THE Algae Thread (merged)

[Graeme]

Marine Biofuels One Step Closer to Becoming Reality

Seaweed biofuel farms have come a step closer to reality with an improvement in the way seaweed sugars can be converted to ethanol.

Dried seaweed can be fermented to produce ethanol but breaking down galactose, the dominant sugar in seaweed, is a slow process.

Now, researchers have modified the expression of three genes of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is used in the fermentation process to break down sugars to ethanol. The improved strain creates more enzymes, leading to a 250 per cent increase in the rate of galactose sugar fermentation compared with a control strain, according to a paper in the current issue of Biotechnology and Biongineering (March).

Yong-Su Jin, one of the study's authors, and a researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States, told SciDev.Net that his group will now explore the feasibility of harvesting and fermenting seaweed on large scales, which may involve cultivating plants along arrays of floats to ensure they receive enough sunlight.

Seaweed can produce biofuels in a more environmentally sustainable way than land-based crops, as it does not require fresh water or fertilisers, and it could potentially provide income for people in the small island nations of South-East Asia.

oilprice

[Graeme]

Algae keep on rockin’ in the free world: Pt 2, Get this Party Started

Here’s a look at some (but far from all) of the movers and shakers.

Sapphire Energy

Sapphire Energy is focused on the entire “pond to pump” value chain with over 230 patents or applications spanning the entire algae-to-fuel process. They are developing industrial algae strains through synthetic biology and breeding techniques and are building the technologies and systems for CO2 utilization, cultivation, harvesting and refining.

Sapphire’s commercialization path aims for 1 billion gallons in the 2020s, while ExxonMobil’s biofuels chief Emil Jacobs has candidly discussed algae in 10-year timelines. Although the National Labs have occasionally been chided for thinking in “elongated timelines,” there are major commercial players thinking in the same time frames.

Solazyme

The company generally shies away from promoting itself as an algal biofuels company, because it focuses its messaging around its products rather than its process – same, by the way, as Budweiser.

biofuelsdigest

[DeathofaGasGuzzler]

I love these posts about algae biofuels. Could you tell me more about your friend that has started his own algae biofuel business? I would love to learn as much as possible. Thanks!

~Luis
DeathofaGasGuzzler.com

[Graeme]

It's MD. See the second post in this thread. He is unlikely to reveal too much though because his business activities are not meant to be shared with his competitors.

[Graeme]

OriginOil Moving from Development to Commercialization

OriginOil, Inc. (OOIL), the developer of breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, today announced its shift from the development phase to the commercialization phase and has recruited a career veteran of technology projects to fast-track the commercialization process.

"OriginOil will continue to innovate, it's in our DNA," said Riggs Eckelberry, OriginOil CEO. "Meanwhile, a number of our technologies have matured to the point where we need to focus on fast-track commercialization.

"This includes seeking independent validations, combining with other systems in the process chain, aggressively developing our intellectual property, signing distribution partnerships, and the many other activities involved in commercialization of a new technology."

To support this new focus, veteran technology executive Paul Reep has accepted the position of Senior Vice President of Technology, as well as a seat on OriginOil's Board of Directors.

Effective immediately, Mr. Reep will implement the fast-track commercialization process he has successfully demonstrated throughout his career. During his most recent assignment at the University of Southern California's Stevens Institute for Innovation, Mr. Reep managed as many as 200 technology cases at one time.

businesswire

[Graeme]

Can Algae Get Countries To Kick Foreign Oil?

With oil prices reaching $105 a barrel for the first time since 2008, the biofuel industry is looking more attractive every day. As global demand rises and petroleum supplies diminish, countries are turning to algae for energy security.

Pike Research, a market research and consulting firm, conservatively predicts that by 2020 algae biofuel production will reach 61 million gallons per year, command a market value of $1.3 billion, and sport an annual growth rate of 72 percent. “With the rising price of petroleum and the decreasing cost of algae production there is going to be an intersection of the two.” John Gartner, senior analyst for Pike Research, said. After that price threshold has been passed, Gartner said, industry investment will likely take off, production output increase, and prices in many parts of the world will be competitive.

In smaller developing countries, where oil demand is low, and emission standards are poor, algae biofuel has the potential to significantly reduce reliance on foreign oil.

As for the United States, a 2005 study conducted by the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture concluded that by 2030, 30 percent of the nation’s crude oil could come from plants and plant-derived material. The study did not consider algae biofuel in its analysis, but if the technology proves successful on a commercial scale biofuels could significantly reduce the amount of foreign oil America imports, which currently stands at about 55 percent.

forbes

[Lumpy]

Okay, all I want is the do-it-yourself home formula kit.

Our 1/6 acre pond tends to "bloom" in hot weather. Would love to "harvest" and convert the "pond scum" to fuel, rather than work at ways to get rid of the algae!

Lumpy

[Graeme]

Algae could replace 17 percent of US oil imports: study

High oil prices and environmental and economic security concerns have triggered interest in using algae-derived oils as an alternative to fossil fuels. But growing algae – or any other biofuel source – can require a lot of water.

However, a new study shows that being smart about where we grow algae can drastically reduce how much water is needed for algal biofuel. Growing algae for biofuel, while being water-wise, could also help meet congressionally mandated renewable fuel targets by replacing 17 percent of the nation's imported oil for transportation, according to a paper published in the journal Water Resources Research.

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found that water use is much less if algae are grown in the U.S. regions that have the sunniest and most humid climates: the Gulf Coast, the Southeastern Seaboard and the Great Lakes.

"Algae has been a hot topic of biofuel discussions recently, but no one has taken such a detailed look at how much America could make – and how much water and land it would require – until now," said Mark Wigmosta, lead author and a PNNL hydrologist. "This research provides the groundwork and initial estimates needed to better inform renewable energy decisions."

physorg

[Graeme]

Algae-Based Biofuels Represent a Trillion Dollar Potential Market Opportunity, but Cost is an Obstacle to Commercialization, Says Pike Research

ccording to a recent report from Pike Research, despite limited production to date, the scale-up potential of algae is substantial compared to other non-food based feedstocks. Although regulatory and policy uncertainty as well as competition from co-product markets will inhibit algae-based biofuels production initially, the cleantech market intelligence firm projects that the value of renewable fuels derived from algae will reach $1.3 billion by 2020.

“Due to the high costs associated with producing crude algae oil for the aviation, ground transportation, and other fuel end-markets, most industry ventures have pivoted away from a fuels-first approach to focus on the development of revenue streams from high-value, low-volume co-product markets,” says industry analyst Mackinnon Lawrence. “Scale-up of algae-based biofuels will depend on the realization of value in non-fuel end-markets. As key capital and operating cost hurdles are overcome, algae-based biofuel production should expand rapidly.”

Lawrence adds that the use of algae to produce crude oil for renewable fuel production can deliver a number of environmental benefits compared to other advanced biofuel feedstocks. Algae can be grown on non-arable land, co-located with stationary CO2 emissions sources, and utilize a wide variety of water resources including wastewater and seawater. A number of algae ventures are making important headway with different strategies for maximizing yields while capitalizing on innovative pathways to mitigate the externalities associated with fuel and chemical production.

Pike Research’s analysis indicates that the algae-based biofuels market will be dominated by microalgae, which lends itself to rapid growth and genetic modification. Macroalgae will continue to generate interest in countries with large coastal regions, but investment in harvesting and conversion technologies is projected to lag behind microalgae R&D investments. North America and Asia Pacific are projected to account for 82% of algae-based biofuels production in 2020, representing at least 50 million gallons of algae-based biofuels per year.

gamutnews

[Graeme]

University of Kentucky-led research could be path to new energy sources

While scientists previously established that oil and coal have their roots in the organisms that lived on the planet over 500 million years ago, researchers only are sure of one organism that directly contributed to these natural resources. That organism is the algae Botryococcus braunii which left behind its chemical fingerprints – an oil that over geological time has turned into oil and coal shale deposits.

"Even more exciting is that this unique algae, B. braunii, still exists today and has been the target of studies from the large chemical and petrochemical industries," said Chappell.

This algae is very slow growing, so it is not necessarily a good source for biofuels. However, if scientists can capture its genetic blueprints for the biosynthesis of these high value oils, then these genes could be used to generate alternative production platforms.

This team of investigators isolated the necessary genes, characterized the biochemical traits encoded by these genes, and then genetically engineered yeast to produce this very high-value oil. This work has provided the first example of recreating a true direct replacement for oil and coal shale deposits.

eurekalert

[Graeme]

Algae Could Solve World's Fuel Crisis

Biochemist Dan Robertson's living gas stations have the dark-green shimmer of oak leaves and are as tiny as E. coli bacteria. Their genetic material has been fine-tuned by human hands. When light passes through their outer layer, they excrete droplets of fuel.




"We had to fool the organism into doing what I wanted it to do," says Robertson, the head of research at the US biotech firm Joule Unlimited. He proudly waves a test tube filled with a green liquid. The businesslike biochemist works in a plain, functional building on Life Sciences Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

His laboratory is sparsely furnished and the ceiling is crumbling. Nevertheless, something miraculous is happening in the lab, where Robertson and his colleagues are working on nothing less than solving the world's energy problem. They have already created blue algae that produce diesel fuel.

Scientists rave about a new, green revolution. Using genetic engineering and sophisticated breeding and selection methods, biochemists, mainly working in the United States, are transforming blue and green algae into tiny factories for oil, ethanol and diesel.

spiegel

[Graeme]

Operation “Green Stick” Propels Low-Cost Algae Biofuel to the Big Time

The algae biofuel company OriginOil has been pulling out all the stops to bring low cost algae biofuel to the market, and Operation Green Stick looks like their biggest move yet. Operation Green Stick is the code name for OriginOil’s network of sensors that automatically control for hundreds of variables in commercial-scale algae biofuel operations. The system will get its first shakeout with the Australian algae company MBD Energy. If all goes well, U.S. companies won’t be – well, shouldn’t be – far behind. After all, according to some researchers algae biofuel is practically a first cousin to fossil fuels.

cleantechnica

[careinke]

Algae Could Solve World's Fuel Crisis

Biochemist Dan Robertson's living gas stations have the dark-green shimmer of oak leaves and are as tiny as E. coli bacteria. Their genetic material has been fine-tuned by human hands. When light passes through their outer layer, they excrete droplets of fuel.




"We had to fool the organism into doing what I wanted it to do," says Robertson, the head of research at the US biotech firm Joule Unlimited. He proudly waves a test tube filled with a green liquid. The businesslike biochemist works in a plain, functional building on Life Sciences Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

His laboratory is sparsely furnished and the ceiling is crumbling. Nevertheless, something miraculous is happening in the lab, where Robertson and his colleagues are working on nothing less than solving the world's energy problem. They have already created blue algae that produce diesel fuel.

Scientists rave about a new, green revolution. Using genetic engineering and sophisticated breeding and selection methods, biochemists, mainly working in the United States, are transforming blue and green algae into tiny factories for oil, ethanol and diesel.

spiegel

This is scary on so many levels.

[Graeme]

U.S. Energy Department backs plan to produce algae crude oil

Raw algae can be converted into a crude oil that can be processed at existing petroleum refineries before distribution as a substitute for gasoline and other processed fuels, new research has found.

The innovative use of algae, including the common seaweed, for large-scale renewable fuel production takes the quest for economically feasible environmentally friendly fuel a few steps further, easing pressure on agricultural alternatives that are often criticized as a potential threat to global food resources.



OriginOil says its planned Biocrude System will integrate its own harvesting system with state-of-the-art biomass processing technology that is developed to convert raw algae into barrels of renewable crude oil.

The company said obtaining the renewal crude oil will be a much cleaner alternative to hydrocarbons. Renewable algae crude could also be blended with other biomass sources to improve their performance, OriginOil said.

"Algae is a high energy biomass and can function as a force multiplier to blend in other biomass waste such as from forestry and agriculture into a uniform renewable crude oil substitute," Deborah T. Newby, project manager at the Department of Energy Idaho National Laboratory said. "This may well support the U.S. military's strategic fuels diversification program."

UPI

triplepundit

[ralfy]

Will be needed by military forces for vehicles, especially to control civilian populations.

[Graeme]

Micro-Bubbles Cut Cost of Algae-Derived Biofuel

Algae naturally produce oil. When it’s processed, that oil can be turned into biofuel, an alternative energy source. There’s just one snag—harvesting the oil from algae-filled water is prohibitively expensive. But researchers have come up with an effervescent solution: bubbles smaller than the width of a human hair can help reduce the costs of collecting algae oil.

So-called micro-bubbles are already used for water purification—they surround contaminants and float them out of the liquid. Similarly, in water containing algae, bubbles can float the algae to the surface for easy collection and processing.

The research builds on previous work that used micro-bubbles to grow algae more densely and thus increase production. This time, however, the researchers produced the fizziness with a new method that uses far less energy, and is cheaper to install. The study is in the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering. [James Hanotu, HC Hemaka Bandulasena and William B Zimmerman, "Micro-Flotation Performance for Algal Separation"]

scientificamerican

[bcole]

Anyone know why?

[SeaGypsy]

So they can get sequestration plants running with their partners in energy the coal/ electric sector and metals processing. They have already got something like 30% capability to 'catch' carbon dioxide through high tech algae farming, but it is high tech/ big plant hooked up to a monster burner system of some sort. An extension of the zero sum gain at present, but quickly becoming a self funding area of alternative energy R& D which has to be good thing.

[PrestonSturges]

Alga have unique lipid synthesis pathwys in the chloroplats, but they are not tightly coupled to photosynthesis. Alga can actually synthesize biodeisel using simple carbon sources like carbonate, in the dark. Sure there is competition from cyanobacteria etc

[pstarr]

billions? I find that very hard to believe. they are not idiots.