Algenol Biofuels is an algae-to-ethanol company. Its Direct to Ethanol™ technology uses fermentation to convert algae directly from culture, to ethanol. The firm struck a deal with Mexico-based BioFields to grow and process algae. Algenol is poised to break ground on a commercial-scale facility in the Sonoran desert of northern Mexico.

PetroSun is a diversified energy company specializing in the discovery and development of both traditional fossil fuels and renewable energy resources. PetroSun has been active in the algal oil domain for the last few years. The company has done an extensive research to determine the utilization of microalgae as an energy source, with applications being developed for biodiesel, ethanol, and bioplastics. The company is considering large scale algae farms in desert regions

Valcent Products, a New York-based company is developing algae cultivation technology to provide renewable, sustainable and economic bio-fuel feed stocks for the production of ethanol, biodiesel, and jet fuel. The company has developed a system using 10-foot-long water-filled plastic bags suspended in a greenhouse-like setting in the desert to grow algae, from which vegetable oil can be extracted to produce biodiesel

Algatech is a rapidly expanding international biotechnology company based at Kibbutz Ketura, in the heart of Israel’s Arava desert. Algatech has grown from a small Israeli start-up to become the major worldwide player producing natural astaxanthin for human applications. The company is cultivating algae in the Negev desert setting.