Oilgae Blog - The Latest from the World of Algae Fuels
Green Plain Renewable Energy Inc.(GPRE) forms algae venture
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Source:ethanolproducer.com
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Labels: Algae-Cultivation, Algae-Energy-Companies, Algae-Photobioreactor
Jet Fuel from Animal Fats & Algae Oil via Centia Process
NC State Professor of Engineering Bill Roberts says "What we're trying to do is make a fuel that looks just like the petroleum derived fuel we're trying to replace."
Roberts and his colleagues are working on a multi-step catalytic process that mimics petroleum on the molecular level. It's called Centia.It starts with fat. Just like in petroleum refineries, heat, pressure, and chemicals can break down the hydrocarbon molecules in fats - transforming them into right kind of molecules to power jet engines. Professor Roberts explains the three-step process.
There's a shiny stainless steel cylinder in Roberts' lab. It's called a stirred autoclave.This reactor can get up 930 degrees and weighs nearly 700 pounds. Deep inside, the fats are broken down and transformed into fuel.
"In this reactor we’'l be able to do all three steps. So we put it our reactants, we bring it up to temperature, we stir it, let it react, let it cool down, then drain the products and see what we get," Roberts says.
The Centia process can be used to produce jet fuel, bio-gasoline, or heating fuel depending on which chemicals are added. And because the fats are rearranged on the molecular level, this biofuel doesn’t require new pipelines, storage facilities, or even new engines.
All of this research requires money, but Roberts believes that once additional funding is found, Centia biofuel could be ready to power jet airplanes in as little as 24 months.
Diversified Energy Corporation, an Arizona-based company that specializes in renewable energy projects, has licensed The Centia process from North Carolina State University.
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Sheehan joins University of Minnesota to Research Biofuels
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Sheehan will serve as the scientific program coordinator for biofuels and the global environment, focusing in particular on direct and indirect consequences of biofuel production on land use across the world.
Sheehan’s experience in renewable energy development is vast. Possessing a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in biochemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and Lehigh University, he began his career as a biochemical engineer at W.R. Grace and Co. and Merck Pharmaceutical.
Sheehan spent nearly 20 years with the U.S. DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, conducting work on system dynamic models for strategic and policy decision-making related to biodiesel and ethanol. His work ranged from leading the DOE’s assessment of its energy efficient and renewable energy technology portfolio to conducting studies of energy, air quality, greenhouse gas and soil impacts of corn stover-based ethanol production. He was also the project manager for the DOE’s Biodiesel from Algae Program for five years, and from 2002 to 2007, he led strategic planning and analysis activities for the DOE’s biomass program.
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Labels: Algae-Fuel-Research
Solazyme Showcases Algae Biodiesel Jeep
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Solazyme, Inc., a renewable oil production company and leading algal synthetic biology company, will feature a Jeep Liberty fueled by the world’s first algal-based renewable diesel, SoladieselRDTM, at CALSTART Target 2030: Solutions to Secure California's Transportation Energy and Climate Future in Sacramento, Calif.
"Solazyme co-founders Jonathan Wolfson (left) and Harrison Dillon stare into beakers of micro-algae"
The fuel, which is a drop-in replacement for standard petrodiesel (#2 Diesel), has passed American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D975 specifications and will also be on display at the event. Both SoladieselRDTM and SoladieselBDTM, a FAME biodiesel that meets the (ASTM) D6751 specifications, have been successfully road tested unblended (100 percent) for thousands of miles in standard unmodified diesel engines. The Jeep, which will be available for rides throughout the event, illustrates the compatibility of the fuel with current infrastructure.
"With new elected officials across the country, now is an ideal time for events like CALSTART Target 2030, which look at energy solutions that will serve us in the long term," said Jonathan Wolfson, co-founder, and CEO of Solazyme. "We are proud to be in California, a state known for leading energy policy, and are pleased to showcase our solutions which include clean and scalable renewable fuels derived from algae that meet today’s demanding performance and regulatory specifications, while dramatically reducing the carbon footprint versus petroleum based-fuels."
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Companies
Algenol's modest Algae testing facility
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The mixture was water and algae — microscopic plantlike organisms that feed off sunlight and carbon dioxide. With the proprietary algae happily multiplying, Woods explained that he and his partners intend to produce a biofuel greener and cheaper than oil or corn-fed ethanol: "We want to do 20 billion gallons eventually, and we will compete on price. We're a year away from sales."
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Flagellar-associated gene from C. reinhardtii Cloned
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Excitement was evident at the University of Mumbai's Centre for Basic Sciences as a faculty member and two researchers cloned a novel gene, a first of its sorts at the Kalina campus . They presented their work at Wednesday's governing council meeting of the centre presided over by chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Anil Kakodkar.
The three-Jacinta D' - Souza, a biology faculty member and two PhD students Dolly Khona and Venkatramanan Rao-cloned a gene namely, flagellar-associated gene from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii for the first time. "While elite institutions around the globe and in India clone genes frequently this is the first time that any gene has been cloned in the university environment,'' D'souza said. Vice-chancellor Vijay Khole said the cloned gene has managed to find a place in the gene bank.
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Labels: Algae-Fuel-Research
Twenty big green ideas
You are at: Oilgae Blog.An article on "Twenty Big Green Ideas" in Taipei Times include Ocean Fertilization for CO2 Sequestration using Phytoplanktons
Prefacing the launch of the fourth Observer Ethical Awards in London, They have chosen to highlight 20 of the biggest ethical ideas around at the moment, affording some respite to the prevailing jam-side-down version of life on offer almost everywhere else.
It includes
1. BIOCHAR
2. FERTILIZING THE OCEAN
3. BENIGN BIOFUELS
5. SPECIES RELOCATION
6. RADICAL ECO-ACTIVISM
7. REINSTATE THE DRINKING FOUNTAIN
8. THE WORLD COMMUNITY GRID
9. CRADLE TO CRADLE
10. CARROTMOBBING and so on
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Labels: Algae-CO2-Capture
Algae project will be focus of annual SCIA banquet
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Lynch, of Dublin, Ireland, has been tapped to lead his company through the first phase of the local algea project, which supporters are calling one of the first of its kind.
According to a press release issued by SCIA, the local project is expected to "make an already green biofuel process even greener, while producing oil for biodiesel and feedstock for swine and poultry."
The project has received more than $2 million in grants from the Iowa Power Fund.
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Companies
GreenFuel Cuts Staff, Outsources Aurantia Cement Factory Project
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Algae biofuel outfit GreenFuel Technologies has laid off 19 people, or about half of its staff, another sign of the difficulty that fledgling alternative fuels face.
A company representative confirmed the staff reduction on Monday and said one of GreenFuel's two major customers--the Aurantia cement factory in Spain--remains a customer.
GreenFuel has developed a method for growing and harvesting algae in a greenhouse.
Company CEO Simon Upfill-Brown, who was recruited last year from Dow Chemical to head the 8-year-old firm, told Xconomy that the engineering for its Spanish deal, previously estimated at $92 million, will be outsourced.
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Labels: Algae-CO2-Capture, Algae-Cultivation-Power-Plants, Algae-Energy-Companies
Investing in Algae Company Stocks
You are at: Oilgae Blog.I read an interesting article on Algae Biofuel Stocks in WallStNation.com. They have reviewed the companies in Algae Energy Industry and published the following table on Dec-2008:
| Name | Symbol | Last price | Mkt cap | Volume |
| GreenShift Corporation | GERS | $0.0240* | 2.16M | 45,798.00 |
| NANOFORCE INC | NNFC | $0.0021* | 2.05M | 124,990.00 |
| VALCENT PRODUCTS INC | VCTPF | $0.31* | 15.46M | 202,515.00 |
| GREEN STAR PRODUCTS | GSPI | $0.023* | 5.56M | 338,750.00 |
| ORIGINOIL, INC. | OOIL | $0.30* | 43.03M | 39,755.00 |
| PETROSUN INC | PSUD | $0.0600* | 1.08M | 545,115.00 |
| Royal Dutch Shell plc (ADR) | RDS.A | $50.46 | 157.47B | 5.06M |
| Chevron Corporation | CVX | $78.09 | 158.66B | 21.91M |
Source:WallStNation.com
This week they have published the Stock performance of Eight Algae Energy companies of which Two companies seem to have a positive return
| Symbol | Dec 8th Price | Jan 9th Price | Gain/Loss | % Gain |
| GERS | $ 0.02 | $ 0.02 | $ (0.01) | -20.8% |
| VCTPF | $ 0.31 | $ 0.27 | $ (0.04) | -12.9% |
| GSPI | $ 0.02 | $ 0.02 | $ (0.00) | -2.2% |
| OOIL | $ 0.30 | $ 0.42 | $ 0.12 | 40.0% |
| PSUD | $ 0.06 | $ 0.06 | $ (0.00) | -5.0% |
| RDS.A | $ 50.46 | $ 53.98 | $ 3.52 | 7.0% |
| CVX | $ 78.09 | $ 72.82 | $ (5.27) | -6.7% |
Source:WallStNation.com
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Investments
Algae Bloom Experiment in Ocean Goes Ahead Despite Enviro Fears
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But the so-called LOHAFEX experiment has raised the ire of some environmentalists, who worry about unknown consequences of interfering with the marine ecosystem. Ocean fertilisation experiments have been carried out on a few occasions in the past, but became controversial in 2007 when a company called Planktos announced it would dump iron fillings [sic] off the coast of the Galapagos islands. Some environmental organisations … expressed concerns that this was tantamount to pollution and, by affecting plankton at the bottom of the food chain could have unforeseen consequences
While environmentalists from the organization ETC Group originally argued that the new experiment is illegal because it violates the UN moratorium, it now appears that the experiment won approval from the German ministry of the environment based on an international maritime convention that allows legitimate scientific research on ocean fertilization. Researchers involved in the project say the experiment will answer crucial questions regarding the procedure’s effectiveness. The new study will address, among other things, marine biology, the flow of carbonaceous particles, and biodiversity questions that have barely been analysed during previous experiments, says [researcher] Karin Lochte. “These are exactly the kind of data you need to assess whether or not large-scale ocean fertilization is justified,” she says
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Labels: Algae-CO2-Capture, Algae-Fuel-Research
Algae Could End the fuel Crisis
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Will Thurmond, chairman of research and development at the National Algae Association in America (where all but one of the major algae biodiesel firms are based), believes that pure economics will eventually choose between them: "For research purposes, growing algae in photo-bioreactors is better, because you can control all the variables. But once the research has been completed by all the companies involved and moves into large-scale production, the debate will be resolved."
But once you've got the vast amounts of green sludge, how do you go about extracting oil from pond scum? "The old method is to take algae out of a pond with a fishing net, dry it out and literally squeeze the oil out," says Thurmond. "More modern methods have required chemical solvents, but recently the University of Texas has developed a way of using ultrasonic waves to rupture the cell walls: the oil rises to the top of the container and you can skim it off the top of the cells. This is the preferred method, as it's non-polluting, but it's not yet advanced enough to be commercially viable."
Whatever the method employed, the extraction procedure can be costly and complicated, and further processing is still required before the algae can be turned into vehicle fuel. The cost of this has dropped dramatically: to make algae biodiesel in the lab 25 years ago cost $3,000 per gallon; today it is less than $20. However, in the US, petrol costs $2 per gallon and diesel $2.70 – to be competitive, algae biodiesel would need to be around the $2 mark, too. As Thurmond admits, "It's the last yard that's hard."
Yet a solution to that cost problem could be available from a familiar figure in the world of genetic engineering. The renowned American scientist Craig Venter has – with his team at Synthetic Genomics in California – developed bacteria that require only sunlight and water to grow, and secrete the required oil as a by-product of the metabolic process. Professor Venter, who was the first person to have his entire genome sequenced and hopes to become the first to create an entirely synthetic life form, says that if he can raise the funding to build a pilot plant, his bacterial oil could be pumped straight into an existing refinery.
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Labels: Algae-Cultivation, Algae-Energy-Cost, Algae-Fuel-Research
Paul Dickerson - Algenol's New Advisor
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Algenol Biofuels, developers of DIRECT TO ETHANOL(TM), the most advanced third generation biofuels technology, today announced that Paul Dickerson, former COO of the Department of Energy's (DOE) office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and recognized expert on renewable energy and energy efficient technologies, will act as an advisor to Algenol's senior management team.
While at the DOE, Mr. Dickerson led a team of 1,000 staff and administered the EERE's $1.8 billion budget, helping to move alternative and renewable energy technologies from the nascent stages to real-world development.
Prior to joining the DOE, Mr. Dickerson served as Chief of Staff for the United States and Foreign Commercial Service at the Department of Commerce and was responsible for the day-to-day management of a worldwide network of 1,700 employees spanning 260 offices.
He is currently a Partner at the international law firm of Haynes and Boone, LLP, where he leads the firm's clean-tech practice group.
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Companies
Algae to Ethanol, the Macroalgae Route - GGASS
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Have posted an interesting presentation from Alex Harel of GGASS on the potential of macroalgae to become an important bio-ethanol feedstock. I for one feel that a lot more focus needs to be given to macroalgae than it is given now.
Let's wish GGASS all the best!
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Companies, Algae-Ethanol, Algae-Fuel-Research, Algae-Oil-Yield
NAA to discuss BioCentric Energy's Closed Loop Solution in Forum
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"We would like to know if you are available to speak about the BioCentric patent pending closed-loop system at our Algae Commercialization, Research and Business Networking Forum January 29-30, 2009 in Houston, Texas."
Dennis Fisher, CEO of BioCentric, replied, "We would be available, and very much interested to introduce our inexpensive closed loop solution to your meeting... As we have previously stated, our competitive advantage is our ability to produce our algae system, computer-controlled, that adjusts itself to varying conditions for less than $20 per square meter compared to other closed loop systems ranging from $77 per square meter to over $300 per square meter which is our Patent Pending Technology."
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Labels: Algae-Cultivation, Algae-Energy-Companies
Center to Research Algae-Based Fuels - Stephen Mayfield
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Stephen Mayfield, a biologist and associate dean at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, is spearheading an effort to elevate the region’s position as a leader in algae-based fuels.
He is lobbying government officials to build a multimillion-dollar facility that would combine academic research teams from Scripps’ research institute, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and UC San Diego.
“Ultimately, I think, we’d like to have a building maybe on the campus of UCSD,” he said.
His timing could prove spot on. San Diego, home to a handful of companies trying to create high-octane fuel from algae, could position itself as a major center for algal research under a new presidential administration that campaigned on renewable fuels and energy independence.
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Labels: Algae-Fuel-Research
Linc Energy, BioCleanCoal Work on Algae CO2 Sequestration from Power Plants
You are at: Oilgae Blog.This is an old news, but I wish to know whether these companies have been able to make much progress on the algae based co2 remediation.
The Nov 2007 news item says,
"Two Australian firms, Linc Energy and BioCleanCoal, have partnered together in a joint venture to sequester carbon dioxide emissions from Australian coal-fired power stations to use as fuel or fertiliser, even re-burning it to produce additional energy.
The companies will spend $1 million to build a prototype reactor in Chinchilla, which will use the carbon dioxide emissions from the power plant to grow algae, which can then be dried and turned into biodiesel at low energy costs.
Hamish Macdonald, a company director of BioCleanCoal, says that the process can easily remove 90 per cent of carbon dioxide from the plant’s emissions, with 100 per cent removal possible but unlikely due to the increased costs."
Any idea on their progress in the last one year?
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Labels: Algae-CO2-Capture, Algae-Energy-Companies
Energy Farms, Kwikpower, Biomax, Canrex - Some Less Known Algae Fuel Ventures
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Some more algae fuel companies I came across:
* Energy Farms Inc., New Mexico, part of Nanoforce Technologies Inc.
* Kwikpower
* Australian Co Biomax
* Virgin boss Richard Branson says he is keen on algae fuels
* Canrex Biofuels Ltd.
Most of the names above were discovered by me from some old posts at Oilgae. Not able to find much about any of these companies as to their current operations (include what Branson's current plans are for algae fuel).
Will be great if any of you could provide updates on these companies?
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Companies
