofuels

2010-02-17T11:43:00.000+05:30

Algae Venture Systems gives an update on what is happening in the algae scene. This issue presents
1. The collaboration between Ohio Northern, Rhodes State, Emtec Univenture and Marathon on building a multi-species algae bioreactor facility. The effort seeks to develop loosely controlled algae growing system that allows multiple algae species growth in the bioreactor environment.
2. The synergy between Algae farming and Anaerobic Digesters.
3. Farmers see future in Algae farming.
4. Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap Workshop summary.

http://bit.ly/9gXH3K

Browsing through the site one is quickly in the picture of the earlier developments in the algae field. Keeps us informed on the latest events too.

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Oil Extraction Chemical Methods

2010-02-16T20:44:00.000+05:30

A comparative assessment of the three techniques for extraction of lipids from microalgal biomass, viz. Soxhlet extraction, the Bligh and Dyer method and sonication. They have tried to determine the physical mechanism of extraction of lipids (cell disruption or diffusion across a cell wall) from microalgae using microscopic analysis of extracted biomass.

The selectivity of the solvent was found to be the most dominating factor in overall lipid extraction by diffusion than the intensity of bulk convection in the medium.

The site is an abstract of a paper and full text can be viewed for more details.

More: http://bit.ly/cQEdzv

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Photobioreators for Algae Cultivation

2010-02-16T20:39:00.000+05:30

Algae growth requires optimal irradiance. In photobioreactors, optimal light requirements change during the growth cycle. In this study, a lipid-producing microalgal strain, Neochloris oleoabundans was grown in batch photobioreactors.

The results show that reactors operated under conditions of sequential increase in irradiance levels yield up to a 2-fold higher biomass concentration when compared with reactors grown under constant light without negatively impacting growth rates.

More: http://bit.ly/dpqt1Y

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Growth

2010-02-16T20:37:00.000+05:30

Biodiesel Algae is one of the alternate fuel sources being researched for potential widespread use.

The site discusses the advantage of algae biofuel over fuel extracted from corn or soy beans.

It also highlights the fact algae growth absorbs CO2 therby reducing CO2 in the air; a very important issue in today’s world. Other advantages of algae over other sorces are presented.

Method of extraction of oil from algae is also given.

More: http://bit.ly/aPfExB

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Biodiesel from Algae gets Grant

2010-02-16T20:29:00.001+05:30

Massachusetts-based Bodega Algae LLC and West Boothbay Harbor, Maine-based Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences have been awarded a six-month Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant worth $150,000 from the National Science Foundation. The award will support the two firms’ development of advanced photobioreactors in growing algae for use as a biofuel.

The SBIR grant called "Light Delivery Enhancement of Photobioreactors," will initially target issues of mass cultivation of algae to make into biofuel.

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Energy Cost - UNL to Tap Algae Energy

2010-02-15T17:42:00.000+05:30

Algae may be the next frontier for biofuels and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is poised to be among the nation's leaders in this research.

As exotic as algae research may seem, Van Etten predicted that some long-standing agricultural principles will come into play. For example, algae producers may find success in rotating crops, growing different kinds of algae from year to year. "That's Agronomy 101," Van Etten added.

One key to making algal biofuels economically viable will be to develop co-products from the manufacturing process, said Ed Cahoon, a lipid biochemist. For example, it may be possible to develop livestock feed, just as distillers grains have resulted from corn ethanol production.

In fact, algae production could fit in well with Nebraska's synergistic corn-ethanol and livestock industries, Oyler said. Algae grows faster with increased carbon dioxide. It might be possible to route carbon dioxide produced during corn-ethanol production to nearby algae raceways. The manure produced by cattle, which are fed wet distillers grains produced during ethanol production, could in turn be used to fertilize algae.

"If you can join these plants with algae production, you're growing algae faster and using up some of that carbon dioxide," Oyler said

Ultimately, algae may be grown on sheets of cellulosic paper, where it could be possible to produce as much as five times more algae than in ponds. Researchers predict spinoffs from the algae research could result in new drugs to treat cancer, diabetes and obesity.

Black predicts some tangible, modest results in five to 10 years, with large scale production of algal biofuels likely another 10 years after that.

More: http://bit.ly/9OHOK4

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Oil Extraction - OriginOil

2010-02-15T17:39:00.000+05:30

In California, OriginOil announced a breakthrough, one-step process for extracting oil from algae. The company said that its patent-pending process does not require chemicals or significant capital expenditure for heavy machinery, and no initial dewatering is required.

The dewatering of algae and extraction of algal oil has been rated by many sources as the most perplexing barrier preventing the rapid expansion of commercial algal fuels.

The company’s technology combines electromagnetism and pH modification to break down cell walls, releasing algal oil within the cells. The oil rises to the top for skimming and refining, while the remaining biomass settles to the bottom for further processing as fuel and other valuable products.

More: http://bit.ly/bozgOw

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae to Energy – Aquatic Energy

2010-02-15T17:38:00.000+05:30

In Louisiana, Aquatic Energy unveiled significant progress in its pilot algae-to-energy project in the Lake Charles-Lafayette corridor of the state. The company is now preparing to expand from a “couple of acre” pilot in Lake Charles, to an 30-acre demonstration project that will feature the company’s 1-acre open-pond system that is yielding 2500 gallons per acre without using an external CO2 source.

CEO David Johnston said that the company is able to support its yields with more than 70 percent of its CO2 coming from ambient CO2 in the atmosphere, with the remainder generated from the natural gas burned in the last stage of the algae drying process. The company said it is generating 32-34 tons per acre of algae biomass for the animal feed market, with a goal of 40 tons of meal per acre in the proposed expansion.

The company said it has funds identified to take it through the demonstration phase, but expects to raise $32 millionbut expects to raise $32 million for a 617-acre commercial-scale expansion, which will generate 1.5 Mgy in algal fuel and 24,500 tons of algae meal.

More: http://bit.ly/5AtIR3

Veronica Cassandra
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algae.veronica@gmail.com

Sapphire Energy races ahead in Algae Fuel

2010-02-15T17:34:00.000+05:30

Sapphire Energy says algae commercialization accelerating and expects to double commercial output in 2011 to 1 million gallons of jet fuel and green diesel.

Sapphire said that it expects to reach 100 Mgy in production by 2018 and 1 billion gallons per year by 2025, supplying 3 percent of the 36 billion gallon Renewable Fuel Standard. Sapphire will produce the green “drop-in fuel” from algae, non-potable water and on non-arable land and its fuels will require no change in the existing petroleum infrastructure.

The company is currently construction its first production plant in New Mexico.

Sapphire Energy was named #2 on the Biofuels Digest "Hottest 50 Companies in Bioenergy" last December.

More: http://bit.ly/bW7AG3

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Oil Research

2010-02-15T17:30:00.000+05:30

Algae research continues to get a lot of focus. University of Nebraska-Lincoln has announced that it will expand its algae research center this year, dedicating more space in the Beadle Center greenhouse for the work. As reported by Biomass Magazine, the university received $1.9 million in federal funding for it current research in alternative energy and is anticipating additional funds.

The scientist have 3 goals :identify the best strains for maximum oil production; identify optimal growing conditions; and modify the algae for maximum cell density.

Another area of concentration is optimizing oil extraction. According to Black, the team has used organic solvents and is also looking at using carbon dioxide and high pressure.

Another area of concentration is optimizing oil extraction. According to Black, the team has used organic solvents and is also looking at using carbon dioxide and high pressure.

They hope to have compelling results by the yr end.

More: http://bit.ly/ck30U8

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Solazyme picks a winner with Algae oil

2010-02-10T16:44:00.000+05:30

Solazyme thinks it has picked a winner with algae oil, which is surprisingly versatile. It has created a jet fuel from algae and announced yesterday that the new product meets vigorous aviation standards.

Solazyme had its new fuel tested by an independent company to ensure that its product has the same density, thickness, and freezing point as conventional jet fuels.

Solazyme’s jet fuel has some hurdles to overcome—it still costs more than fossil fuel and Solazyme doesn’t own the infrastructure to produce much of it. "If we had our own equipment we could make millions of gallons," says CEO Jonathan Wolfson. However, the company recently gathered $45 million in investments from venture capital companies, so it may be getting ready to increase production.

http://bit.ly/9syNAy

Boeing, Continental Airlines, Air New Zealand are in the same field-experimenting on algae based Jet Fuel. Continental was to have done a trial flight on Jan 7th at Houston.

Could any one tell how was the trial flight at Houston?

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae powered Cars

2010-02-10T16:40:00.000+05:30

University of Arizona (UA) researchers believe the microscopic organism algae will be providing fuel to power vehicles within the next five years. Joel Cuello, UA professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, said algae has been proven as a renewable source of fuels like ethanol, biodiesel, and hydrogen, and his research team is working on ways to make such algae biofuels cheaper and commercially feasible.

http://bit.ly/bQq64K

We may not have to wait 5 years.

At Copenhagen climate summit, we had the delegates being driven around by algae propelled cars courtesy Sapphire Energy. Now the first ever algae-powered car will do a cross-country trek from San Francisco to Washington, D.C.

"Powering our cars with algae-based fuel could be the next Apollo mission," says Rebecca Harrell, co-founder of the Veggie Van Organization, the group behind Algaeus, the first algae-powered vehicle in the world.

The Algaeus will travel for 10 days from California to DC on 25 gallons of fuel (95% gasoline and 5% algae-based fuel) and while 5% isn’t much, it serves to drive home the point of what’s possible in the cutting-edge of alternative fuel research. No modifications were done on the gasoline component of the green crude (produced by Sapphire Energy) running the car which is actually a modified Toyota Prius.

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

OriginOil

2010-02-10T16:37:00.000+05:30

By 2022, we will more than double the amount of biofuels we produce to 36 billion gallons, which will decrease our dependence on foreign oil by hundreds of millions of barrels per year," Obama said.

Now federal agencies will coordinate research, develop pilot projects and build supply chains for new fuels. The news is welcome to entrepreneurs like Riggs Eckleberry, CEO of OriginOil.

At OriginOil they keep milking the oil out of the algae without killing it. In this closed system of cultivation aim is to deliver as much food and light to the algae as quickly and efficiently as possible. A stirring mechanism keeps the algae moving past lights. There's a simple paddle here that just keeps the algae turning and the culture is rotating around.

Algae-to-oil research is strong in Southern California. San Diego County's association of governments found last year that algae biofuels generated 270 jobs and $17 million in payroll for the local economy.

More: http://bit.ly/9HTF8f

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Jet Fuel from Algae

2010-02-09T17:28:00.000+05:30

The aerospace industry hopes algae can be refined and used to help fuel commercial airliners and jets. In the short term, it's likely algae would be mixed with gasoline and diesel, though it's possible algae could be used to eliminate both resources at some point.

Select Boeing aircraft will use a mix of jet fuel and fuel made from algae and jatropha seeds, Boeing said. Continental Airlines will be the first airline company to use algae as a fuel, with Air New Zealand and others expected to begin testing algae or jatropha-based technologies.

Continental's first demonstration flight is expected to take place in Houston on Jan 7, though the flight will not carry passengers and use a blend of jet fuel with algae and jatropha.

Algae is seen as the final stepping stone before full synthetic gasoline production. This value is due to algae's ability to grow rich long chain hydrocarbons. When algae is genetically engineered, it can produce large amounts of oil that is essentially diesel grade. So it looks like Green Gold Algae is the next popular biofuel.

More: http://bit.ly/bUoD5J

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

DOE Roadmap on Algae & New Biofuels

2010-02-09T17:26:00.001+05:30

The Obama Administration issued a sweeping new set of rules and directives regarding US biofuels policy, including the release of the revised Renewable Fuel Standard from EPA, and a new set of "Lead Agency" assignments to support first-generation biofuels while driving the development and commercialization of advanced fuels, with a forces on drop-in fuels for aviation and ground transportation.

http://bit.ly/cFiNY4

Riggs Eckellberry of OriginOil had this to say ‘we need to stay focused on R&D support and push for a level playing field for the new drop-in technologies,…’ "The Obama administration clearly recognizes that large-scale production of advanced biofuels can be a driver of green job creation, energy security and greenhouse gas reductions…’said Jim Greenwood of BIO Ceo’s of companies like Renewable Fuels Association, National Biodiesel Board, Growth Energy, New Fuels Alliance and many more have reacted to Obama’s new set of rules.

We can expect more companies investing money and time on new biofuels thanks to these directives.

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algal Biomass Association Director Blasts Report

2010-02-09T17:24:00.000+05:30

Biofuel study was based on 10 year old data, UV researchers admit. A recent study by the University of Virginia's Civil and Environmental Engineering department had raised some questions about how green the biofuel really is when stacked up against its competitors.

The report claimed algae production has a larger carbon emissions footprint than traditional biofuels or cellulosic ethanol produced from switchgrass, canola and corn. Key challenges with the algae are that they need carbon dioxide, phosphorous, and nitrogen supplies. Additionally, they also require a lot of water. By growing algae in waste water the requirement for water and nutrients is addressed;it also helps thereby in bioremediation of waste water.

Mary Rosenthal, the executive director of the Algal Biomass Association writes, "We appreciate and support the interest in algae among the scientific community, and agree that examination of the life cycle impacts of algae for fuel processes is important. However, we expect such research to be based on current information, valid assumptions and proven facts. Unfortunately, this report falls short of those standards with its use of decades old data and errant assumptions of current production and refining technologies."

The positive outcome is Algal Biomass Association and Andrew Clarens of UV have started a series of discussion on algae biofuel. The pair plan to conduct a new study with the next generation of the technology.

More: http://bit.ly/9Fog0K

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

OriginOil & Algae Growth & Extraction

2010-02-08T10:06:00.000+05:30

OriginOil, Inc. have developed a comprehensive pilot system for algae growth and harvesting. At the heart of the new system is a series of 200-gallon tanks which can be individually configured and managed for various strains, growth strategies, and lighting geometries.

The tanks are now illuminated with LED light sticks submerged in icicle-like arrays. A stirrer circulates the algae slowly around the lights. The system uses an integrated extraction system, a combination of ultrasound generation and low-power electromagnetic pulsing.

In the process, Quantum Fracturing combines with pulsed electromagnetic fields and pH modification to break down cell walls, thereby releasing the oil within the cells. Algae oil rises to the top for skimming and refining, while the remaining biomass settles to the bottom for further processing as fuel and other valuable products.

In less than an hour, the oil, water and biomass separate by gravity alone. Unlike conventional systems, no chemicals or heavy machinery are used in this single-step process, and no initial dewatering is required. The process will be popular I feel as it greatly reduces the time required for extraction simple apparatus, less cumbersome hence can be easily transported less expensive.

More: http://bit.ly/bvFM5Z

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Oil Extraction Using a Catalyst

2010-02-08T10:02:00.000+05:30

Ben Wen worked with his colleagues at United Environment & Energy (UEE) to develop a solid catalyst and a special reactor that can convert algae oil into biodiesel. They were sponsored by National Science Foundation. In the system they created, instead of using a large pot, like a batch reactor, they used a reactor that is a hollow tube filled with a solid catalyst.

The algae or soybean oil flows through the tube, and the reaction to make biodiesel happens as the oil flows over the catalyst. The solid catalyst stays in the tube, so it is already separated from the biodiesel and byproducts--no extra work or energy is needed.

Also, the reactor can produce biodiesel continuously. It does not need to be stopped and re-started like a batch reactor, so it can make a lot more biodiesel in a given amount of time than the batch reactor can produce.

In addition, the solid catalyst does not need to be replaced very often -- the liquid catalyst would have to be replaced every time the batch reactor is emptied--so no waste streams are produced. The cost is much lower, and the tube reactor is smaller than batch reactors, so it can be moved from one place to another.

More: http://bit.ly/bNIJ2z

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae to Jet Fuel - UT Initiative

2010-02-08T09:58:00.000+05:30

Biologists and engineers at The University of Texas at Austin are part of a $25 million project attempting to transform algal oil to jet fuel. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is sponsoring the project to develop jet fuel known as JP-8, for military use from biological sources.

Science Applications International Corp. in Marietta, Ga., is overseeing the project. The project team includes a number of entities, each chosen for a specific area of expertise. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is sponsoring the project to develop jet fuel, known as JP-8, for military use from biological sources.

Researchers at the university have already developed an electromechanical process for extracting oil from an alga cell that is rapid, energy-efficient, free of solvents and less expensive than competing methods. The technique employs electric fields to break open the cell.

Another group of researchers at the university is focused on the science of separations research and is identifying techniques to separate the oil from the algae biomass once it has been released.

One of the project's goals is to produce algal oil-based jet fuel on a large scale at a cost to the user of $3 a gallon. The current cost of a gallon of diesel fuel made from algae ranges from $10-$20 a gallon.

More: http://bit.ly/b37pjy

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Strain to be Developed by SAIC

2010-02-05T14:52:00.000+05:30

SAIC [Science Application International Conference] awarded $25 million by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency 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.

More: http://bit.ly/cy9vDF

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae soothes Tired Skin

2010-02-05T14:50:00.000+05:30

Seaweed may be a burden to some, but for others, it’s as precious as pearls or a fine fish. Osmogeline—new from BASF Beauty Care Solutions—is sourced from a red algae from the ocean waters of Canada, Chile and Mexico and is harvested by hand. Benefits include fighting redness and uneven hues as well as protecting and stimulating the barrier.

This ingredient is ideal for soothing skin care formulations.

More: http://bit.ly/cWgSyf

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Nutraceuticals - Powders from Xiamen Biotech

2010-02-05T14:48:00.000+05:30

Dunaliella powders, chlorella tablets, Spirulina tablets, Chlorella algae powder are all available online for immediate purchase in bulk. The product can be trans shipped to any part of the globe.
They manufacture and trade world wide.
These are top health biochemical powders.

More: http://bit.ly/crqdpN

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae to Energy at Hot Springs - WhiteFish

2010-02-03T12:32:00.000+05:30

In Hot Springs, Whitefish-based Algae Aqua-Culture Technologies (AACT) team launched a project using low temperature geothermal water to grow algae. The algae are fed into geothermal-heated bioreactors, or digesters, which are essentially sophisticated composters. Sugden calls the Stoltze project’s digester an “algae-eating, mechanical cow.”

The bioreactors consume the algae, along with some cellulose, to produce methane, which is converted into electricity. Flathead Electric Cooperative installed a system at the county landfill last year that takes methane emanating from trash and turns it into electricity.

Whats more is that waste product turned out to be a substance ideal for use in soil amendments such as organic fertilizer.

Also, the scientists discovered that their project’s control system is intelligent enough to manage any type of thermal energy, including heat at sawmills. That discovery led to discussions with Stoltze. And while the AACT team is now focused on the Stoltze project, it hasn’t abandoned its geothermal research, Holecek said.

Sugden, emphasizing the difference between “hot” and “warm” water, said there are numerous warm springs scattered across the West that could be utilized to run algae-based systems like AACT’s.

At Stoltze’s model biorefinery, bioreactors will digest algae – grown on site in a greenhouse – and produce organic compounds for fertilizer, similar to the Hot Springs geothermal project. But it will also incorporate a high-tech pyrolytic boiler. The boiler will generate heat to dry lumber in Stoltze’s kilns, as well as steam to run the rest of the system.

The boiler serves another important function – it produces biochar, or charcoal. The biochar can then be combined with the other organic compounds produced by the system for use in organic soil amendments. The organic fertilizer market, the AACT team points out, is growing rapidly.

With the system, Smith said carbon is sequestered and used to make a substance that could be valuable for agricultural purposes. He sees both commercial and environmental potential.

More: http://bit.ly/aB3rej

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Wastewater Cultivation of Algae hits at UV's Clarens Report

2010-02-03T12:28:00.000+05:30

Andrew Clarens and his Research team from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville examined the energy costs and environmental impacts of producing algae for fuel. The team then compared these with similar values from algae’s biofuel peers — corn, canola and switchgrass. The algal life-cycle analysis, which used numbers from an online database and published research, finds that algae farms need to minimize use of fertilizer and freshwater to compete with other biofuel plants.

The researchers examined the energy footprint of algae that is fed with CO2 from tanks and synthetic nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers. This approach puts the carbon column in the red, the researchers report.

Look at what John Sheehan has to say.

Biomass and renewable fuel veteran John Sheehan, University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment suggests putting algae ponds next to facilities with CO2 emissions that can be captured. Growing algae in wastewater and feeding it, recycled nutrients and recycled CO2 green up the process.

He further adds at

http://bit.ly/b48hhb

Algae cultivation for fuel production is akin to killing two birds with one stone. The process of algae growth absorbs carbon dioxide from the environment and the processing of algae in turn leads to clean fuel.

Algae can grow well in brackish water. Thus algae can proliferate in areas having highly saline groundwater, which are unsuitable for other forms of agriculture.

As I see it, all algae cultivation is in its infancy. Corn has been cultivted for centuries.
Algae does hold enormous potential.

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Methane to Run Vehicles

2010-02-03T12:24:00.000+05:30

Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology, IGB and several research partners from the energy sector are working together in the research project ETAMAX to produce biogas from waste such as supermarket waste and micro-algal biomass. The regenerative bio methane will then be used to fuel a small fleet of gas-driven vehicles.

The ETAMAX project, which started in June 2009, will be funded for a period of five years with a total of 6 million Euros from the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the "BioEnergie 2021" programme.

Other than waste biomass, Fraunhofer IGB also intends to algal fermentation. The production of energy from algal biomass has become a very efficient process thanks to a photobioreactor platform developed at the Fraunhofer IGB.

More: http://bit.ly/du9Rcl

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algal Biomass Organisation challenges Report

2010-02-01T12:45:00.000+05:30

A published report in Environmental Science and Technology claimed that "conventional crops have lower environmental impacts than algae in energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and water." The Algal Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the algae industry, today challenged the conclusions of the published report.

The report was based upon obsolete data and grossly outdated business models and overlooked tremendous improvements in technology and processes across the production cycle.

Few of the many concerns of ABO about the report are:

Assumptions about algae growth systems

Assumptions about co-location

Assumptions about water use

Assumptions about energy use

Assumptions about purchase of CO2 and fertilizer

Algal Biomass Organization firmly believes life cycle assessments are critical to the development of the industry. Its membership supports the development of robust LCAs, but believes that the process should include input from a multitude of stakeholders, including algae technology companies, NGO’s and other scientists.

More: http://bit.ly/csU6z5

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Jet Fuel from Algae Receives Stimulus

2010-02-01T12:25:00.000+05:30

To create green aviation fuels, diesel and gasoline that can be transported and sold using existing fueling infrastructure, the Obama administration is investing up to $78 million of economic stimulus money in biomass technologies, including algae, says Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

Two biofuels consortia - NAABB, the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts and NABC, the National Advanced Biofuels Consortium, have been awarded funding to research algae-based fuels as part of the Energy Department’s larger $564 million effort to stimulate the creation of domestic bio-industry.

"This award cements St. Louis as a center for the development of renewable energy from algae," said Dr. Richard Sayre, NAABB chief scientist. Led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL, based in Golden, Colorado and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, NABC will research infrastructure compatible, biomass-based hydrocarbon fuels.

More: http://bit.ly/a4pf8I

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Bioremediation of Malachite Green by 3 Microalgae

2010-02-01T12:00:00.000+05:30

Biological decolorization of the triphenylmethane dye, Malachite Green (MG), by three microalgae, Chlorella, Cosmarium and Euglena species was investigated. Results indicated that the decolorization was dependent on reaction time, initial dye concentration, algal concentration, pH and temperature.

The reusability and efficiency of the algae in long term repetitive operations were also examined. Since all of the algae had reasonable reusability in repetitive decolorization operations, the process seems to be biodegradation.

An artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed to predict the biological decolorization of MG solution. The findings indicated that the ANN provided reasonable predictive performance (R2 = 0.98).

More: http://bit.ly/bFX72D

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Strains engineered at BioCentric Energy

2010-02-01T11:57:00.000+05:30

Ms.Domini Maddox, a highly experienced algae specialist has been hired and will be joining the BioCentric Energy team beginning Monday, February 1st, 2010. This algae specialist will be working onsite at the BioCentric Energy headquarters located in Santa Ana, California.

Ms.Maddox has worked on biofuel research projects sponsored by DARPA. Dr.Jerry Brand, the director of UTEX, who is well known and respected in the algae industry, highly recommended Ms.Maddox. UTEX is the principal resource in the algae industry with approximately 2,300 different strains of algae in collection and an extensive library and research facility.

Ms.Maddox will be researching and identifying various strains of algae with high lipid/oil contents for various applications and optimizing and managing the consistent growth of contaminant free algae.

BioCentric Energy announced that the final engineering on the V3 Algae-Pro Photobioreactor system is now complete.

A specific algae strain with high EPA/DHA oil [are the powerful properties making Omega 3 so valuable] content will be grown in BioCentric Energy's V3 Algae-Pro systems and the oil will subsequently be extracted.

More: http://bit.ly/aMt1Be

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Based Carbon Capture

2010-02-01T10:45:00.000+05:30

Algae live on a high concentration of carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide -- pollutants are released by automobiles, cement plants, breweries, fertilizer plants, steel plants. Using algae for reducing the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is known as algae-based Carbon Capture technology.

The algae production facilities can thus be fed with the exhaust gases from these plants to significantly increase the algal productivity and clean up the air. About 1.8 tons of CO2 are required for producing one ton of algae. A coal power plant produces about 1 ton of CO2 for every MWh of energy produced.

An additional benefit from this technology is that the oil found in algae can be processed into a biodiesel.

Advantages of algae-based carbon capture are discussed namely,

a) high purity of co2 not required
b) simplifies process of flue gas scrubbing
c) microalgae yields high value commercial products that offsets operation cost of process.
d) proposed process is a renewable cycle with minimal negative impacts on environment.

More: http://bit.ly/awve54

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Oil Extraction

2010-02-01T10:35:00.001+05:30

A concise powerpoint presentation of the mechanical extraction process of oil from algae. Refer slide [HABEM] - harvested algae biofuel energy model. The presentation speaks of environment enhancing energy - third generation biofuel.

It talks of energy production and environmental protection as one complementary process.

More: http://bit.ly/dCFwSN

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Gene Modification of Algae

2010-02-01T10:33:00.000+05:30

Algae has been promoted as a source of bio fuel. What if algae could also be a source for hydrogen? It could change the economics completely.

Ben Hankamer, director of the Solar Biofuels Consortium, is leading an international team experimenting with a new genetically modified algal strain that appears able to make significant amounts of 90 percent pure hydrogen, while also producing oil for biofuel or other purposes. However, they’re genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and currently restricted to the lab.

While algae emit a small amount of hydrogen naturally during photosynthesis, the new strain has been specifically modified to do so at large scale.

More: http://bit.ly/6PB2z

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae to Electricity - Hydrogen fuel Cells

2010-02-01T10:29:00.000+05:30

Researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, are developing ways to generate hydrogen from algae, using photosynthesis, taking energy from the sun.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is also involved. The team is led by Barry Bruce, professor of biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology at UT Knoxville.

The researchers found a type of algae - thermophilic blue green algae, which is normally found in warmer waters, which could produce a steady stream of hydrogen when exposed to light, with a platinum catalyst. The reaction can work at 55 degrees C.

They also found that the temperature was 10 times more efficient as temperature increased.

More: http://bit.ly/atT1ec

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Nutraceuticals

2010-01-29T16:00:00.001+05:30

University of Manitoba is currently doing a study on the efficacy of Two Algae Formulations on Lipid Metabolism, Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Status in Individuals With Psoriasis (PCA). They are recruiting volunteers for the clinical study.

Their purpose is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of consumption of two algae formulations -Unique Marine Algae Concentrate (UMAC) and Golden brown algae compared to a placebo on: degree of severity of skin lesions, plasma lipid levels, as well as other health-related markers, in individuals with clinically diagnosed psoriasis.

More: http://bit.ly/97YG1f

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Biorefinery Program

2010-01-29T15:58:00.000+05:30

California-based Primafuel announces its international Algae Biorefinery Program. By combining upstream algae production and downstream biorefinery systems, Primafuel offers an innovative approach to commercializing algae technologies. Primafuel's proprietary process reduces costs and maximizes the economic potential of algae by producing a range of high-value products and renewable fuels.

Primafuel's algae technology team has been at the forefront of algae research for more than three decades and has a successful track record of commercializing algae production systems.

More: http://bit.ly/bNZnou

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Biofuel Companies

2010-01-29T15:56:00.000+05:30

Algae biofuel companies have made a joint statement decrying recent research that highlights algae’s drawbacks.

The research, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, found that algae production can be energy intensive and can end up emitting more greenhouse gases than it sequesters.

In response, the Algal Biomass Assocation, a trade organization of companies involved with developing algae biofuels, said the researchers used old and outdated data.

One of the challenges to large-scale algae production noted by the paper was the need for large amounts of fertilizer to be added to the water in which it is grown. But Mr. Eckelberry of OriginOil said his company plans to use wastewater in algae production.

More: http://bit.ly/57xIM9

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Company - Aurora Biofuels

2010-01-29T15:53:00.000+05:30

Algae manufacturer, Aurora Biofuels has succeeded in optimising its base algae strains to double CO2 consumption and increase fuel production.

Aurora Biofuels scientists have developed a proprietary process which allows for the selection and breeding of non-transgenic algae. As a result, these algae strains can produce more than twice the amount of oil.

‘This is a major breakthrough showing that one can take algae with improved productivity from the research lab to the field. What Aurora scientists have achieved is an impressive milestone on the path to large-scale commercial algae production,’ said Kris Niyogi, a member of the company’s scientific advisory board.

More: http://bit.ly/CWZRO

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Companies

2010-01-29T15:50:00.000+05:30

Biofuel company Algenol will build a 43,000 square-foot laboratory and administrative offices in Lee County. CEO Paul Woods said the company would begin two new programs - one creating biofuel from chemical feedstock and the other in carbon dioxide management - in Lee County.

The company received a $25 million grant in December to build a biorefinery in Freeport, Texas. It's also expanding at a plant in Mexico.

The company does not use freshwater resources and since algae is not edible, it does not compete with food crops such as corn-based ethanol.

More: http://bit.ly/8DuU1r

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com

Algae Fuels - World Biofuels Markets

2010-01-28T22:34:00.000+05:30

World Biofuels Markets to be held at Amsterdam between March 15-17 2010.

World Biofuels Markets is the leading industry networking event where, each year, the leaders of the biofuels world convene to meet new customers, suppliers and partners and help drive innovation and business. Over 4500 high calibre executives from 78 countries have attended WBM to date. This is an essential event for anyone looking to succeed in the future biofuels market.

At the World Biofuels Markets 2010, there will be Focussed conference on various biofuel subjects in this agenda will be presented.

2nd Annual Algae Fuels produced with the full support of the Algal Biomass Organisation (ABO) and the European Algal Biomass Organisation – An intensive programme of speakers will examine this fast evolving sustainable feedstock pathway.

Network with Who’s Who in the biofuel industry :

BP • Shell • Petrobras • Cargill • ADM • Bunge • Monsanto • Novozymes • Total • GE Energy • Desmet Ballestra • Evonik • Poet • Honda • Renault • Ford • Volvo • DaimlerChrysler • Chevron • Toyota • ConocoPhillps • Agip • OK Q8 • E.On • Enel • RWE • nPower • Veolia • Iberdrola • Electrabel • EHN • Neste Oil • Statoil • Hydro • Ed&F MAN • Bioverda • Virgin Fuels • Rabobank • Goldman Sachs • Morgan Stanley • BNP Paribas • Barclays Bank • Credit Suisse • ABN AMRO • Investec • Fortis • Bank of Scotland • ING • LloydsTSB • Macquarie • Standard Bank • Dexia • Fortum • Noble Group • Abengoa • Iogen • Royal Nedalco • Samsung • Mitsubishi • Caterpillar • Bosch • MAN Ferrostaal • Wartsila • Alfa Laval • Dow • Syngenta • Akzonobel • BASF • DuPont • Tata Chemicals • Solvay • Acciona • BDI • 3i • PWC • Accenture • British Sugar •Tate & Lyle • McKinsey • Kraft Foods • Unilever • Verenium Corporation • Renewable Energy Group • World Energy • Unitec Bio • UNICA • Crop Energies • Solazyme • Virent Energy Systems • LS9 • UOP • Stora Enso • Coskata • Starsupply Renewables • Galp Energia • UPM • PetroAlgae and many more...

More: http://bit.ly/96KGa1

Veronica Cassandra
Your Algae friend in Facebook
algae.veronica@gmail.com