Oilgae Blog - The Latest from the World of Algae Fuels
Turning Green Algae into Piles of Green Money
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Meghan Starbuck, an assistant professor of economics at New Mexico State University, is working on a way to turn microalgae, and millions of their tiny, slimy friends, into a successful fuel industry for the state.
"Algal biofuel can be refined into a variety of fuels, including gasoline. I would run my car on algal-based gasoline, if I could get my hands on a couple of gallons," Starbuck said. Her car, a 315-horsepower 2010 Mustang GT, comes in handy when making the 143-mile trip between Las Cruces and the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Artesia.
The Artesia Science Center is home to a project with the Center for Excellence in Hazardous Materials Management, a nonprofit group in Carlsbad leading an effort in southeastern New Mexico to produce biofuels from algae. According to Starbuck, CEHMM is a leader when it comes to scaling-up algae production, an important step in making the biofuel industry economically successful in New Mexico.
Labels: Algae-Energy-Products, Algae-Fuel-Research
Cereplast Sees Algae as Viable Raw Material for Plastics
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Frederic Scheer, the owner of cereplast talks about bioplastics made from algae. Cereplast is a company that designs and makes sustainable plastics from starches found in tapioca, corn, wheat and potatoes
Cereplast hopes to offer a plastic made with algae for commercial sale by the end of 2010 and is projecting its annual sales will have doubled by then.
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Biofertilizer from Microalgae
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Bioalgal Marine, an Almeria University spin-off company specialised in cultivating and integral usage of microalgae has developed a new fertiliser manufactured from a microalga called Spirulina, called Algafert. This natural fertiliser visibly enhances plants' roots and resistance
According to Marta Sánchez de Puerta, Bioalgal Marine's Manager, “this biofertiliser, 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 fertiliser on the crops we save the plant the work of creating the amino acids, with which it grows faster.”
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Cyanotech Corp Identified Vitamin K12 in Spirulina
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Big Island-based microalgae producer Cyanotech Corp. said the presence of Vitamin K2 has been identified in one of its primary products, spirulina.
The company has sold spirulina for more than a decade as a food supplement rich in natural beta carotene and other nutrients, but said it recently received an independent contract laboratory analysis showing the product contains K2.
K2 is a form of Vitamin K, and is most known for properties aiding blood coagulation. Cyanotech said a 3-gram serving of spirulina has as much K2 as roughly 1 1/4 cup of romain lettuce, or about 19 percent of the recommended daily amount.
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Solazymes Builds Algae Biorefinery at Cherokee
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A San Francisco company's will tap into under-used large vats at Cherokee Pharmaceuticals plant in Riverside to open its first facility to make biodiesel fuel from algae oil.
"Cherokee has under-utilized vats and our company hopes to use them to execute this grant to produce fuel from algae," said Michael Meehan, of Blue Line Strategic Communications which handles public relations for Solazyme Inc. Solazyme Inc. was awarded a $21.8 million federal grant to build its first integrated biorefinery at Cherokee.
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Wastewater Grown Algae to Bio-crude Oil Demonstration Project
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The Minister of Energy Hon Gerry Brownlee will open the largest wastewater algae to bio-crude oil demonstration project in the world this week.
The project combines NIWA’s scientific expertise on advanced wastewater treatment and algal production pond technology with Solray’s bio-crude oil conversion technology and is hosted by Christchurch City Council at the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The aim of the project is for NIWA to produce between 150 and 300 tonnes of algae per year from the 5 hectares of wastewater treatment High Rate Algal Ponds. After harvesting and dewatering, this algae could potentially be converted into 45,000 - 90,000 litres (275 - 550 barrels) of bio-crude oil by Solray.
This bio-crude oil would normally be converted into a variety of products such as LPG, petrol, kerosene, diesel and bitumen, but if this amount were completely converted to petrol, it would power between 22 and 45 cars per year.
See more: Science alert
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Labels: Algae-CO2-Capture, Algae-Cultivation-Sewage, Algae-Energy-Companies, Algae-Energy-Products
Algae Turned Into a Hydrogen Source
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A team of researchers from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory showed that photosynthesis may function as that clean, sustainable source of hydrogen.
The team, led by Barry Bruce, a professor of biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology at UT Knoxville, found that the inner machinery of photosynthesis can be isolated from certain algae and, when coupled with a platinum catalyst, is able to produce a steady supply of hydrogen when exposed to light.
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Cereplast to Transform Algae into Bioplastics
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Cereplast have been developing what it calls a breakthrough technology that will transform algae into bioplastics. The company aims to commercialise this development and launch a new family of algae-based resins that will complement its existing line of Compostables and Hybrid resins.
Cereplast has initiated contact with several companies that plan to use algae to minimize the CO2 and NOX gases from polluting smoke-stack environments. According to their researchers, algae from a typical photo-bioreactor is harvested daily and may be treated as biomass, which can be used as biofuel or as a raw material source for biopolymer feed stock.
The company is in direct communication with potential chemical conversion companies that could convert the algae biomass into viable monomers for further conversion into potential biopolymers. “Algae as biomass makes sense in that it helps close the loop on polluting gases and can be a significant renewable resource,” added Mr. Scheer.
The company hopes that this new line of algae-based resins could eventually replace 50% or more of the petroleum content used in traditional plastic resins.
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Taiwan Indigenous Algae Rich in DHA Content
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A National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) research team has discovered an indigenous algae that is rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) , containing 10 times as much of the omega-3 fatty acid as existing DHA supplements such as fish oil. The indigenous DHA-rich algae strain, called BL10, was discovered after the team isolated, cultivated and identified marine microalgae from 10 marine habitats around Taiwan.
At yesterday's news conference, the research team announced that the know-how related to BL10 has been transferred to local biotech firm Vedan Biotechnology for commercialization. Vedan Biotechnology President Yang Shih-an said the company is expected to start commercial production or a related product line in two years and hopes to generate sales of between NT$1 billion and NT$2 billion within three to five years.
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Production of Polyunsaturated Acids (DHA) by Using Microalgae
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The Aquatic Animal Bio-Medicine R&D Team (AABM Team) of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Taiwan, led by Distinguished Prof. Huey-Lang Yang from Institute of Biotechnology, won two medals out of more than 100 teams in the national contest, "2009 Crazy Idea - King of Practical Applications on Creative Researches and development of Biotechnology," organized by the Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan. The AABM Team was awarded with a gold medal for their work called "Aquaculturized Aurofac" and a bronze medal for their project on "Production of Polyunsaturated Acids by Using Microalgae." They will receive their medals from the Minister of Economic Affairs on October 15th. The main objective of this contest is to encourage any creative idea in Bio-Medicine R&D among college students, and to produce more industrialized products along with fostering development of biomedical industry in Taiwan. NCKU Aquatic Animal Bio-Medicine R&D Team was also awarded with two gold medals last year. This is the second consecutive year for them to win the
honor.
"Production of polyunsaturated acids by using microalgae" was awarded with a bronze medal under supervision and direction of Prof. Yi-Min Chen. The team members included a PhD student - Ms Chin-Chiu Lin and two other master students, Mr. Chun-Wei Tseng and Mr. Tsung-Yuan Chen. They discovered native strains of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-rich microalgae, and developed a successful extraction procedure of DHA, which could be regarded as a breakthrough in human healthcare and development in medicine.
DHA is commonly known as a kind of fish oil (Omega 3). It is an important nutrient for growth and development of human, animal and fish. DHA does not only improve the growth of babies and young child`s brain, retinal development, but also prevents cardiovascular disease, depression, Alzheimer`s disease and other chronic diseases.
Therefore, a successful research on DHA-rich microalgae has proved of great significance to the development of human health and medicine.
This new discovery from DHA-rich microalgae definitely improves the quality of health food products and the health of all people; moreover it will be absolutely the best substitutes of fish oil in the future. It can be supplemented to food, milk, feed, and many other products with the annual revenue totaling more than 7 billions dollars. The DHA-rich microalgae technology has been transferred and leased to VEDAN Biological Material Business.
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
BioCentric Energy Receives Large Algae Oil Order
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BioCentric Energy Holdings, Inc. confirmed that the company received a large initial purchase order for 2000 Kilograms of a specific blend of nutritional ALGAE oil.
The Algae will be grown, harvested, and oil extracted jointly by BioCentric (BEHL) and Renewed World Energies in South Carolina under a Teaming Agreement to fulfill the initial order.
Dennis Fisher, CEO of BioCentric, stated today, "This teaming agreement with Richard Armstrong and Tim Tompkins of Renewed World Energies in South Carolina is the first of several opportunities as a result of our participation at the ABO in San Diego last week."
Mr. Fisher further stated, "I would like to take a moment to thank Monique Barry, our new Director of Sales and Marketing, on the outstanding job of succinctly and effectively portraying our efforts to the attendees at the ABO."
Source: PR-USA.net
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Austria-based See-O-Two Developed Microalgae System for CO2 Capture
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Vienna, Austria-based See-O-Two has developed what it says is an industrial scale system to grow and use microalgae to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions and convert it into biomass to produce biofuels and bioplastics.
The company’s CEO Joachim Grill said its proprietary technology, developed in Austria and Germany, grows algae at three-to-six times higher productivity and at about 80 percent of the cost of competing systems. Grill spoke at the Cleantech Group’s Cleantech Forum XXIII in Boston this week as one of the jury-selected startups seeking funding.
He added that the company’s multi-stage growth process of the algae occurs in a closed pond system, which allows for temperature control. A two-acre plant, using the company’s technology, could produce 6,000 tons of algae and consume more than 13,000 tons of carbon dioxide, Grill said.
See-O-Two said it is already running a semi-installation at an undisclosed power company in Austria and recently sold a 20-acre plant to an undisclosed client in the Middle East. It's unclear whether the plant is operational.
“We have achieved market entry,” Grill said.
See-O-Two has raised $2.8 million to date from investors including See Private Equity Fund. See-O-Two brought in $200,000 in revenue in the past year. The company is projecting $14 million in revenue in 2011, mainly from licensing its technology.
The company is currently seeking investments of between $500,000 and $10 million, including co-investments made with blue chip private equity and venture funds to continue to scale its technology, Grill said.
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Labels: Algae-CO2-Capture, Algae-Energy-Products, Algae-Fuel
Uppsala University Nanotechnology Department Creats Algae Battery
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According to Gizmag and the American Chemical Society publication, NANOLetters, the researchers have come up with a promising new battery technology.
Scientists,Gustav Nystrom, Aamir Razaq, Maria Strømme†, Leif Nyholm and Albert Mihranyan at Uppsala Universitet in Sweden were looking for a way to turn deadly “blooming” algae found in oceans and seas into batteries.
The departments of Nanotechnology and Functional Materials, Engineering Sciences, and Materials Chemistry at The Ångstrom Laboratory at Uppsala University created a new type of lightweight battery. This battery is composed of taking cellulose fibers from algae and coating them with a 50nm “thin layer of polypyrrole”.
Batteries made this way, have charging capacities of “between 25 and 33 mAh g?1 or 38?50 mAh g?1 per weight of the active material”. These batteries could be charged with currents as high as 600 mA cm?2. They would only lose six percent of their charging capacity after 100 charges. In layman’s terms, these batteries are extremely light and can be charged in “11.3 seconds at 320 mA”.
The algae batteries tested were not optimally packaged and the laboratory is working on that issue now. So far they have created a battery that was capable of taking 1000 charges.
There is much still to be done before these batteries hit the market. But they show promise since they should be easy and inexpensive to mass produce.
Source: Green.Blorge
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Universities Conduct Joint Studies into Water Purification and Algae Harvesting
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UJ chemical technology professor Bhekie Mamba will lead the South African research teams while Professor Sammy Boussiba and Professor Yoram Oren will head up the projects in Israel.They will be assisted by Professor Eric Hoek, of UCLA, a renowned expert in the fields of water purification and microalgal biotechnology.
Mamba said that the two universities will brainstorm how they can contribute to ongoing South African research on water purification in rural areas and at Hartbeespoort dam. In addition, they will research the feasibility of harvesting algae from the dam and converting it into energy.The Hartbeespoort dam remediation programme is being implemented by the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs to address the imbalances and unhealthy biological conditions in the dam.
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Labels: Algae-Cultivation-Marine, Algae-Energy, Algae-Energy-Products
Sapphire Energy Plans a Journey in Algaeus plug-in hybrid
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In an effort to drum up attention and support for their algae-based biofuel, Sapphire Energy has announced that they will conduct a coast-to-coast journey in their “Algaeus” plug-in hybrid. Part electric hybrid, part biofuel vehicle, Sapphire claimes the Algaeus will get 150 miles per gallon from its hybrid/biofuel drivetrain.
The Algaeus will visit 10 cities, starting in San Francisco on September 8th and ending in New York City on the 18th.
This will be the first street-ready and legal algae-fueled vehicle to compete a trans-continental journey. The engine itself has not been modified in anyway, but an additional battery pack and advanced energy-management system have been added to increase the mileage.
The high-octane algae fuel is a drop-in replacement for gasoline. No engine modifications required. Using a mixture of hydrocarbons refined from “green crude”, this is a low-emission, renewable fuel. The algae is “engineered” to meet certain driving dynamics, and grown in open ponds where it is then removed from the water in a 4-15 day process. The resulting oil can be used in any petrol-powered vehicle.
The Algaeus will visit 10 cities, starting in San Francisco on September 8th and ending in New York City on the 18th.
The list of cities the Algaeus will visit:
San Fancisco, CA (September 8th)
Sacramento, CA (September 9th)
Salt Lake City, UT (September 10th)
Cheyenne, WY (September 11th)
Lincoln, NE (September 12th)
Chicago, IL (September 13th)
Detroit, MI (September 14th)
Cleveland, OH (September 15th)
Erie, PA (September 16th)
Washington DC (September 17th)
New York, NY (September 18th)
For more on Sapphire Energy check out their website.
Source: Biofuels Digest
Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Energy-Companies, Algae-Energy-Products
Genifuel Tries Catalytic Gasification of Algae to Get Natural gas
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Algae are widely investigated with biodiesel production. While numerous companies are working to break barriers associated with commercial-scale algal biodiesel production, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Genifuel Corp. have embraced algae, or aquatic biomass, for a different purpose—natural gas production.
The companies are working to perfect a catalytic gasification process, which U.S. DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) recently granted Genifuel an exclusive license for, and to develop a technique to efficiently grow and harvest aquatic biomass for use as a feedstock.
The companies think their process, which was originally developed as a technique to clean up industrial and food processing waste as an alternative to incineration, will be more efficient than other methods of gasifying biomass.
Now, it’s just a matter of maintaining funding while fine-tuning and scaling up the system to prove it can be commercially viable.
Algae as an Organic Pest Control Agent
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is an organic and natural pest control agent. It consists of fossilized diatoms, which are a type of algae. DE looks like a harmless powder, but its sharp edges damage the exoskeleton of the insect and dehydrate it. Although this is deadly to many insects, it is safe around pets and people. As gardeners are looking for organic and natural alternatives to their gardening chemicals, DE is a great option for controlling many garden pests.
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Residential-sized biofuel unit in California
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California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined San Diego-based GreenHouse on the steps of the State Capitol as E-Fuel Corp. unveiled the final production model of the revolutionary E-Fuel MicroFueler, a portable micro-refinery fuel system for consumer use. The State of California's Department of General Services is also exploring a pilot program to test the MicroFueler with its flex-fuel vehicles.
The E-Fuel distribution system produces organic fuel by using carbohydrate waste products found in brewery waste, algae and cellulose. Using semiconductor technology, the appliance-sized units are pump-stations and ethanol distillers that can be installed at residences by the GreenHouse distribution team.
Each MicroFueler requires three kilowatts of electricity to produce a gallon of Efuel100, in turn one gallon of Efuel100 will generate up to 23 kilowatts of power. The system's proponents claim the ethanol generated will play an integral part in reducing California greenhouse gas emissions.
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Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Energy-Products
Genifuel Gasifies Algae to Get Natural Gas
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Genifuel wants to turn the pond scum into natural gas. The company is using catalytic hydrothermal gasification to create natural gas out of algae in a quick and efficient manner. It has obtained license from Pacific Northwest National Labs for its technology.
Genifuel claims that its gasification process has advantages over processes used by companies that turn algae into liquid fuels. Algae fuel producers have to separate water from algae to make fuel, Genifuel's process allows algae to go in wet.
To read more about catalytic gasification of wet biomass see Elliott's original paper
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Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Energy-Companies, Algae-Energy-Products
Aquatic Energy Expands its Algae Facility
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Aquatic Energy, Louisiana has announced that it is ready to expand its pilot scale plant into an 30-acre demonstration project using the company's open pond system, which is achieving yields on 2500 gallons per acre without an external CO2 source.
The expansion is expected to produce about 1.5 tons per day of algae biomass, which is targeted at the animal feed market.
Provided the funds can be raised, the next step past this demonstration expansion would be a full scale commercial project.
Source
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Companies, Algae-Energy-Products, Algae-Meal
The Boeing Co.Works on Jet Fuel From Algae
You are at: Oilgae Blog.The Boeing Co. has spent more than three years working with other groups to study making jet fuel from algae and other plants. Boeing's new exhibit at the Future of Flight Museum at Paine Field demonstrates how quickly algae can grow and become a source of fuel.
The aviation industry is in a better position to spark extensive use of biofuels than the auto industry, according to Boeing. There are only about 20,000 commercial aircraft in the world and only several hundred fueling stations, making for a smaller and less complex network.
The company has always been motivated to cut jet fuel costs, Scott said, and the recent volatility in the market only added to the incentive, he said.
An area the size of Maryland could grow enough algae to fuel all commercial jet flights in the world, according to Boeing.
Very little algae is currently being grown commercially for fuel, but that's expected to change soon, said John Williams, who handles publicity for the Seattle-based Algal Biomass Organization, a trade group of which Boeing is a member.
Most is being grown in labs, financed by government grants and private companies.
Within a year there could be several commercial projects, Williams said. Algae can be grown in many different ways, either in enclosed settings or open ponds, he said. It grows quickly -- the Boeing exhibit at the Future of Flight has algae reproducing in several separate small tanks, with narratives and a short video about prospects for use of the fuel.
A Seattle company, Targeted Growth, is studying which types of algae will be the best for biofuel production, he said. There are more than 30,000 types of algae, Scott said.
"We're trying to create a portfolio of fuels," Scott said.
Boeing isn't looking to get into the fuel-growing business, he said. Rather, it's trying to work with environmental organizations, airlines, engine builders, fuel suppliers and scientists to move the process along, Scott said.
The aviation industry is in a better position to spark extensive use of biofuels than the auto industry, according to Boeing. There are only about 20,000 commercial aircraft in the world and only several hundred fueling stations, making for a smaller and less complex network.
The company has always been motivated to cut jet fuel costs, Scott said, and the recent volatility in the market only added to the incentive, he said.
An area the size of Maryland could grow enough algae to fuel all commercial jet flights in the world, according to Boeing.
Very little algae is currently being grown commercially for fuel, but that's expected to change soon, said John Williams, who handles publicity for the Seattle-based Algal Biomass Organization, a trade group of which Boeing is a member.
Most is being grown in labs, financed by government grants and private companies.
Within a year there could be several commercial projects, Williams said. Algae can be grown in many different ways, either in enclosed settings or open ponds, he said. It grows quickly -- the Boeing exhibit at the Future of Flight has algae reproducing in several separate small tanks, with narratives and a short video about prospects for use of the fuel.
A Seattle company, Targeted Growth, is studying which types of algae will be the best for biofuel production, he said. There are more than 30,000 types of algae, Scott said.
"We're trying to create a portfolio of fuels," Scott said.
Boeing isn't looking to get into the fuel-growing business, he said. Rather, it's trying to work with environmental organizations, airlines, engine builders, fuel suppliers and scientists to move the process along, Scott said.
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Labels: Algae-Aviation-Fuel, Algae-Energy-Companies, Algae-Energy-Products
Algae, A Good Source of Edible Oil - Unilever
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Unilever, IBM and other companies said they are constantly investigating green technologies that would help them conserve energy or sell products to customers who embrace efficiencies.
An article in Greentech media says:
Phil Giesler, director of innovation and corporate ventures at Unilever said that Unilever is interested in the developing of edible fuels. Giesler said some of the conventional edible oils, such as palm oils, are being used to make transportation fuels. As a result, forests have been cleared plant more palm trees.
Algae could be a good source of edible oils, though it will likely take 10 or more years to bring it to market.
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Algae - boon to farmers and a solution to global warming
You are at: Oilgae Blog.CSIRO scientists are putting the humble algae to work as a source of biodiesel and the signs are very promising. With algae made up of a third oil, a third carbohydrate and a third protein, it was an ideal raw material for producing biodiesel and ethanol.
Dr Beer said theoretically all of Australia's diesel supplies could be produced from ponds covering just 10,000 hectares. The study found the establishment of a 500-hectare algal biodiesel plant in a rural area might create up to 45 jobs and provide opportunities to diversify in the agricultural sector.
While the technology was relatively simple, more research was needed, Dr Beer said.The next step was to build a pilot plant to see if the concept was commercial and viable and at what prices.
Like any crop, more work was also needed to identify the best species of algae to use and the conditions required for maximum yield. One challenge was to work out how to prevent other less productive algae taking over a pond, Dr Beer said.
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Labels: Algae-Cultivation, Algae-Energy-Products, Algae-Fuel-Research
Sapphire Energy’s Algae Fuel Process
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Sapphire Energy’s algae fuel process has been used successfully to make the three most important fuels, gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, Pyle says, and all three products have been independently certified to meet fuel standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials. In September 2008, Sapphire Energy raised $100 million in a second venture round from Bill Gates, Arch Venture Partners and others.
Biofuels technologies appear capable of someday producing 200,000 barrels of jet fuel a day—enough to supply the needs of the U.S. Air Force—from algae grown on less than 800,000 acres. [10-11 gallons per day or 3650-4000 gallons per year] “It’s not crazy to imagine that by the year 2050 we (the United States) could become an oil exporter again,” Briggs said. 80 million acres would replace the current oil demand of the United States. 3% of total land in the United States. Other estimates are 1-2% or less as the processes are improved. Light pipes allow for deeper algae ponds and over ten times more efficient land usage.
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Cheaper way of Making Biodiesel from Algae
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Chemists reported development of what they termed the first economical, eco-friendly process to convert algae oil into biodiesel fuel — a discovery they predict could one day lead to U.S. independence from petroleum as a fuel.
The study was presented recently at the 237th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.One of the problems with current methods for producing biodiesel from algae oil is the processing cost, and the New York researchers say their innovative process is at least 40 percent cheaper than that of others now being used. Supply will not be a problem: There is a limitless amount of algae growing in oceans, lakes, and rivers, throughout the world.
Another benefit from the "continuously flowing fixed-bed" method to create algae biodiesel, they add, is that there is no waste water produced to cause pollution.
A key advantage of this new process, he says, is that it uses a proprietary solid catalyst developed at his company instead of liquid catalysts used by other scientists today. First, the solid catalyst can be used over and over. Second, it allows the continuously flowing production of biodiesel, compared to the method using a liquid catalyst.
That process is slower because workers need to take at least a half hour after producing each batch to create more biodiesel. They need to purify the biodiesel by neutralizing the base catalyst by adding acid. No such action is needed to treat the solid catalyst, Wen explains.
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Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Energy-Products
Algae for Seaport's Energy Needs
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The Venetian port authority's deal with Enalg, announced last week, represents one of the latest and highest-profile forays into algae-fueled energy production. As detailed in the port's news release, the plan calls for construction of a $273 million, 40-megawatt power plant by 2011, using technology pioneered by Washington-based Solena Group.
Like many other plants, algae produce an oil that can be converted for industrial use. Solena's process involves growing the algae in plastic cylinders that are supplied with water, carbon dioxide and sunshine. The resulting biomass is then turned into a synthetic natural gas to fire electricity-generating turbines. The carbon dioxide released by burning the gas is fed back into the system to help grow the next generation of algae.
"The lagoon surroundings are ideal for experimenting with this new technology," said Paolo Costa, president of Venice's port authority. "The objective is to guarantee the energy self-sufficiency of the port of Venice and, in the near future, to look for the possibility of supplying energy to the ships moored at the dock."
Like many other plants, algae produce an oil that can be converted for industrial use. Solena's process involves growing the algae in plastic cylinders that are supplied with water, carbon dioxide and sunshine. The resulting biomass is then turned into a synthetic natural gas to fire electricity-generating turbines. The carbon dioxide released by burning the gas is fed back into the system to help grow the next generation of algae.
"The lagoon surroundings are ideal for experimenting with this new technology," said Paolo Costa, president of Venice's port authority. "The objective is to guarantee the energy self-sufficiency of the port of Venice and, in the near future, to look for the possibility of supplying energy to the ships moored at the dock."
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Thermo-chemical Conversion to Make Biofuels From Algae - A Reality
You are at: Oilgae Blog."Key advantages for algae include prolific growth rates and relatively high oil contents in certain species," said Lance Schideman, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Missouri."In addition, algae can help clean up water resources with excess nutrients and can be grown on lands that aren't useful for agricultural purposes."
The traditional method to produce biofuel from algae calls for extracting algae oil from the other biomass components and converting it via transesterification, Schideman said, but extraction methods are relatively expensive.An alternative processing method is called thermo-chemical conversion, or TCC, a chemical process that transforms organic compounds in a heated and pressurized enclosure to produce a biocrude oil
"It simulates the processes that went on in the earth when our petroleum reserves were formed. You're just doing it a lot faster," Schideman said."It's my opinion that TCC will be a very important technology in helping biofuels from algae become a reality."
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The traditional method to produce biofuel from algae calls for extracting algae oil from the other biomass components and converting it via transesterification, Schideman said, but extraction methods are relatively expensive.An alternative processing method is called thermo-chemical conversion, or TCC, a chemical process that transforms organic compounds in a heated and pressurized enclosure to produce a biocrude oil
"It simulates the processes that went on in the earth when our petroleum reserves were formed. You're just doing it a lot faster," Schideman said."It's my opinion that TCC will be a very important technology in helping biofuels from algae become a reality."
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Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Energy-Products
Algal Fuel Headed For The Racetrack
You are at: Oilgae Blog.
American boutique automaker Panoz Auto Development wants to return to the top tier of the American Le Mans Series in car powered by algal biofuel.
Founder Don Panoz said the company is "investigating concepts" that could it return to the premier LMP1 prototype category Panoz didn't offer many details when he made the announcement at a press conference before Saturday's 12 Hours of Sebring race, but Autoweek says "it is understood" that the car would use a Chevrolet engine and may burn butanol produced from algae.
"We are looking at something that has never been done before, something that would be good for sports car racing, good for Le Mans and good for us," Panoz said.
Founder Don Panoz said the company is "investigating concepts" that could it return to the premier LMP1 prototype category Panoz didn't offer many details when he made the announcement at a press conference before Saturday's 12 Hours of Sebring race, but Autoweek says "it is understood" that the car would use a Chevrolet engine and may burn butanol produced from algae.
"We are looking at something that has never been done before, something that would be good for sports car racing, good for Le Mans and good for us," Panoz said.
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products, Algae-Fuel-Research
Solazyme Produces Algae Fuel and High-end cosmetics
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Solazyme’s researchers are genetically modifying algae to consume common feedstocks, like switchgrass, sawdust, or even glycerol waste from chemical plants; then fermenting it to get it to grow as fast as possible. If the algae consume more feedstock than they can use, they produce oil as a way to store the excess energy. It’s that crude oil that can be refined into biodiesel.
Thousands of gallons of algae oil are stored in 42-gallon drums then the crude oil is refined into “Soladiesel” for vehicles, jet fuel, food products, and high-end cosmetics.
Another product is Solazyme’s “healthy beauty serum” – a clear, odorless, pleasantly viscous substance that soaks into my skin immediately, supposedly imparting the same natural sun protections microalgae develop in the wild and attacking my crows’ feet with algae-powered antioxidants.
Thousands of gallons of algae oil are stored in 42-gallon drums then the crude oil is refined into “Soladiesel” for vehicles, jet fuel, food products, and high-end cosmetics.
Another product is Solazyme’s “healthy beauty serum” – a clear, odorless, pleasantly viscous substance that soaks into my skin immediately, supposedly imparting the same natural sun protections microalgae develop in the wild and attacking my crows’ feet with algae-powered antioxidants.
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Toyota will Manufacture Car Using Bioplastics From Seaweed
You are at: Oilgae Blog.With the entire world looking for green alternatives, Toyota is in talks regarding an ultra lightweight, incredibly efficient plug-in hybrid with a body made of seaweed. The vehicle could potentially be seen in showrooms in 15 years, but it’s definitely not coming any time soon.
The concept builds on the 1/X plug-in hybrid concept that weighs in at 926 pounds. With bioplastics gaining popularity, instead of the vehicle having a carbon fiber body, it would instead be composed of plastic made from seaweed. Toyota believes this is a practice that will begin to catch on with other manufacturers.
The concept builds on the 1/X plug-in hybrid concept that weighs in at 926 pounds. With bioplastics gaining popularity, instead of the vehicle having a carbon fiber body, it would instead be composed of plastic made from seaweed. Toyota believes this is a practice that will begin to catch on with other manufacturers.
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Algae Fuel: The Evolutionary Reason It Actually Works
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Everyone has heard the algae pitch by now. The rapid-growing, single-celled buggers produce an inordinate amount of oil. Approximately 30 percent of their body mass in a natural state is lipid content and genetic engineering and selective breeding can pop it up closer to 70 percent. The whole North Sea oil field was once a giant algal bloom.
Algae proponents say they will ultimately be able to get 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of oil per acre per year from algae. That’s better than cellulosic ethanol where the optimistic prognosis is 2,700 gallons. A couple of thousand square miles of desert land and you could provide all of the fuel the U.S. needs, in theory.
Solazyme says it will be in position to produce algae-based fuel that’s competitively priced in two to three years.Solix, says it costs $33 a gallon to produce algae fuel right now and that’s in optimal lab conditions.
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Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Energy-Products
Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd. Eyes Algae as Growth Area
You are at: Oilgae Blog.A research team at Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd. in Dartmouth has found algae along the coast of Nova Scotia capable of providing essential nutrients in quantities sufficient to support commercialization.
Chief executive officer Robert Orr said Friday the fish-oil manufacturer is keeping the lid on most details for competitive reasons.
"There is a lot of research underway in this field around the world. We’ve made significant progress here in Nova Scotia but haven’t been overly public about it," he said.
Ocean Nutrition is preparing a fish-powder plant worth an estimated $23 million in Burnside Park. It is expected to open in a few months, but production will be linked to the health of the food industry."We will see more new food products launched as the economy improves," said Mr. Orr.
When the plant opens, operations will focus on turning oil from anchovies and sardines into fish oil and an omega-3 powder to be used as nutritional supplements to food.
The capacity to produce nutrients would increase significantly if a micro-fermentation process could be used to culture algae.
"We would be going directly to the same algae consumed by the fish to obtain omega-3 fatty acids and other nutritional compounds," Mr. Orr said.
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
BioCentric Energy Delivers Algae for Poultry Companies in USA
You are at: Oilgae Blog.BioCentric Energy Algae, a subsidiary of BioCentric Energy Holdings Inc, has delivered 400 grams of a high grade, rich in Omega 3 feedstock, to one of the largest poultry companies in the USA for analysis for utilization of high-grade food source.
Dennis Fisher, Board Member and President for BioCentric Energy Inc. (BEHL), stated today, "This analysis of our Algae will validate the claims that I made speaking to the National Algae Forum in Houston last month. Quality algae, grown inexpensively and exclusively in our patent-pending closed loop photobioreactor solution, is a new crop with higher yields, than any other crop on the planet. We can grow specific strains, determined to be rich in protein, carbohydrates, fats, and fiber, in any combination thereof, to feed humans soon (www.iimsam.org). In the interim, our algae will provide positive, quantifiable results in poultry, pigs, and fish."
Dennis Fisher, Board Member and President for BioCentric Energy Inc. (BEHL), stated today, "This analysis of our Algae will validate the claims that I made speaking to the National Algae Forum in Houston last month. Quality algae, grown inexpensively and exclusively in our patent-pending closed loop photobioreactor solution, is a new crop with higher yields, than any other crop on the planet. We can grow specific strains, determined to be rich in protein, carbohydrates, fats, and fiber, in any combination thereof, to feed humans soon (www.iimsam.org). In the interim, our algae will provide positive, quantifiable results in poultry, pigs, and fish."
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Dutch Biotechnology Firm Ingrepro Plans to Harness Waste to produce energy
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Dutch biotechnology firm Ingrepro plans to harness waste from sewers, farms and industry to produce biofuel and algae, which it hopes will eventually power airplanes, its chief executive said on Thursday. This is an indeed an excellent effort to produce energy from waste.
Ingrepro plans four initial projects in the Netherlands, and is set to start the first in September which aims to supply 20 percent of a city's energy needs with bi gas made from sewage waste while using the leftover nutrients for algae production.
"A lot of waste waters have a lot of nutrients, and people don't know what to do with them -- so why not grow the algae in the waste," Carel Callenbach told in an interview.
"The waste of biomethane (biogas) plants has very rich nutrients left over. At the moment they just pump it to the river or throw it away -- but we say next to these biomethane plants you need to build algal ponds to grow biomass."
s will use the waste from the potato industry, a food composting company and a ge farm to produce energy from biogas and cultivate algae.See more
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Labels: Algae-Cultivation-Sewage, Algae-Energy-Companies, Algae-Energy-Products
Algae Ponds for Carbon Capture - A Positive Thought By Prof Chris Rhodes
You are at: Oilgae Blog.In principle carbon capture using regenerative agriculture, ocean seeding/phytoplankton growth, biochar and algae production, coupled with societal relocalisation could become carbon negative to the tune of - 3 Gt of carbon per year, and yield a similar amount of useful biomass.
However, if phytoplankton could be caused to bloom, 1 Gt (billion tonnes) of carbon could be captured annually. It is claimed that regenerative agriculture might sequester around 3 Gt of carbon each year , and that by 2050, biochar production could account for another 1 Gt of carbon annually. In principle the carbon in the soil can stay there and improve its quality, but if the other kinds of captured carbon could be harvested, it might provide a useful potential source of biomass/fuel. Growing algae on a local pond could provide energy to replace fossil fuels for local communities, without impacting on arable land.
Since we emit 7 Gt/year of carbon from fossil fuels, the sum comes out something like (in Gt): 7 - 3 - 1 -1 = 2 Gt left to worry about. A cut in fossil fuel use by 50% through biomass curbs that to 1 Gt. Photosynthesis already absorbs around 3 Gt of carbon/year into oceanic phytoplankton and land-based plants, and if localised algal production cuts emissions from oil by another 1 Gt (assuming that we need 1 Gt less since we have that from algal biomass), the combined scheme is carbon negative by -3 Gt/year.
Hence in 40 years this would have cut 120 Gt of carbon from the atmosphere, which would reduce the concentration of CO2 by around 50 - 60 ppm.
However, if phytoplankton could be caused to bloom, 1 Gt (billion tonnes) of carbon could be captured annually. It is claimed that regenerative agriculture might sequester around 3 Gt of carbon each year , and that by 2050, biochar production could account for another 1 Gt of carbon annually. In principle the carbon in the soil can stay there and improve its quality, but if the other kinds of captured carbon could be harvested, it might provide a useful potential source of biomass/fuel. Growing algae on a local pond could provide energy to replace fossil fuels for local communities, without impacting on arable land.
Since we emit 7 Gt/year of carbon from fossil fuels, the sum comes out something like (in Gt): 7 - 3 - 1 -1 = 2 Gt left to worry about. A cut in fossil fuel use by 50% through biomass curbs that to 1 Gt. Photosynthesis already absorbs around 3 Gt of carbon/year into oceanic phytoplankton and land-based plants, and if localised algal production cuts emissions from oil by another 1 Gt (assuming that we need 1 Gt less since we have that from algal biomass), the combined scheme is carbon negative by -3 Gt/year.
Hence in 40 years this would have cut 120 Gt of carbon from the atmosphere, which would reduce the concentration of CO2 by around 50 - 60 ppm.
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Labels: Algae-CO2-Capture, Algae-Energy-Products
First Refinery Plant with Green House Gas Recycling with Algae
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Diamond Head Renewable Resources is a local company that will build a commercial energy and ethanol plant in Honolulu.
This will be the fist refinery of it's kind in America to include GHGs (Green House Gas) recycling with algae. It will be a closed system process by not just venting the CO2 into the atmosphere. This means a zero carbon footprint. We also will use waste and biomass not food, to produce the energy and ethanol. This green approach to alternative energy and fuels is an epiphany for the industry.
The Federal Department of Energy or Agriculture will guarantee capital loans for much of the cost. This will insure that Hawaii is not importing most of the ethanol we use. Blending gas now is 10% in Hawai'i and flex fuel vehicles can now use up to 85% ethanol though not sold here yet.
Diamond Head is second generation that is being put forward in new technology now. Algae grown in a vertical biogenerator can takeup the CO2 generated in the plant. Along with making oxygen the algae will be used in making biofuel.
This will be the fist refinery of it's kind in America to include GHGs (Green House Gas) recycling with algae. It will be a closed system process by not just venting the CO2 into the atmosphere. This means a zero carbon footprint. We also will use waste and biomass not food, to produce the energy and ethanol. This green approach to alternative energy and fuels is an epiphany for the industry.
The Federal Department of Energy or Agriculture will guarantee capital loans for much of the cost. This will insure that Hawaii is not importing most of the ethanol we use. Blending gas now is 10% in Hawai'i and flex fuel vehicles can now use up to 85% ethanol though not sold here yet.
Diamond Head is second generation that is being put forward in new technology now. Algae grown in a vertical biogenerator can takeup the CO2 generated in the plant. Along with making oxygen the algae will be used in making biofuel.
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Labels: Algae-CO2-Capture, Algae-Energy-Products
Algae Protein Market -A Driving Force for Algae Biodiesel
You are at: Oilgae Blog.The growing use of algae biomass for nutraceutical purposes is expected to provide an attractive revenue stream for those using algae oil for biodiesel.The further development of a large-scale algae protein market will be the driving force to making algae oil a reality for biodiesel production. The path forward is awaiting, but more marketing and penetration into existing food sectors is needed. The sports nutrition market is worth more than $27 billion per year and has a great potential as an algae protein market.
Algae, are a fish food, used for many common species including tilapia. Algae are also used to feed the brine shrimp used to feed other species of farm-raised fish such as salmon. Regardless, algae are in high demand for fish food in the aquaculture market and provide a great revenue stream for the algae industry.
The vitamins and minerals within algae may be fractionated from the biomass. This application has been used for years for a wide array of products in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. After the algal biomass is fractionated, the remaining cellulosic material and sugars make a great feedstock whole, or blended with other feedstocks, for the production of cellulosic ethanol.
As these potential new markets open, and due to the high value of biomass, algae lipid oil will become a reality as a feedstock for biodiesel production. These are some of the factors that need to be considered in order to make an algae farm for lipid oil profitable and provide an inexpensive high-grade feedstock for biodiesel production.
A twin photobioreactor and lighting array is used to produce algae
Algae, are a fish food, used for many common species including tilapia. Algae are also used to feed the brine shrimp used to feed other species of farm-raised fish such as salmon. Regardless, algae are in high demand for fish food in the aquaculture market and provide a great revenue stream for the algae industry.
The vitamins and minerals within algae may be fractionated from the biomass. This application has been used for years for a wide array of products in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. After the algal biomass is fractionated, the remaining cellulosic material and sugars make a great feedstock whole, or blended with other feedstocks, for the production of cellulosic ethanol.
As these potential new markets open, and due to the high value of biomass, algae lipid oil will become a reality as a feedstock for biodiesel production. These are some of the factors that need to be considered in order to make an algae farm for lipid oil profitable and provide an inexpensive high-grade feedstock for biodiesel production.
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Labels: Algae-Cultivation, Algae-Energy-Products
Excellent Algae Fuel FAQ from HR Biopetroleum
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Lots of good questions and brief but useful answers - a good reference.
Link here
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Nevadans Believe Renewable Energy Sector Will Create Good Jobs
You are at: Oilgae Blog.The poll, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies Nov. 12-13, showed 85 percent of Nevada Republicans, 89 percent of state Democrats and 94 percent of Silver State Independents see renewable energy as an investment that will create good jobs.
The survey of 600 state residents, which had a plus-or-minus error range of 4 percent, also said 88 percent of voters who perceive the economy as a top priority also view renewable energy as a prospective jobs-creation machine for Nevada.
Archer -- whose center routinely pushes for jobs creation via business entrepreneurs and technology transfers, along with "angel" or venture capital investments -- said the poll's strong support captured his attention.
"I'm interested by the sheer magnitude of it, but it makes perfect sense," said Archer, speaking from the Reno area. He said Nevada has the regulatory environment, the entrepreneurial spirit and the geographic setting for such development.
Wind, solar, geothermal and algae-based bio-fuels are all in some stage of development in the state, he said. He noted that means Nevada is in a good spot as President-elect Barack Obama brings his green and renewable energy rhetoric into office next month.
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Issued Income and Excise Tax Credits for Biodiesel and Cellulosic Biofuels
You are at: Oilgae Blog.The Internal Revenue Service issued in late November Notice 2008-110, providing guidance regarding the income and excise tax credits for biodiesel and cellulosic biofuels under sections 40A, 6426 and 6427(e) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Regarding biodiesel, the notice details changes made to the biodiesel and biodiesel mixture tax incentives resulting from the revision of the ASTM D 6751 standard for biodiesel. To claim these incentives, taxpayers must generally obtain from the biodiesel producer a certificate that identifies the product, and the percentage of “biodiesel and agri-biodiesel” contained within the product, according to Stoel Rives LLP. In order to complete the required certificate, the producer must certify, among other things, that the biodiesel meets ASTM D 6751 requirements. Effective Oct. 13, 2008, ASTM revised this standard by adding a cold soak filtration test for biodiesel.
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Algae-Based Jet Fuels for Military Use Research Won Multi-Million-dollar Contracts from DRAPA
You are at: Oilgae Blog.DARPA is seeking an algae-based alternative to the JP-8 fuel used by the US Air Force. Such an alternative could also be used to streamline fuel supplies for Army vehicles, according to the publication Defense Industry Daily.
Investigating ways to make algae-based jet fuels both technically and commercially feasible will be Science Applications International Corp., which was awarded a $14.9 million contract, and General Atomics, which won a $19.9 million for research to be conducted in cooperation with the Scripps Institutions of Oceanography, Arizona State University, Blue Sun Biodiesel, Texas A&M AgriLIFE, UOP, Hawaii Bio Energy, the University of North Dakota’s Energy and Environmental Research Center and Utah State University.
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Labels: Algae-Aviation-Fuel, Algae-Energy-Products
Algae Commercialization, Research and and Business Networking Forum - Jan 2009
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Press release
Algae Commercialization, Research and and Business Networking Forum
January 29-30, 2009
The National Algae Association announces its Algae Commercialization, Research and
Business Networking Forum. We are the first algae trade association in the U.S.
Algae researchers, existing algae oil production companies, algaeprenuers and potential investors will present leading-edge technologies for the fast track commercialization of the Algae industry. The NAA brings algae researchers and companies together to share ideas and exchange information to overcome technological hurdles.
Current high oil prices, the collapse of food-for-fuel initiatives and concerns
about increased levels of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere have all created awareness
of the need for alternative fuel solutions. Algae is renewable, does not affect
the food channel and eats C02 which can be processed and refined into a variety
of transportation fuels. (i.e., jet fuel, biodiesel, biogasoline).
Recent breakthroughs in raceway pond development and closed-end loop photobioreactor
systems (PBR's) put algae oil production companies on the leading-edge of the renewable oil industry. The U.S. needs to get off foreign oil, become energy independent and create new green jobs.
When: January 29-30, 2009
Where: The Sheraton North Houston (ask for special NAA rate)
George Bush Intercontinental Airport
15700 JFK Blvd.
Houston, Texas
(281) 442-5100
For more information, contact 936.321.1125 or info@nationalalgaeassociation.com
Call for Presentation and Papers
January 29-30, 2009
The National Algae Association is growing at an astronomical rate. We are the first
national trade association for the algae industry in the United States. Due to the
high cost of oil, commercializing the algae oil industry is now on a fast track.
We need to get off foreign oil and to bring back energy security to the US.
Collaboration,innovation and commercialization are the motivating factors of our organization.If you are working on algae and you have an innovative or breakthrough technology you would like to present to a large group of biofuels producers, scientists, researchers and potential investors, you are invited to submit your presentation for review for the next National Algae Association event on January 29-30, 2009. We are seeking presentations from experienced subject matter experts, organizations, institutions and scientists with applied knowledge in biology, biochemical engineering, plant physiology, petrochemical or refinery engineering, mechanical/process design engineering, and entrepreneurs who can effectively communicate scientific knowledge into business language for biofuels producers, investors and other entrepreneurs. If you would like to be considered as a speaker, please submit your presentation and papers at your earliest convenience.
Also, if you are interested in becoming a group leader for research, operations,
extraction or financing teams, please let us know.
Research & Development Groups by Topics and areas of interest:
Group 1 - Algae Species Selection
Species selection for high oil/lipid content and yields for biodiesel
Species selection for high starch content and yields for ethanol
Species selection for high tolerance for variations in light, temperature, etc
Group 2 - Algae Production Systems
Improved selection criteria for C02, N02, and Nutrients in PBR and pond systems
Technology process improvements, breakthroughs, innovations in PBR lighting
Technology process improvements, breakthroughs, innovations PBR and pond harvesting
systems
Technology process improvements, breakthroughs, innovations for post-processing
drying and paste systems
Group 3 - Algae Extraction Technologies
Technology process improvements, breakthroughs, innovations for algae oil extraction
Technology process improvements, breakthroughs, innovations for algae starch extraction
Technology process improvements, breakthroughs, innovations for algae oil extraction
Comparative analysis of algae extraction technologies, including best practices
and applied solutions
Group 4 - Algae Biorefining Technologies
1st Generation Biodiesel Systems - Integrating algae oil into existing
transesterfication systems
1st Generation Ethanol Systems - Integrating algae starch into existing
fermentation/distillation systems
2nd Generation Biorefineries - Innovations in Algae to Biocrude technologies for
powergen
2nd Generation Biorefineries - Innovations in Algae Biocrude catalysts to Biodiesel,
Biogasoline, Jet Fuel
2nd Generation Biorefineries - Innovations in Algae Biomass to Liquids technologies
via refining/hydrocracking
2nd Generation Biorefineries - Innovations in Algae Biomas to Liquids via Fischer
Tropsch
We are planning for the biggest conference to date and we need to start preparing for it now.
Submit presentations and papers to:
National Algae Association
4747 Research Forest Dr., Suite 180
The Woodlands, Texas 77381
936.321.1125
info@nationalalgaeassociation.com
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Companies, Algae-Energy-Products, Algae-Fuel-Research
Ethanol from Blue-Green Algae - via Acetobacter xylinum genes
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Numerous alternative means of manufacturing ethanol have cropped up recently, such as this method devised by scientists from The University of Texas at Austin. This new method entails the use of a microbe, more particularly a photosynthetic cyanobacterium which is more popularly known as blue-green algae. This cyanobacterium can produce cellulose which could be turned into ethanol, as well as sucrose and glucose which could directly be converted to ethanol too. The cyanobacteria are able to produce cellulose through the implanted genes from vinegar bacterium, Acetobacter xylinum, which is a non-photosynthetic cellulose producer.
More from here
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products, Algae-Ethanol
Algae Gasification - Get Gasoline & Diesel from Algae the Simple Way
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Nice post here on a video on algae gasification. I think algae gasification directly to syngas and then on to more fuels has a lot of potential.
As the note in the post also mentions, gasification eliminates the need to extract oil from the algae because the algae is vaporized by the heat of the gasifier to syngas. Syngas is used to produce gasoline (and a whole host of other hydrocarbon fuels) through the use of proprietary catalysts.
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Algae Biomass Catalytic Synthesis using Syngas & Fischer Tropsch
You are at: Oilgae Blog.One of the more interesting ways to convert algae into fuel is through the gasification-fischer-tropsch route. This procedure is known also as thermochemical process, as it comprises the thermal process (gasification) followed by the catalytic chemical synthesis (Fischer-Tropsch is one of the most well known catalytic synthesis processes).
This is not exactly an unknown route, but this is a route that algae energy companies are only about starting to explore. Solena is one such interesting company.
Some useful resources on FT-based biofuels
Here's a link on Fischer Tropsch process from our good ole Wikipedia.
Fischer Tropsch Diesel - Link
The Fischer-Tropsch Fat Connection - Link
Large-scale Fischer-Tropsch Fuel Production - Opportunities Challenges - Link (PDF)
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Colorado Field Institute sponsors a program on algae biofuel on Dec 10
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Colorado Field Institute (CFI), in cooperation with San Luis Valley RC&D and Colorado State University, is sponsoring a program on how rural Colorado can benefit from the use of algae as a biofuel. First in CFI’s fourth annual Winter Lecture Series, the interactive program will be presented by Jeff Veres, president and Chris Reim, vice president of American Bioresources LLC. The two entrepreneurs indicate that ABR is currently in a startup phase, about 12 months from commercial operations.
ABR proposes to supply agriculture producers with the equipment and support required to improve their income by adding algae production for fuel and feedstock to their land use. The discussion will focus on ABR's technology application, the potential positive economic impact on producers and the practical wisdom of growing algae, which requires only limited water and can be grown on otherwise unproductive land.
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Labels: Algae-Cultivation, Algae-Energy-Products
Times magazine Quotes Aquaflow Bionomics
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation is making its mark on the international stage, after being named as the 11th best invention in the world for 2008 by Time magazine.
In September, the three year old company announced it had also discovered a way to make green crude oil. Aquaflow was mentioned in Time magazine under the invention title Green Crude, along with major American biofuel companies such as Sapphire Energy.
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Green Star Products: Energy from Algae is Being Recognized as a Major Solution
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Press Release Source: Green Star Products, Inc.
Thursday October 30, 2008
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Green Star Products, Inc. today announced that it is releasing part two of a report covering the assessment of the 2nd Algae Biomass Summit hosted by Byrne & Company and Wilson Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati.
Part one of this report was published on October 27, 2008 (see 10/27/2008 GSPI press release titled “Green Star States: Energy From Algae Is Being Recognized As A Major Solution” at http://www.greenstarusa.com/news/08-10-27.html).
Joseph LaStella, President of Green Star Products, attended the conference and reported, “Prominent speakers from all over the world displayed their research and the potential of algae to permanently solve the oil crisis, food crisis, and to control the buildup of global warming gases. The algae biological makeup was also investigated for the possibility to produce chemicals and new products limited only by our ingenuity to create them.
“One of the conference highlights was the presentation given by Congressman Jay Inslee (D-WA) from the state of Washington. Representative Inslee, being a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming, has been a long term supporter of national sustainability and energy independence.
“Congressman Inslee started his speech by giving an account of what his father had told him as a young boy in 1959. Holding up a flask of algae, his father (a biologist) told him, 'Someday this will cure the world's energy needs.'
“Congressman Inslee went on to say that the United States needs an energy, environmental and job creation program similar in national commitment to the Apollo Space Program launched by President John F. Kennedy. He also stated that President Kennedy knew that the U.S.A. could beat the Russians to the moon if the United States ingenuity engine was unleashed. A similar program sponsored by Congressman Inslee is called 'The New Apollo Energy Act' which challenges us on energy independence, global warming and creating jobs.
“Congressman Inslee outlined a four point program, to address the triple threat to the U.S.: imported oil, global warming and job losses (http://www.house.gov/inslee/). Representative Inslee asked all 600 participants of the algae summit to go to Washington, D.C., and help him on Capitol Hill.
“Congressman Inslee reminded us that our fathers fought in World War II and left a legacy for Democracy. Those born after World War II, the 'baby boomers,' must now leave a legacy of Clean Energy. Industries cannot keep dumping their garbage into the atmosphere like it's a free sewer, and it is obvious that the U.S. addiction to foreign oil now has critical economic and national security implications.”
Mr. LaStella also states, “There was a clear consensus of opinion from all the industries, including airline, energy and chemical industries, that algae biomass is the answer to this dilemma. Presently, there is no clear pathway to the reduction of cost to produce commercial algae biomass.
“In summary, the summit speakers identified the most important items challenging the commercial production of algae biomass were the reduction of costs associated with capital construction and operation.
“Green Star's Hybrid Algae Production System (HAPS), one of the largest demonstration facilities, was operated for a continuous nine month period that created a foundation for addressing these cost issues. The HAPS system is protected by 23 individual patent pending components involving construction and operating techniques which will make it very cost competitive. None of these 23 high tech components were incorporated in any presentation at this summit by other companies.
“Therefore, it is my opinion that Green Star is ahead of the technology curve associated with the production of commercial scale algae biomass. Green Star is planning an exciting year for 2009 in developing two 500-acre commercial algae production facilities.”
As an additional comment, our last press release (part one) contained some minor inaccurate information. The Algae Biomass Summit was hosted by Byrne & Company and Wilson Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, and we would also like to give credit to John Williams of Scoville PR and the Algal Biomass Organization (ABO) (algalbiomass.org) because we used several phrases from their press release to describe the attendance spectrum at the conference. We did reference their document in the previous press release; however, we would like to acknowledge again the efforts of Vinod Khosla in supporting this great industry.
Green Star Products, Inc. (OTC: GSPI - News) is an environmentally friendly company dedicated to creating innovative, cost-effective products to improve the quality of life and clean up the environment. Green Star Products and its Consortium are involved in the production of green sustainable goods including renewable resources like algae biodiesel and clean-burning biofuels, cellulosic ethanol and other products, as well as lubricants, additives and devices that reduce emissions and improve fuel economy in vehicles, machinery and power plants. For more information, see Green Star Products' Web site at http://www.GreenStarUSA.com, or call Public Relations at 1-800-741-7648 and 1-800-340-9784, or fax 619-789-4743, or email info@GreenStarUSA.com. Information about trading prices and volume can be obtained at several Internet sites, including http://www.pinksheets.com, http://www.bloomberg.com and http://www.bigcharts.com under the ticker symbol "GSPI".
Forward-looking statements in the release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, continued acceptance of the company's products, increased levels of competition for the company, new products and technological changes, the company's dependence on third-party suppliers, and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contact:
Green Star Products, Inc.
Joseph LaStella, President
800-741-7648
800-340-9784
619-864-4010
619-789-4743 (fax)
info@GreenStarUSA.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Green Star Products, Inc.
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Labels: Algae-Cultivation, Algae-Energy-Companies, Algae-Energy-Products
Hydrogen from Algae - Hydrogenase, Sulfur Depletion...
You are at: Oilgae Blog.In 1939 Hans Gaffron, a University of Chicago research scientist, observed that the green algae he was studying, Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, would occasionally switch from the production of oxygen to the production of Hydrogen. Gaffron was unable to discover why the algae would change to Hydrogen production and the answer would remain elusive for many years. In the late 1990s,
University of California at Berkeley Professor Anastasios Melis discovered that if the algae culture medium is deprived of sulfur it will switch from the production of oxygen (normal photosynthesis), to the production of Hydrogen.
Further research revealed that the enzyme responsible for this reaction is Hydrogenase, but that the Hydrogenase lost this function in the presence of oxygen. Melis determined that depleting the amount of sulfur available to the algae interrupted its internal oxygen flow, allowing the Hydrogenase an environment in which it can react, causing the algae to produce Hydrogen. Chlamydomonas moeweesi is also a good strain for the production of Hydrogen.
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products, Algae-Hydrogen
Algae Biodiesel vs. Cellulosic Ethanol - an interesting comparison
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Here are some comparisons:
(1) Algae can be converted into ethanol or diesel, depending on the process.
(2) Cellulose feedstock, generally speaking, has a much larger geographic footprint than proposed algae designs.
(3) Both algae and ethanol can be grown utilizing waste streams.
(4) Cellulosic feedstock for ethanol is available now. Algae feedstock is not clearly ready.
(5) For both of these very promising feedstocks, algae and cellulose, we are going to wait a few more years before we’ll hopefully get a clear indication as to whether or not they truly emerge as major sources of transportation fuel.
This report does not consider converting algae to ethanol, from what I understand but rather does a direct comparison between different feedstocks for ethanol and for biodiesel (algae). However, it is an interesting article.
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products, Algae-Ethanol
XL Renewables Says Algae Shows Promise for Fuel, Other Uses
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Not surprisingly with an emerging technology, the playing field is shifting for algae biomass pioneer XL Renewables Inc.
The firm's Algae Development Center has refined its patented XL Super Trough System for algae biomass production at the company's facility at Withrow Dairy in Casa Grande. But a field day to kick off marketing efforts for the system has been pushed back as financing complications are worked out.
"The market demand for vegetable oil from algae biomass is a primary driver for the development of this new crop," said Ben Cloud, president and CEO of XL Renewables Inc. "XL Renewables Inc. continues work toward the development of algae biomass as a crop grown in Arizona, and we expect Arizona to be a leading supplier of algae biomass products for food and energy."
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Renewable Jet Fuel About to Takeoff, Also Considering Algae as Feedstock
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Several members of the renewable fuels industry recently made announcements promoting their latest accomplishments in renewable jet fuel production.
Researchers at the University of North Dakota’s Energy & Environmental Research Center have produced samples of a 100 percent renewable jet fuel that meets the stringent requirements for the U.S. military’s JP-8 jet fuel. JP-8 is similar to Jet A, which is used in commercial aviation equipment. “If you can make JP-8, you can make Jet A,” said Tom Erickson, associate director for research at the EERC. Research is also being conducted on algal-oil-to-fuel projects
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Labels: Algae-Aviation-Fuel, Algae-Energy-Products
Aquaflow Bionomic to Work with Multi-national
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Marlborough-based Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation, which announced last month it had produced biofuel from algae growing on sewage, is to work with a multi-national company to commercially exploit its technology.
Aquaflow said today it had signed a memorandum of understanding with United States-based UOP LLC, wholly owned by Honeywell International Inc, to work together to convert wild algae into fuel products and sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) for Aquaflow's algal oil production.
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Algae Fuel Webinar - Can Algae Biofuels Satisfy Growing Biofuel Needs?
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Two leading Algae experts will share their views on the commercialization prospects of Algae Biofuels at the upcoming "Algae Biofuels: The REAL Story" webinar. This webinar separates facts from fiction and will provide a critical examination of several key issues central to long-term commercial success.
Algae Biofuels may not be quite ready for commercial production. In fact, according to one industry expert, future development faces three significant obstacles:
1) The relatively high costs of production;
2) The current market focus on Algae production for the health food market and
3) The lack of biological know-how for commercial scale Algae biofuel production.
So what is the correct and commercially viable path for Algae Biofuels to ultimately take? Today's current realities will be explored at the upcoming "Algae Biofuels: The REAL Story" webinar. This free webinar will air Wednesday, 29 October at 9 a.m. US Eastern Time, 1 p.m. GMT, 6.30 p.m. India, 9 p.m. Singapore/Hong Kong. The webinar is part of the upcoming Algae World 2008 meeting in Singapore on November 17 and 18.
For more info on the webinar, see here
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Talk on Biofuels Winners, Billion Dollar Companies at Algae Biomass Summit
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Algae-based biofuels are the topic du jour. And why not—the prospect of using pond scum to power 21st-century transportation and replace crude oil is pretty appealing. So one of the highlights from the Algae Biomass Summit in Seattle yesterday, besides the keynote by venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, was a panel of prominent VCs discussing the ins and outs of the fledgling biofuels business. Bob Nelsen, a co-founder and managing director at Seattle-based Arch Venture Partners, was joined by Jim Long, a venture partner at Redwood Shores, CA-based Gabriel Venture Partners, and moderator Josh Green, a general partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures in Menlo Park, CA.
Interesting analysis on the summit here
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Algal Biomass Organization
You are at: Oilgae Blog.The Algal Biomass Organization is a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to the advancement of the algal biomass industry. It promotes the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable commodities derived from algae.
The primary purpose of the Algal Biomass Organization is to:
* Facilitate commercialization and market development of microalgae biomass specifically for biofuels production and greenhouse gas abatement.
* Deliver information to the public on initiatives, funding opportunities, and industry development.
* Provide networking and collaboration opportunities.
* Establish cutting edge research and commercialization summits and other meeting opportunities.
* Develop a high quality interactive repository of information on algae biomass technology, science, products, processes, patents, and economics.
* Facilitate IP aggregation, licensing, and royalty management.
* Develop quality and measurement best practices for algal biomass, products, systems technology, and econometrics.
* Afford career advancement and consultant opportunities.
Board of directors:
Mr. Darrin Morgan, Co-Chairperson Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Mr. Billy Glover, Co-Chairperson Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Mr. Thomas Byrne, Secretary Byrne & Company, Ltd.
Mr. Mark Allen P.E. A2BE Carbon Capture Corporation
Dr. Philip Pienkos National Renewable Energy Labs
Dr. Greg Mitchell Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Dr. John Benemann Benemann Associates
Mr. Tyler Krutzfeldt Mont Vista Capital
Dr. Keith Cooksey Montana State University
More from the organization web site here
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Carbon Trust of UK announces world's largest algal biofuel project
You are at: Oilgae Blog.It launches £26m project to develop transport fuels made from algae.
The world's biggest publicly funded project to make transport fuels from algae launched by a government agency which develops low-carbon technologies. The Carbon Trust announced a project to make algal biofuels a commercial reality by 2020. The plan could see up to £26m spent on developing the technology and infrastructure to ensure that algal biofuels replace a signficant proportion of the fossil fuels used by UK drivers.
Full story from here
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Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Energy-Products
Algae to Be Showcased at National Algae Association Conference October 23-24 in Houston
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Press release
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For more than 20 years, Algae biofuels projects have been primarily focused on biodiesel production. “In recent years, the algae industry has evolved in size, scope, technologies and applications to produce several different types of fuels for transport and power generation,” notes Will Thurmond, Chairman of Research and Development for the National Algae Association and author of the 685 page Biodiesel 2020 study. “There are dozens of new algae projects and applications emerging to produce biodiesel, ethanol, commercial jet fuel, renewable diesel, biogasoline, biomass for power generation and hydrogen fuels,” said Thurmond.
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Algae are the fastest-growing plants in the world. Compared to 1st generation feedstocks, algae holds enormous potential to provide a high-yield, non-arable land use, non-food, non-rainforest source of fuels. Like other plants, Algae use photo-synthesis to harness sunlight and carbon dioxide in order to capture energy stored inside the cell as lipids (the source for oil) and starches/carbohydrates.
“Many of the National Algae Association’s members are now starting to create ethanol from starch-rich algae strains. Other NAA members are utilizing waste streams from municipal water authorities to grow algae. In addition there is a great deal of interest to capture carbon from the smokestacks of a power plant, and use the carbon to produce algae for low-emissions biofuels for transport - a double benefit for environmental pollution,” said Thurmond. “The petroleum, defense, and aviation industries are increasingly investing in converting algae into bio-oil (also called bio-crude, or syncrude) that can either be sold directly to petrol refineries, or to aviation companies to be processed into JP8 jet fuels.”
Barry Cohen, founder of the National Algae Association Industry, notes, “the US commercial aviation industry spends upwards of $1.6 billion a month on jet fuel. Due to these rising demands and concerns, the NAA is witnessing an increasing number of members and projects from petroleum, defense, and aviation industries to reduce commercial aviation fuel costs and to support of US government and defense efforts for energy independence,” said Cohen.
The National Algae Association will host its third event from October 23-24 near Houston to showcase many of its members’ projects, including algae to: biodiesel, ethanol, aviation fuel, renewable diesel, biocrude, hydrogen, and bio-gasoline from algae. Several companies, including Sapphire Energy, Origin Oil, and representatives from the biofuels, aviation and petroleum industries will present their leading-edge algae technologies and projects at the NAA’s next event.
For more information on this event, or to become a member of the NAA visit: http://www.nationalalgaeassociation.com.
Contact:
National Algae Association
Barry Cohen, 936-321-1125
info(at)nationalalgaeassociation.com
www.nationalalgaeassociation.com
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Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Energy-Products
Algae Biodiesel Space Getting Hotter
You are at: Oilgae Blog.This month (Sep 2008) algae as a fuel source made the news several times. Last week, Sapphire Energy announced it received $100 million to help reach its goal of making commercial amounts of algae fuel in three to five years. Investors included Bill Gates investment company, Cascade Investment, LLC. In June Sapphire received $50 million from investors.
At the beginning of the month, Arizona State University (ASU) announced its partnership with Heliae Development, LLC and Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) to develop a kerosene-based jet fuel derived from algae. Last year ASU researched using algae as jet fuel, in conjunction with UOP, a Honeywell company.
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Companies, Algae-Energy-Investments, Algae-Energy-Products
GreenFuel Tech for Oil from Algae not Viable Until Oil Price of 800$ per Barrel
You are at: Oilgae Blog.A Research Paper that Says GreenFuel Method to produce Oil from Algae will Work Only at Oil @ $800 per barrel
This is a paper by a researcher Krassan Dimitrov which essentially says algal oil methods, as proposed by the industry pioneer GreenFuel Technologies of the USA, simply is not cost-effective.
This report shows that GreenFuel’s method will not be economically feasible, even if the company achieves spectacular progress in development of its technology. Fundamental thermodynamic constrains make it impossible for such approach to be commercially viable for fuel prices below $800/bbl, even if flawless technological implementation is assumed. Since other technologies offer alternative options at substantially lower costs, GreenFuel’s approach cannot be expected to have a significant place in our future energy supply or carbon mitigation strategy.
Full report here (PDF) - written in Mar 2007
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Beyond Gasoline - Next Gen Biofuels
You are at: Oilgae Blog.In this interesting article, Popular Mechanics crunches the numbers on alternative fuels for the real world. Here's the list:
1. Cellulosic ethanol (biological method and gasification method)
2. Algal biodiesel
3. Green gasoline
4. Biobutanol
5. Designer hydrocarbons
6. Fourth gen fuels
Very interesting. Read the full post here
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Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Cascade Investment of Bill Gates, Arch Venture Back Biofuel Maker Sapphire Energy
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Algae-based biofuel is getting pretty big—at least as an investment. Today, the Wall Street Journal reports that San Diego-based Sapphire Energy has closed a round of venture financing from Bill Gates’s investment arm, Kirkland, WA-based Cascade Investment. Sapphire Energy, which is working on oil-producing algae, has now raised a total of $100 million, and is also backed by Arch Venture Partners, Venrock, and Wellcome Trust.
According to the WSJ, Sapphire is working towards a 10,000-barrel-a-day algae-based oil facility, and can now concentrate on production and engineering problems. Meanwhile, Gates’s involvement may signal a broader interest in alternative biofuels.
Full story here
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Iowa Senator Tom Harkin Visits Shenandoah for Algae Ethanol Project
You are at: Oilgae Blog.The potential of algae as an energy source has a lot of people excited, including Iowa senator Tom Harkin.
The potential of algae as an energy source has a lot of people excited, including Iowa senator Tom Harkin. Recently, Harkin was in Shenandoah, Iowa to meet with representatives from Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc. and Shenandoah Chamber and Industry Association Director Gregg Connell at the chamber's office to hear an update on GPRE's plan.
"As chairman of the Agricultural Committee I've put a lot of emphasis on the Farm Bill on building more cellulose ethanol plants, and now I've become aware of algae and how we can get diesel fuel basically out of algae," said Harkin after the meeting. "I've looked at different companies around the United States and we've got testimony about this, and quite frankly the promise of growing algae, which only takes sunlight and CO2, the oils that you get from them for diesel is just phenomenal.
Let's hope more such influential folks all over the world start getting aware of algae oil and get more investments pouring into this area
Full news report from here
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Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Energy-Products
Algae Fuel Tested at US Power Plants with GreenFuel Tech
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Algae fuel idea has been tested at several locations. NRG Energy, a power company based in Princeton, N.J., participated with GreenFuel Technologies Corp. to try out GreenFuel's proprietary system at a 1,489-net-megawatt, coal-fueled power plant in New Roads, La.
NRG spokesman David Knox said that he could not discuss the results, but that the utility is "interested in seeing what evolves from the GreenFuel technology as they do further research."
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Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Algae to palm oil, Airlines Seeking Alternative Fuels
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Some interesting points:
1. The airline industry is aggressively pushing for homegrown alternatives to petroleum-based jet fuel to help control a projected $61 billion industrywide fuel expense this year.
2. Jet engines can be retrofitted to run on hydrogen, for example. But hydrogen does not pack the same punch as traditional jet fuel -- kerosene -- and would require airlines to buy planes designed with massive tanks.
3. The best bet right now for nonconventional fuel comes from South Africa, experts said. The country has powered its airline industry for a decade using a coal-based jet fuel blend developed by petrochemicals group Sasol.
4. Meanwhile, Boeing and Air New Zealand later this year will test a biofuel made from the oil-rich seeds of the jatropha tree. In February, Boeing partnered with Virgin Atlantic to test a flight that included a biofuel mixture of babassu oil, which comes from a palm tree in northern Brazil, and coconut oil.
5. And finally algae: Investors have pumped almost $84 million into companies developing algae-based fuel so far this year, up from $29 million in all of 2007, according to the Cleantech Group, an industry research firm...Yay Yay!
6. And the usual dampener: Despite its promise, it will be years before algae biofuel could be sold at a price that would make sense to an airline
Full report here
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Cultivation, Algae-Energy-Products
Nick Mashin of Canrex Biofuels Ltd. - Algae Fuel Has Bright Future
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Toronto, Jun 2008
“Biodiesel from algae has the potential to replace petro fuels”, boasts entrepreneur Nick Mashin. Currently, biofuels are largely derived from oil seed crops such as canola, soybean, rapeseed and palm oil. The competition between food and fuel uses has resulted in record breaking commodity prices for these agricultural stocks.
Biofuels have since become more expensive than conventional fossil fuel and many biofuel plants have become government subsidized or forced to close. Nick Mashin of Canrex Biofuels Ltd. predicts the future is biodiesel derived from algae. Algae farming has been around for 50 years, and with oil content as high as 70 percent, algae clearly has a future in biodiesel production. Biofuels such as ethanol take an equal part of fossil fuel to produce the same proportion of ethanol with the added release of carbon emissions.
In addition to the high oil yield of algae, its added benefit is that it is a major consumer of carbon dioxide. Mashin insists that algae operations could partner with industries that produce high levels of carbon dioxide to draw off their emissions and absorb them into algae cultivation.
Canrex Biofuels Ltd. is currently developing and refining its technology that will see algae production and the supply of biodiesel expand worldwide. With worldwide concern for the future of energy supplies and prices, biodiesel is a clean renewable fuel with few environmental impacts if developed without the use of food stocks.
Source
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Energy-Products
Air NZ, Continental, Virgin, Boeing Join Algae Biofuels Organization
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Three airlines are joining the newly-formed Algal Biomass Organisation (ABO), a non-profit organisation which aims to promote the development of commercially viable transportation and power-generation fuels, as well as other non-energy applications, from algae biomass.
Air New Zealand, Continental Airlines and Virgin Atlantic, together with biofuel technology developer UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, are the first wave of aviation-related members to join the ABO. The organisation is co-chaired by aircraft maker Boeing Co.
The airlines are advocating the identification and acceleration of new generations of fuel sources for the industry that have lower life-cycle carbon emissions, such as sustainable algae-based biofuels.
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Labels: Algae-Aviation-Fuel, Algae-Energy-Products
Cleantech Smackdown: Algae vs. Soybeans
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Cleantech Smackdown: Algae vs. Soybeans
While some see algae as the ideal source for biofuels, industry watchers at ThinkEquity’s Greentech Summit in San Francisco on Thursday said the technology is likely to be years away.
More from this Red Herring report
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Algae Set to Beat Out Other Biofuel Feedstocks
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Better Than Corn? Algae Set to Beat Out Other Biofuel Feedstocks
Forget corn, sugar cane, and even switchgrass. Some experts believe that algae is set to eclipse all other biofuel feedstocks as the cheapest, easiest, and most environmentally friendly way to produce liquid fuel, reports Kiplinger’s Biofuels Market Alert. “It is easy to get excited about algae,” says Worldwatch Institute biofuels expert Raya Widenoja. “It looks like such a promising fuel source, especially if it’s combined with advances in biodiesel processing."
More from this article @ ENN
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
And Here Comes Pond Scum Power...
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Here Comes Pond Scum Power
Algae biodiesel isn't practical yet, but startups and giants are enthusiastically exploring the possibilities - by Gail Edmondson, BusinessWeek
In a world spooked by global warming and thirsty for nonpolluting fuel, lowly algae hold a potent appeal. The plants sop up large quantities of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and produce tiny globules of fat that can be collected and turned into biodiesel fuel for trucks, cars, and trains. The oils might even be processed into aircraft fuel, says this BusinessWeek article (Nov 2007)
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Labels: Algae-CO2-Capture, Algae-Energy-Products
Greenest Green Fuel - Algae Biofuel Detailed Report @ PopSci
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Greenest Green Fuel
A nice and detailed article on algae to fuel @ Popular Science...
Gives good coverage to Solix Biofuels and to its founder, Jim Sears...
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Some Biofuels Add Significant Food to Your Table - GSPI
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Some Biofuels Add Significant Food to Your Table - GSPI
Press release
SAN DIEGO--Green Star Products, Inc. (OTC:GSPI) responds to the recent comments by Jean Ziegler, the United Nations Special Reporter of the Right to Food, wherein he said that using food crops for biofuels amounts to a “crime against humanity.”
Mr. Ziegler’s remarks carefully describe conventional ethanol’s impact in using “food for fuel.” Whereas Biodiesel, which is also a biofuel, is produced in the U.S. from soybeans and provides an enormous amount of high protein human food along with each gallon of biodiesel it produces.
Some of the actual unpublished facts are as follows:
For each bushel (60 pounds) of soybeans produced only 10 pounds of extracted oil is used in making biodiesel. The other 50 pounds (the soy meal) is used to feed the hungry of the world as one of the best high protein foods available.
Therefore, any increase in demand for soy oil to produce U.S. fuel actually creates an additional significant amount of food for our tables.
Some uninformed world leaders are now even considering a 5-year moratorium on the production of biofuels worldwide because of inadequate information concerning biofuels.
Mr. Joseph LaStella, President of Green Star Products, has been publishing editorials concerning Global Warming and Peak Oil for many years. Unfortunately many of Mr. LaStella's predictions have now come true (see GreenStarUSA.com).
Let's review the real situation and solution concerning biofuels.
The U.S. Congress passed a provision in the 2005 energy bill called the renewable fuels standard which required oil companies to blend 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuels into the nation's fuel supply by 2012. To the surprise of many people including our congress this goal will be achieved in 2008, four years ahead of schedule.
Ethanol, also a biofuel, uses corn as its feedstock and uses the entire bushel of corn for its production. Ethanol production (unlike biodiesel) removes vast amounts of food from the global markets.
The recent massive private investment to build ethanol plants was fueled by the mandated ethanol requirements and the high-anticipated profits projected by these mandated ethanol requirements. In 2006, spot prices for ethanol exceeded $5 per gallon on the west coast. The American industrial might and greed rose to the occasion and built ethanol plants to reach a federal production goal four years early.
This is good and bad at the same time; the U.S. certainly proved that we could rise to the occasion given the right incentive (profits).
However, the ethanol feedstock supply, mainly corn, was not ready for this abrupt change. Corn prices doubled sending protests around the world. Price of basic food goods in Mexico, India, and other countries increased dramatically and sparked formal protests to the U.S.
This is only part of the story; with corn prices almost doubling the American farmers also saw a great opportunity to cash in on profits and a domino effect began to take place. Many farmers strayed from the time proven crop rotation method and began growing corn on the same land year after year. A new slang phrase "corn on corn on corn" summarizes this practice. This also destroys, or at least depletes, the topsoil with the temptation of short-term big profits winning out in many cases.
The next domino to fall was that soybean farmers decided to also switch to corn to cash in on profits thus reducing soybean production. This switch also reduces the human edible food from our tables, a real double whammy to the hungry.
Add some bad global agricultural weather to the equation and you have increased world hunger.
Further complications include some real corn storage problems this year since corn is harvested once per year, however ethanol plants run all year long. Ethanol plants usually only have storage for a 10-day supply. Therefore, adequate storage silos were not available to store some of the corn crop and it began to rot rendering it unsuitable for either ethanol production or human consumption. Silo construction has a 3-year backlog. A real good business to be in this year was the silo construction business, which is booming.
The domino effect continued and the effect of recent record high prices for soy bean oil resulted in many biodiesel plants across the U.S. shutting down with bankruptcy as a possibility. This will mean less alternative fuel to run our transportation industry and less high protein food for our tables. Remember the transportation industry runs mainly on diesel with biodiesel as a blend and not on ethanol!
It is now evident that corn feedstock is not a real long-term solution to our fuel shortage. However, it will be a partial answer as the same holds true for soy oil based biodiesel. Neither of these products alone can possibly wean the U.S. off foreign oil for energy independence. There is just not enough prime agricultural land available.
Let’s talk about Brazil ethanol. Brazil has been using ethanol since the 1970s and utilizes sugarcane as its feedstock. Sugarcane feedstock to make ethanol is more efficient than the U.S. corn ethanol.
People didn’t realize that the present U.S. ethanol production capacity already exceeds the entire Brazil production capacity. If Brazil expanded its present capacity by its planned 80% increase in five years, to the 9.5 billion gallons level, that would still only represent less than 3% of the U.S. daily oil requirements even if Brazil gave the U.S. all of its ethanol, which of course is not going to happen.
U.S. ethanol giants, ADM, Cargill and Bunge, are hungry for a foothold into the Brazil ethanol market except Brazilian families have so far rejected offers.
ADM’s chief strategist, Steve Mills, said his company needs to capture know-how for growing and processing sugarcane. “The one thing we do know here is that we’re going to have to acquire some expertise in the area,” said Mr. Mills.
Brazil ethanol is certainly not a long-term solution to U.S. energy independence; it can only be a small patch on an ever growing hole in the U.S. fuel crisis.
Other supplies of feedstock such as canola oil from Canada and increased U.S. production of canola oil can certainly fill another domestic production gap in the fuel chain. Canola seed produces 140 gallons of oil per acre per year versus 50 gallons for soybeans. Canola oil is an excellent feedstock for biodiesel production.
Contrary to the belief of many biofuel industries experts, palm oil from Asia is not an acceptable alternative feedstock for biodiesel.
Palm oil from Asia is not making the U.S. more energy independent. Furthermore there is a growing world protest against biodiesel production from palm oil because there is massive destruction of rain forests to clear the way for palm oil plantations.
People are already talking about banning the use of palm oil for biofuel to save the rain forests.
Palm oil production adds to Global Warming first by burning the rain forest and further adds to Global Warming by eliminating the rain forest to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, which is the major Global Warming gas. This is not an acceptable alternative fuel solution.
The palm oil situation is becoming a global issue. Indonesia’s government is now asking global investors to pay their country not to cut and burn its pristine rain forest in order to make room for palm oil plantations.
The big question is: Is there an answer to Global Warming and the Energy Crisis? Absolutely yes!
However, the U.S. is about 10 years late in exercising such a program.
What does all this mean? In the mid 1970s the U.S. launched two programs, which could have helped avert today's fuel and Global Warming crises.
Both of these programs (which lasted over 15 years) provided the essential stepping stones to a successful solution. They were the USDA Aquatic Species Program, which studied algae as a fuel source, and the cellulosic ethanol programs, which utilized waste agricultural products (i.e. rice stalks, corn stalks, wood chips, municipal waste, etc.) to produce ethanol. Both of these programs were cancelled under President Clinton’s administration because certain industry experts did not see foreign oil imports as a matter of national security and that oil prices would not increase beyond $20 per barrel in the foreseeable future.
Mr. LaStella has been preaching these facts for years and is documented in many publications (see Green Star Products website GreenStarUSA.com) on Global Warming, Peak Oil, Algae (see press releases dated July 19, July 9, May 18 and May 11, 2007), the two-minute Continental Airlines type documentary, three radio interviews to mention a few -- all on GSPI's website GreenStarUSA.com.
Algae is the ultimate answer for biodiesel fuel, just consider the following:
1. Algae produce 100 times more oil per acre than traditional food oilseed crops such as soy etc. (Note: Algae produces 4000 gallons of oil per acre per year versus 50 gallons per acre for soy.)
2. Algae eat CO2, the major Global Warming Gas, and produce oxygen.
3. Algae require only sunshine and non-drinkable (salt or brackish) water.
4. Algae do not compete with food crops for either agricultural land or fresh water.
5. Algae can reproduce themselves and their oil every 6 hours, while it takes Mother Nature millions of years to produce crude oil in the ground.
GSPI has organized a Consortium of companies with far reaching research and experience in all of these advanced technologies including cellulosic ethanol, algae, biogas, etc.
The future refineries will be biorefineries, which will utilize only non-food waste products such as agricultural waste, municipal waste, manure and algae as feedstock and will produce ethanol, biodiesel, animal food, fertilizer, electricity, heat and a variety of specialized chemical products essential for the U.S. industry.
While efforts in the U.S. are just beginning to research cellulosic ethanol, two of GSPI consortium partners are engaged with an India chemical company to start construction of the first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in India based on years of privately funded research here in the U.S.
The India plant will utilize a patented (non-enzyme) production process.
GSPI Consortium partners have a common goal to combine their technologies to build the first complete Biorefinery using only waste products as feedstock.
Each of the Consortium technologies can be used independently to produce specific energy, fuel, fertilizer, agricultural food and assorted chemicals. However, when combined into one facility the advantages become impressive.
Each of the Consortium members has agreed to license each other for specific projects. However, the Ultimate Biorefinery is still the goal!
Green Star Products will participate in the biodiesel production and algae processing facility portion of these biorefineries.
Each of the Consortium companies is now actively engaged in building individual facilities. However, there is significant global interest in building the first Biorefinery.
Potential financial partners are now negotiating the financing for the Biorefinery concept.
All members of the Consortium agree that the first Biorefinery should be built in the U.S.
Green Star Products, Inc. (OTC:GSPI) (OTC:GSPI.PK) is an environmentally friendly company dedicated to creating innovative cost-effective products to improve the quality of life and clean up the environment. Green Star Products and its Consortium are involved in the production of renewable clean-burning biodiesel and other products, including lubricants, additives and devices that reduce emissions and improve fuel economy in vehicles, machinery and power plants. For more information, see Green Star Products' Web site at http://www.GreenStarUSA.com, or call Investor Relations at 619-864-4010, or fax 619-789-4743, or email info@GreenStarUSA.com. Information about trading prices and volume can be obtained at several Internet sites, including http://www.pinksheets.com, http://www.bloomberg.com and http://www.bigcharts.com under the ticker symbol "GSPI".
Forward-looking statements in the release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, continued acceptance of the company's products, increased levels of competition for the company, new products and technological changes, the company's dependence on third-party suppliers, and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contacts
Green Star Products, Inc.
Joseph LaStella, President
619-864-4010
619-789-4743 fax
info@GreenStarUSA.com
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Some Biofuels Add Significant Food to Your Table - GSPI
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Some Biofuels Add Significant Food to Your Table - GSPI
Press release
SAN DIEGO--Green Star Products, Inc. (OTC:GSPI) responds to the recent comments by Jean Ziegler, the United Nations Special Reporter of the Right to Food, wherein he said that using food crops for biofuels amounts to a “crime against humanity.”
Mr. Ziegler’s remarks carefully describe conventional ethanol’s impact in using “food for fuel.” Whereas Biodiesel, which is also a biofuel, is produced in the U.S. from soybeans and provides an enormous amount of high protein human food along with each gallon of biodiesel it produces.
Some of the actual unpublished facts are as follows:
For each bushel (60 pounds) of soybeans produced only 10 pounds of extracted oil is used in making biodiesel. The other 50 pounds (the soy meal) is used to feed the hungry of the world as one of the best high protein foods available.
Therefore, any increase in demand for soy oil to produce U.S. fuel actually creates an additional significant amount of food for our tables.
Some uninformed world leaders are now even considering a 5-year moratorium on the production of biofuels worldwide because of inadequate information concerning biofuels.
Mr. Joseph LaStella, President of Green Star Products, has been publishing editorials concerning Global Warming and Peak Oil for many years. Unfortunately many of Mr. LaStella's predictions have now come true (see GreenStarUSA.com).
Let's review the real situation and solution concerning biofuels.
The U.S. Congress passed a provision in the 2005 energy bill called the renewable fuels standard which required oil companies to blend 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuels into the nation's fuel supply by 2012. To the surprise of many people including our congress this goal will be achieved in 2008, four years ahead of schedule.
Ethanol, also a biofuel, uses corn as its feedstock and uses the entire bushel of corn for its production. Ethanol production (unlike biodiesel) removes vast amounts of food from the global markets.
The recent massive private investment to build ethanol plants was fueled by the mandated ethanol requirements and the high-anticipated profits projected by these mandated ethanol requirements. In 2006, spot prices for ethanol exceeded $5 per gallon on the west coast. The American industrial might and greed rose to the occasion and built ethanol plants to reach a federal production goal four years early.
This is good and bad at the same time; the U.S. certainly proved that we could rise to the occasion given the right incentive (profits).
However, the ethanol feedstock supply, mainly corn, was not ready for this abrupt change. Corn prices doubled sending protests around the world. Price of basic food goods in Mexico, India, and other countries increased dramatically and sparked formal protests to the U.S.
This is only part of the story; with corn prices almost doubling the American farmers also saw a great opportunity to cash in on profits and a domino effect began to take place. Many farmers strayed from the time proven crop rotation method and began growing corn on the same land year after year. A new slang phrase "corn on corn on corn" summarizes this practice. This also destroys, or at least depletes, the topsoil with the temptation of short-term big profits winning out in many cases.
The next domino to fall was that soybean farmers decided to also switch to corn to cash in on profits thus reducing soybean production. This switch also reduces the human edible food from our tables, a real double whammy to the hungry.
Add some bad global agricultural weather to the equation and you have increased world hunger.
Further complications include some real corn storage problems this year since corn is harvested once per year, however ethanol plants run all year long. Ethanol plants usually only have storage for a 10-day supply. Therefore, adequate storage silos were not available to store some of the corn crop and it began to rot rendering it unsuitable for either ethanol production or human consumption. Silo construction has a 3-year backlog. A real good business to be in this year was the silo construction business, which is booming.
The domino effect continued and the effect of recent record high prices for soy bean oil resulted in many biodiesel plants across the U.S. shutting down with bankruptcy as a possibility. This will mean less alternative fuel to run our transportation industry and less high protein food for our tables. Remember the transportation industry runs mainly on diesel with biodiesel as a blend and not on ethanol!
It is now evident that corn feedstock is not a real long-term solution to our fuel shortage. However, it will be a partial answer as the same holds true for soy oil based biodiesel. Neither of these products alone can possibly wean the U.S. off foreign oil for energy independence. There is just not enough prime agricultural land available.
Let’s talk about Brazil ethanol. Brazil has been using ethanol since the 1970s and utilizes sugarcane as its feedstock. Sugarcane feedstock to make ethanol is more efficient than the U.S. corn ethanol.
People didn’t realize that the present U.S. ethanol production capacity already exceeds the entire Brazil production capacity. If Brazil expanded its present capacity by its planned 80% increase in five years, to the 9.5 billion gallons level, that would still only represent less than 3% of the U.S. daily oil requirements even if Brazil gave the U.S. all of its ethanol, which of course is not going to happen.
U.S. ethanol giants, ADM, Cargill and Bunge, are hungry for a foothold into the Brazil ethanol market except Brazilian families have so far rejected offers.
ADM’s chief strategist, Steve Mills, said his company needs to capture know-how for growing and processing sugarcane. “The one thing we do know here is that we’re going to have to acquire some expertise in the area,” said Mr. Mills.
Brazil ethanol is certainly not a long-term solution to U.S. energy independence; it can only be a small patch on an ever growing hole in the U.S. fuel crisis.
Other supplies of feedstock such as canola oil from Canada and increased U.S. production of canola oil can certainly fill another domestic production gap in the fuel chain. Canola seed produces 140 gallons of oil per acre per year versus 50 gallons for soybeans. Canola oil is an excellent feedstock for biodiesel production.
Contrary to the belief of many biofuel industries experts, palm oil from Asia is not an acceptable alternative feedstock for biodiesel.
Palm oil from Asia is not making the U.S. more energy independent. Furthermore there is a growing world protest against biodiesel production from palm oil because there is massive destruction of rain forests to clear the way for palm oil plantations.
People are already talking about banning the use of palm oil for biofuel to save the rain forests.
Palm oil production adds to Global Warming first by burning the rain forest and further adds to Global Warming by eliminating the rain forest to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, which is the major Global Warming gas. This is not an acceptable alternative fuel solution.
The palm oil situation is becoming a global issue. Indonesia’s government is now asking global investors to pay their country not to cut and burn its pristine rain forest in order to make room for palm oil plantations.
The big question is: Is there an answer to Global Warming and the Energy Crisis? Absolutely yes!
However, the U.S. is about 10 years late in exercising such a program.
What does all this mean? In the mid 1970s the U.S. launched two programs, which could have helped avert today's fuel and Global Warming crises.
Both of these programs (which lasted over 15 years) provided the essential stepping stones to a successful solution. They were the USDA Aquatic Species Program, which studied algae as a fuel source, and the cellulosic ethanol programs, which utilized waste agricultural products (i.e. rice stalks, corn stalks, wood chips, municipal waste, etc.) to produce ethanol. Both of these programs were cancelled under President Clinton’s administration because certain industry experts did not see foreign oil imports as a matter of national security and that oil prices would not increase beyond $20 per barrel in the foreseeable future.
Mr. LaStella has been preaching these facts for years and is documented in many publications (see Green Star Products website GreenStarUSA.com) on Global Warming, Peak Oil, Algae (see press releases dated July 19, July 9, May 18 and May 11, 2007), the two-minute Continental Airlines type documentary, three radio interviews to mention a few -- all on GSPI's website GreenStarUSA.com.
Algae is the ultimate answer for biodiesel fuel, just consider the following:
1. Algae produce 100 times more oil per acre than traditional food oilseed crops such as soy etc. (Note: Algae produces 4000 gallons of oil per acre per year versus 50 gallons per acre for soy.)
2. Algae eat CO2, the major Global Warming Gas, and produce oxygen.
3. Algae require only sunshine and non-drinkable (salt or brackish) water.
4. Algae do not compete with food crops for either agricultural land or fresh water.
5. Algae can reproduce themselves and their oil every 6 hours, while it takes Mother Nature millions of years to produce crude oil in the ground.
GSPI has organized a Consortium of companies with far reaching research and experience in all of these advanced technologies including cellulosic ethanol, algae, biogas, etc.
The future refineries will be biorefineries, which will utilize only non-food waste products such as agricultural waste, municipal waste, manure and algae as feedstock and will produce ethanol, biodiesel, animal food, fertilizer, electricity, heat and a variety of specialized chemical products essential for the U.S. industry.
While efforts in the U.S. are just beginning to research cellulosic ethanol, two of GSPI consortium partners are engaged with an India chemical company to start construction of the first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in India based on years of privately funded research here in the U.S.
The India plant will utilize a patented (non-enzyme) production process.
GSPI Consortium partners have a common goal to combine their technologies to build the first complete Biorefinery using only waste products as feedstock.
Each of the Consortium technologies can be used independently to produce specific energy, fuel, fertilizer, agricultural food and assorted chemicals. However, when combined into one facility the advantages become impressive.
Each of the Consortium members has agreed to license each other for specific projects. However, the Ultimate Biorefinery is still the goal!
Green Star Products will participate in the biodiesel production and algae processing facility portion of these biorefineries.
Each of the Consortium companies is now actively engaged in building individual facilities. However, there is significant global interest in building the first Biorefinery.
Potential financial partners are now negotiating the financing for the Biorefinery concept.
All members of the Consortium agree that the first Biorefinery should be built in the U.S.
Green Star Products, Inc. (OTC:GSPI) (OTC:GSPI.PK) is an environmentally friendly company dedicated to creating innovative cost-effective products to improve the quality of life and clean up the environment. Green Star Products and its Consortium are involved in the production of renewable clean-burning biodiesel and other products, including lubricants, additives and devices that reduce emissions and improve fuel economy in vehicles, machinery and power plants. For more information, see Green Star Products' Web site at http://www.GreenStarUSA.com, or call Investor Relations at 619-864-4010, or fax 619-789-4743, or email info@GreenStarUSA.com. Information about trading prices and volume can be obtained at several Internet sites, including http://www.pinksheets.com, http://www.bloomberg.com and http://www.bigcharts.com under the ticker symbol "GSPI".
Forward-looking statements in the release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, continued acceptance of the company's products, increased levels of competition for the company, new products and technological changes, the company's dependence on third-party suppliers, and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contacts
Green Star Products, Inc.
Joseph LaStella, President
619-864-4010
619-789-4743 fax
info@GreenStarUSA.com
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
"Playing with Pond Scum" - Algae Fuel in the Red Herring
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
"Playing with Pond Scum" - Algae Fuel in the April 9, 2007 issue of Red Herring Print Issue
Algae, grown in factories or in ponds, is rich in lipids (read: oil) and could yield 5-to 30-times more oil per acre than palm oil for biofuel production. Only a small group of entrepreuneurs grow commercial algae -- a select group of “alga-nuts,” in the words of one such CEO. VCs don’t think it’s so nutty, though. Algae startups Solazyme, Aurora BioFuels, and GreenFuel Technologies, recently raised tens of millions of funding dollars. Read all about it in Red Herring's Apr issue cover feature, “Playing with Pond Scum,” (available only in the offline print format!)
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae; Oilgae Blog; List of Oilgae Blog articles.
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
Oilgae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general.
Labels: Algae-Energy-Companies, Algae-Energy-Products, Algae-Oil-Yield
Pond-Powered Biofuels: Turning Algae into America's New Energy
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
Pond-Powered Biofuels: Turning Algae into America's New Energy
By Amanda Leigh Haag, March 29, 2007 @ Popular Mechanics
Using a complex photosynthetic process, breakthrough innovators have developed biodiesel and ethanol from an unlikely source that can double its output overnight and just might help give alternative energy the bump it needs: little green goo.
Three years ago, Colorado-based inventor Jim Sears began tinkering with a design to mass-produce biofuel. His feedstock (algae) may have struck soybean farmers as a laughable gamble. But the experiment worked, and today, Sears’ company, Solix Biofuels in Fort Collins, is among several startups betting their futures on the powers of algae, says this article from Popular Mechanics.
Read the full article from here @ PM
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae
Oilgae Blog; List of Oilgae Blog articles.
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
About Oilgae - Oilgae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general.
Algae instead of corn for bio-fuel
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
Here's an interesting Letter to the Editor @ MyWebPal
Algae instead of corn for bio-fuel
19 Mar 2007
"Dear editor:
Algae multiplies so quickly and produces so much oxygen per square foot that ponds with a total surface area five times the size of Colorado would be enough to start to reverse our growing CO2 problem.
Algae triples in volume every day. Corn, with one crop per year, nets approximately 81 gallons bio-diesel per acre (soy nets 40). Algae yields as high as 15,000 gallons per acre.
Enough bio-diesel to replace all petroleum transportation fuels could be grown in approximately 9.5 million acres — far less than the 450 million acres used for crop farming in the U.S., and the over 500 million acres animal grazing land.
Hydrogen is dangerous (explosive), extremely expensive, and nets zero energy — that is, it uses more energy than it creates.
Algae converts CO2 to O2; is 30-50 percent oil; and converts easily to bio-fuel.
Conservation reduces present and future production of CO2. Algae reduces existing CO2.
The government needs to quit looking at corn and begin massive and wholesale funding and grants for algae.
A new state agri-business of algae farms? Or grants for ocean farming? Algae, pond scum also a planet saver? Yes, if we take action.
Tami Freedman, Ooltewah, Tenn., Algae to Oil @ Tripod
"
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog; The complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally formed from algae - among other related plants - you think "Hey! Why not oil again from algae!"
Labels: Algae-Aviation-Fuel, Algae-Energy-Products
Is Algae the Answer?
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
Is Algae the Answer? asks McIntyre @ the Stateman
While biofuels such as biodiesel and ethanol appear to be excellent alternative energy sources, unfortunately, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) predicts that ethanol and biodiesel won't supply more than 10 percent of the transportation fuels in the country. Why? Mainly because the crops we currently use can't produce enough biofuels per acre, says this article.
It continues, "The only exception is algae. At a DOE pilot plant in New Mexico, algae produced the equivalent of up to 7,600 gallons of oil per acre per year — 60 times more than any other biodiesel crop grown in the continental U.S. This DOE project demonstrated the feasibility of growing oil-rich algae species, "fertilized" with the exhaust from nearby coal-fired power plants. In fact, the algae consumed over 90 percent of injected carbon dioxide, a primary contributor to global warming. And more recent studies show that algae can also extract most of the nitrogen oxides, and perhaps the sulfur dioxide and heavy metals."
Read the full article from here @ the Statesman
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog; The complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally formed from algae - among other related plants - you think "Hey! Why not oil again from algae!"
Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Energy-Products
Fuel options from microalgae with chemical compositions
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
Fuel options from microalgae with representative chemical compositions
From the Energy Citations Database, OSTI, USA
Creator/Author - Feinberg, D. A.
Publication Date - 1984 Jul 01
OSTI Identifier - OSTI ID: 6782425; Legacy ID: DE84013019
Report Number(s) - SERI/TR-231-2427
Research Org - Solar Energy Research Inst., Golden, CO (USA)
Sponsoring Org - USDOE - Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EE)
Key words - 09 BIOMASS FUELS; ALGAE; BIOCONVERSION; CHEMICAL COMPOSITION; CHEMICAL REACTION YIELD; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; ETHANOL; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; GAS FUELS; HYDROCARBONS; LIQUID FUELS; METHANE; PRODUCTION; ALCOHOLS; ALKANES; DATA; FUELS; HYDROXY COMPOUNDS; INFORMATION; NUMERICAL DATA; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; PLANTS; YIELDS
Related Subject - algae; chlomydomonas; chlorella; fuels; unicellular algae
Description/Abstract
Representative species of microalgae are examined with respect to their reported chemical compositions. Each species is analyzed under a variety of culture conditions, with the objective being to characterize an optimum mixture of fuel products (e.g., methane, ethanol, methylester) which should be produced by the particular species. Historically the emphasis has been on the entire algal cell mass. Using the reported chemical composition for the representative species under specific sets of growth conditions, some conclusions can be drawn about the preferred fuel product conversion routes that could be employed. 10 references, 7 figures, 12 tables.
The entire PDF report available for download here
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog; The complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally formed from algae - among other related plants - you think "Hey! Why not oil again from algae!"
Labels: Algae-Energy-Products, Algae-Fuel-Research
Pyrolytic characteristics of microalgae as renewable energy source determined by thermogravimetric analysis
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
Pyrolytic characteristics of microalgae as renewable energy source determined by thermogravimetric analysis
Weimin Peng, Qingyu Wu, , Pingguan Tu and Nanming Zhao Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
Publisher / Journal: Bioresource Technology Volume 80, Issue 1 , October 2001, Pages 1-7
Received 18 December 2000; revised 9 April 2001; accepted 10 April 2001. Available online 2 August 2001.
Abstract
Two kinds of autotrophic microalgae, Spirulina platensis (SP) and Chlorella protothecoides (CP) were pyrolyzed at the heating rates of 15, 40, 60 and 80°C/min up to 800°C in a thermogravimetric analyzer to investigate their pyrolytic characteristics. Three stages (dehydration, devolatilization and solid decomposition) appeared in the pyrolysis process. SP and CP mainly devolatilized at 190–560°C and 150–540°C, respectively. A total volatile yield of about 71% was achieved from each microalga. As the heating rate increased, a lateral shift to higher temperatures was observed in their thermograms, and the instantaneous maximum and average reaction rates in the devolatilization stage were increased while the activation energy was decreased. The value of activation energy for CP pyrolysis was 4.22–5.25×104, lower than that of SP (7.62–9.70×104), and the char in final residue of CP was 14.00–15.14%, less than that of SP by 2–3%. This indicated that CP is preferable for pyrolysis over SP. The experimental results may provide useful data for the design of pyrolytic processing systems using planktonic microalgae as feedstock.
Keywords: Spirulina platensis; Chlorella protothecoides; Pyrolysis; Bio-fuel
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog; The complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally formed from algae - among other related plants - you think "Hey! Why not oil again from algae!"
Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Aquatic biomass resources and carbon dioxide trapping
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
Aquatic biomass resources and carbon dioxide trapping
Chelf, P; Brown, LM; Wyman, CE Biomass and Bioenergy. Vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 175-183. 1993
Abstract
Intensively managed microalgal production facilities are capable of fixing several-fold more carbon dioxide per unit area than trees or crops. Although CO sub(2) is still released when fuels derived from algal biomass are burned, integration of microalgal farms for flue gas capture approximately doubles the amount of energy produced per unit of CO sub(2) released. Materials derived from microalgal biomass also can be used for other long-term uses, serving to sequester CO sub(2). Flue gas has the potential to provide sufficient quantities of CO sub(2) for such large-scale microalgae farms. Viewing microalgae farms as a means to reduce the effects of a greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide, CO sub(2)) changes the view of the economics of the process. Instead of requiring that microalgae-derived fuel be cost competitive with fossil fuels, the process economics must be compared with those of other technologies proposed to deal with the problem of CO sub(2) pollution. However, development of alternative, environmentally safer energy production technologies will benefit society whether or not global climate change actually occurs. Microalgal biomass production has great potential to contribute to world energy supplies, and to control CO sub(2) emissions as the demand for energy increases. This technology makes productive use of arid and semi-arid lands and highly saline water, resources that are not suitable for agriculture and other biomass technologies.
Key words: Environmental Engineering; Aquatic biomass; Algal biomass; Microalgae farms; Microalgal biomass; Flue gases; Renewable energy resources; Carbon dioxide; Algae
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog; The complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally formed from algae - among other related plants - you think "Hey! Why not oil again from algae!"
Labels: Algae-CO2-Capture, Algae-Energy-Products
Patent for Producing Oil Products from Algae - 1982
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
Patent for Producing Oil Products from Algae
Abstract
Oil products and a high nitrogen content residue are obtained by growing halophilic algae in saline solution, harvesting an algae-salt water slurry, solvent extracting said slurry, and recovering the product and residue. Use of a growth promoting enzyme, salt concentration gradients for harvesting, and water insoluble solvents at elevated temperatures are preferred.
Patent number: 4341038
Filing date: Jul 2, 1980
Issue date: Jul 27, 1982
Inventors: Moshe R. Bloch, Joel Sasson, Margaret E. Ginzburg, Zvi Goldman, Ben Z. Ginzburg, Nissim Garti, Asher Porath
See more info on this patent from Google Patents search result page here
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog; The complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally formed from algae - among other related plants - you think "Hey! Why not oil again from algae!"
Labels: Algae-Energy-Products, Algae-Harvesting
hydrocarbon gases resulting from pyrolysis of the marine nanoplanktonic alga Emiliania huxleyi
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
A renewable energy source — hydrocarbon gases resulting from pyrolysis of the marine nanoplanktonic alga Emiliania huxleyi
Journal - Journal of Applied Phycology
Publisher - Springer Netherlands
Issue - Volume 11, Number 2 / April, 1999
SpringerLink Date - Tuesday, November 02, 2004
By: Qingyu Wu1 , Junbiao Dai1, Yoshihiro Shiraiwa2, Guoying Sheng3 and Jiamo Fu3
(1) , Department of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China, (2) , Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 3058572, Japan, (3) Institute of Guangzhou Geochemistry, Academia Sinica, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China
Abstract
The marine coccolithophore, Emiliania huxleyi, grown in the laboratory was subjected to vacuum pyrolysis at various temperatures from 100 to 500 °C. The highest yield of pyrolytic gases (183 mL g?1 dry cells) was obtained at 400 °C. The amount of total hydrocarbon gas produced at 400 °C was 129 mL, about 10 times higher than at 300 °C. CH4 was the major component at the high gas-production stage (400–500 °C). The great increase in hydrocarbon gases at 400 °C was accompanied by a marked decrease in liquid saturates and aromatics. The results indicate that the liquid hydrocarbons (oil) produced by pyrolysis at lower temperature is a direct source for the formation of the hydrocarbon gases. Due to its large potential for the production of biomass and hydrocarbons with low energy input, E. huxleyi is suggested as one of candidates for the production of renewable fuels.
Key words - Emiliania huxleyi - hydrocarbon gases - renewable energy - pyrolysis - temperature effect
This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.
Original source and ordering page here
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog; The complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally formed from algae - among other related plants - you think "Hey! Why not oil again from algae!"
Labels: Algae-Energy-Products, Algae-Fuel-Research
FAQ: Guide to alternative fuels - C|NET News.com
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
FAQ: Guide to alternative fuels - Here's a handy guide to the major players in the alternative fuel world - By Michael Kanellos, Staff Writer, CNET News.com, Published: February 1, 2007
What will you fill up your car with in five to ten years? It's hard to say. Several different alternatives to petroleum and diesel, or ways to economize on them, have come forward in the past few years, and each has its own pluses and minuses.
This article lists each alternative, its pros and cons...
Useful read
Topics dealt with:
Ethanol
Cellulosic ethanol
Coal to oil
Biodiesel
Hybrid Cars
Electric Cars
Gas to Fuel
Compressed Natural Gas
Hydrogen
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally formed from algae - among other related plants - you think "Hey! Why not oil again from algae!"
The objective of Oilgae is to facilitate exploration of oil production from algae as well as exploration of other alternative energy avenues.
Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Algae-Based Fuels Set to Bloom - Oil from Microorganisms
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
Algae-Based Fuels Set to Bloom - Oil from microorganisms could help ease the nation's energy woes
By Kevin Bullis, From Technology Review, Jan 2007
Excerpts:
1. Raw algae can be processed to make biocrude, the renewable equivalent of petroleum, and refined to make gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and chemical feedstocks for plastics and drugs. Indeed, it can be processed at existing oil refineries to make just about anything that can be made from crude oil.
2. Alternatively, strains of algae that produce more carbohydrates and less oil can be processed and fermented to make ethanol, with leftover proteins used for animal feed. This is one of the potential uses of algae produced by startup GreenFuel Technologies Corporation, based in Cambridge, MA.
3. Biotech advances such as new genomic and proteomic technologies make it much easier to understand the mechanisms involved in algae-oil production. One of the challenges researchers have faced is that while some types of algae can produce large amounts of oil, they only do this when they're starved for nutrients. Researchers hope to understand the molecular switches that cause increased oil production, with the added hope of triggering it without starving the algae. This could dramatically increase oil production and drive down prices.
5. LiveFuels, which is funding and coordinating research at its own lab and at those at both Sandia and the NREL, hopes to create algal ecosystems that resist invaders of algae ponds & ecosystems by ensuring that all the nutrients are converted to forms the algae can easily use
6. GreenFuel, unlike LiveFuels, is developing closed bioreactors.
7. The growing interest in regulating carbon-dioxide emissions could also be a boon to algal fuels.
8. In his State of the Union address, President Bush set an ambitious goal of replacing 20 percent of gasoline consumption in the United States by 2017, largely by producing 35 billion gallons of renewable fuels. One alternative to food sources is cellulosic materials such as wood chips, grass, and cornstalks, which are more abundant than corn grain. But these require special processing methods, and although some of these techniques have been demonstrated at small plants, they have yet to be proved commercially.
Companies & personalities mentioned: Solix Biofuels, based in Fort Collins, CO, and LiveFuels, based in Menlo Park, CA; Kathe Andrews-Cramer, the technical lead researcher for biofuels and bioenergy programs at Sandia National Laboratories, in Albuquerque, NM; Eric Jarvis, an NREL scientist; , says David Kingsbury, the chair of the company's scientific advisory board; Lissa Morgenthaler Jones, LiveFuels's CEO
Full article here
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally formed from algae - among other related plants - you think "Hey! Why not oil again from algae!"
The objective of Oilgae is to facilitate exploration of oil production from algae as well as exploration of other alternative energy avenues.
Making Biofuel from Pond Scum
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
Making Biofuel from Pond Scum - by Shelley Schlender, 26 Jan 2006
Excerpts:
1. Oil-rich plants such as soy may offer a cleaner energy alternative to diesel fuel, but Jim Sears, a Colorado-based entrepreneur says these food crops can't meet all our diesel needs.
2. "Right now," [Sears] points out, "if we were to use all the normal sources we know about, such as canola oil, soy, things like this to make biodiesel, the industry thinks they could make 3.7 billion liters a year. That sounds like a lot, but Americans currently use 227 billion liters of diesel a year."
3. Fortunately, algae could produce 100 times more biodiesel per hectare than either canola or soy. It can thrive in places where other crops can't grow at all, and it only requires the equivalent of 5 centimeters of rain a year.
4. CSU and Sears' small company, Solix Biofuels, have teamed up for this oil from algae research.
5. The strain used by Sears' company (Solix Biofuels) produces enormous amounts of fat: up to 50 percent of its body weight.
6. While producing oil from soy or canola generally requires a three to five-month growing season, some algae are so prolific, over half a batch can be harvested for oil production every day.
7. "Actually we wouldn't have to convert any of our arable land," [Sears] observes. "We could use desert land to grow this algae. It doesn't require good soil. Just flat land, carbon dioxide and sunlight."
8. Making biofuel from algae is a truly carbon-neutral technology. "It's essentially solar powered fuel."
9. Eric Jarvis, a scientist at NREL cautions that it may take longer than expected to see algal biodiesel on a commercial scale. "I wouldn't expect it to meet a large demand for diesel in that (short) time frame, but I'm hoping to see some good demonstration projects in the next 5 to 10 years."
10. The National Renewable Energy Lab plans to step up their development of biodiesel from algae within the year, and they estimates that along with Colorado State and Solix Biofuels, roughly a dozen other groups around the world are developing similar projects, increasing the likelihood that soon, algae biodiesel will be the fuel of choice for trucks, boats & trains...
Personalities & organizations mentioned: Jim Sears of Solix Biofuels, Bryan Willson, who directs this Engines and Energy Conversion Lab at Colorado State University, Eric Jarvis, a senior scientist at the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL)
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally formed from algae - among other related plants - you think "Hey! Why not oil again from algae!"
The objective of Oilgae is to facilitate exploration of oil production from algae as well as exploration of other alternative energy avenues.
Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Energy-Products
Rural Poor as Energy Producers - A Critique
Rural Poor as Energy Producers - A CritiqueSeptember 29, 2006
The rural poor as energy producers - a critique of the "bottom of the pyramid" development discourse
This lively discussion at Biopact highlights an important topic currently going on in the field of development economics, which sheds light on why the authors think biofuels production in the South makes sense from the perspective of development, social justice and poverty alleviation. The discussion is about how relevant is the concept of the rural poor being energy producers - often, in a micro-energy-generation framework.
Read the full discussion from here @ Biopact
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae provides links, directory, web links resources for algae-based biofuels & biodiesel. Intended to be useful for research, information, inputs, news for buyers, sellers, manufacturers, traders, suppliers, producers, exporters / importers of algal oil and algal fuels. Will provide info on biofuel feedstock, algal feedstocks, algae oil and link details on fuel from algae, bio-fuel, bio-diesel, algal oils & bio-fuels production and uses, biofuels trade & market resources, price data, statistics, prices, demand-supply for buyer, seller, manufacturer, trader, supplier, exporter and producer
Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
Mitsubishi Accelerates Electric Vehicle Research
Mitsubishi Accelerates Electric Vehicle Work, Announces New Research Vehicle and Testing Partners12 October 2006
Mitsubishi Motors (MMC) has unveiled a new, single-motor research electric car based on its i minicar. The new Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle (i MiEV) will be used for joint research programs with Japanese power companies beginning this year, and in fleet tests in 2007. Mitsubishi had earlier planned to begin selling electric cars in Japan in 2010. (Earlier post.)
Read the full report from here @ Green Car Congress
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae provides links, directory, web links resources for algae-based biofuels & biodiesel. Intended to be useful for research, information, inputs, news for buyers, sellers, manufacturers, traders, suppliers, producers, exporters / importers of algal oil and algal fuels. Will provide info on biofuel feedstock, algal feedstocks, algae oil and link details on fuel from algae, bio-fuel, bio-diesel, algal oils & bio-fuels production and uses, biofuels trade & market resources, price data, statistics, prices, demand-supply for buyer, seller, manufacturer, trader, supplier, exporter and producer
Labels: Algae-Energy-Products
MIT Energy's Manhattan Project
Solar cells made from spinach. Algae-based biofuel fattened on greenhouse gas. Plasma-powered turbo engines. These are just some of the technologies being developed by a Manhattan Project-style research effort for new energy technologies at MIT....Scientists at MIT are undertaking a big, ambitious, university-wide program to develop innovative energy tech under the auspices of the school's Energy Research Council.
"The urgent challenge of our time (is) clean, affordable energy to power the world," said MIT President Susan Hockfield.
Inaugurated last year, the project is likened by Hockfield to MIT's contribution to radar -- a key technology that helped win World War II.
"As the example of radar suggests, when MIT arrays its capabilities against an important problem ... we can make an important contribution," said Hockfield in an e-mail...
Some of the projects: Spinach solar power, Silicon superstrings, Laptop powered Hybrids, Tubular battery tech, Optimised air-conditioners, Hybrid without the hybrid, Generating Car's Electricity Photoelectrically, Coal-fired biofuels...
Read more from here
Oilgae - Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog Home
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
Oilgae.com - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae provides links, provides directory and web links resources for the algae-based biofuels & biodiesel. It is intended to be useful for research, information, inputs, news for buyers, sellers, manufacturers, traders, suppliers, producers, exporters and importers of algal oil and algal fuels. It will make an effort to provide info on biofuel feedstock, algal feedstocks, algae oil info and link, details on fuel from algae, bio-fuel, bio-diesel, bio-fuels, algal oils production and uses, and biofuels trade & market resources, data, statistics such as price, prices, demand-supply for buyer, seller, manufacturer, trader, supplier, exporter and producer
Labels: Algae-Cultivation, Algae-Energy-Products
Transforming wastewater into green gold
Thanks to Michael Cohen for sending me this note. Michael Cohen is a faculty @ Sonoma State Univ., and Catherine a biology student at the university.From The Press Democrat - see oringial link
Algae-based fuel: Transforming wastewater into green gold
By MICHAEL COHEN AND CATHERINE LAURIA
Global warming, war in the Middle East and - closer to home - millions of gallons of excess treated wastewater.
A potential common solution to these disparate problems lies in the capacity of algae to convert wastewater to fuel. Sounds fanciful, but with help from the sun, algae cultivated on our ever-growing supply of wastewater could satisfy our community's demands for fuel that are currently met by imported gasoline and diesel.
Peoples of the future will marvel at our profligacy in dumping treated wastewater into natural waterways. Locally, we have already begun to find utility for this water through agricultural irrigation and by recharging of The Geysers for geothermal energy.
But perhaps its greatest beneficial use to society - as an algal growth medium - has yet to be exploited.Treated wastewater contains levels of nutrients that can support dense algal growth. Using the sun's energy, algae convert carbon dioxide into biomass while removing excess nutrients from the water. Technology to cultivate and harvest large amounts of algae already exists as do the means to extract their lipids and process them into fuels that can power our cars and trucks (fossil fuels are after all mainly derived from dead algae - not dinosaurs).
Facilities for commercial production of algae-based fuels are now a reality: Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation has begun making biodiesel from algae in New Zealand, Biofuel Systems SL will start operations in Spain in 2007 and GreenFuel Technologies has just started a partnership with an energy company in New York.
Algae can also perform another valuable service: breaking down a variety of organic contaminants that survive other wastewater treatment processes.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 111 out of 139 streams sampled in 1999 and 2000 contained one or more organic wastewater contaminants, including human and veterinary drugs, natural and synthetic hormones, detergent metabolites, plasticizers, insecticides and fire retardants.
Last year toxicologists in Texas reported finding fluoxetine, the active ingredient in Prozac, in the brain, liver and muscle tissue of fish residing in a municipal effluent-dominated stream. The potential good news is that some algae can degrade some of these emerging contaminants.
Thus, long-term benefits of a Sonoma County program that used wastewater to "grow" biofuels would be environmental (cleaner water and lower carbon dioxide emissions) and economic (providing a reliable local source of fuel that doesn't require entry into foreign lands).
The major difficulty in implementing this vision is not practical but political: algal-based fuels lack a powerful advocate. The city of Santa Rosa has shown foresight on energy issues. Perhaps the current pressure on the city to find ways to dispose of excess treated wastewater can serve as a catalyst for our community to trailblaze the way from oil- to algae-dependence.
Oilgae - Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog Home
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
Oilgae.com - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae provides links, provides directory and web links resources for the algae-based biofuels & biodiesel. It is intended to be useful for research, information, inputs, news for buyers, sellers, manufacturers, traders, suppliers, producers, exporters and importers of algal oil and algal fuels. It will make an effort to provide info on biofuel feedstock, algal feedstocks, algae oil info and link, details on fuel from algae, bio-fuel, bio-diesel, bio-fuels, algal oils production and uses, and biofuels trade & market resources, data, statistics such as price, prices, demand-supply for buyer, seller, manufacturer, trader, supplier, exporter and producer
Israeli Scientists Exploring Use of Algae as Fuel
Founded in 1999 to develop and commercialize micro-algae-derived products for the nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industries, Algatech's production facility in Kibbutz Ketura will soon begin collaborating with Israeli-US start-up GreenFuel Technologies Corporation to work towards a common goal: developing cost effective, energy efficient fuel made from micro-algae feeding off of carbon dioxide emissions ...See a brief news article in this regard - from Israel National News
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog Home
Oilgae.com - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae provides links, provides directory and web links resources for the algae-based biofuels & biodiesel. It is intended to be useful for research, information, inputs, news for buyers, sellers, manufacturers, traders, suppliers, producers, exporters and importers of algal oil and algal fuels. It will make an effort to provide info on biofuel feedstock, algal feedstocks, algae oil info and link, details on fuel from algae, bio-fuel, bio-diesel, bio-fuels, algal oils production and uses, and biofuels trade & market resources, data, statistics such as price, prices, demand-supply for buyer, seller, manufacturer, trader, supplier, exporter and producer
Labels: Algae-Cultivation, Algae-Energy-Products
