ABO Blog

The news that algae-derived fuel is being offered to consumers for the first time came just a few weeks after the National Research Council issued a long-awaited report on algae’s sustainability. The NRC’s team of independent scientists concluded there were no barriers to the sustainable development of algae fuels in the future, but they did call for more research, development and deployment efforts to get current technologies up to scale.

The news from California from Propel Fuels and Solazyme is exactly the kind of progress that will lead to a future of more sustainable fuels. The San Francisco Chronicle notes that the fuel offered today is already meeting sustainability requirements:

“The end product produces 30 percent fewer particulates, 20 percent less carbon monoxide and 10 percent fewer hydrocarbons than other diesel and biodiesel fuels…

The new gas falls in line with California’s “low-carbon fuel standard,” which forces fuel producers to lower the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in their products 10 percent by 2020.”

The algae industry and research communities are making rapid progress improving the performance of algae from an environmental aspect because those same improvements will also make the technology economically successful. Unlike petroleum algae’s ability to grow in saltwater, recycle fertilizer and consume greenhouse gases will help this industry’s bottom line.

ABO’s statement about the NRC’s report details how a range of sustainability issues can be addressed with algae:

Water: Use of saline and non-potable or recycled water is essential to commercial algae production. According to a Pacific Northwest National Laboratories’ (PNNL) report, algal fuels grown in saline water from existing aquifers and recycling nutrients would be able to provide up to twice the goal for advanced biofuels set under the Energy Independence and Security Act goal (roughly 40 billion gallons or 20 percent of annual transportation fuel demand).

Nutrients: Nutrient recycle and efficient use of resources are essential to achieving the techno-economics of energy production and producing a low carbon fuel.  ABO members are piloting this technology today and the DOE and several universities have ongoing research in this area.  As PNNL points out, use of nutrients is dramatically decreased when recycling is used. Nitrogen fertilizer consumption is reduced 98% and phosphorus fertilizer is reduced by more than 40%.

Land Use: Again we agree land use is an important consideration.  PNNL recently reported there are more than 89,000 suitable sites in the United States for open pond cultivation.

Energy ROI: Industry leaders are already achieving the NRC report’s proposed benchmark for Energy Return on Investment (EROI) of 3x (3 units of energy produced per unit of energy input) in current algae biofuels production processes by recycling nutrients, producing biomethane from residual organics, and engineering designs that minimize energy use.

GHG emissions lifecycle: By qualifying algae-based diesel as an Advanced Biofuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s life cycle analysis found that algae-based diesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent, thus qualifying it as an Advanced Biofuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard.

For the first time ever you can fill your tank with algae-derived biofuel. Today in Redwood City Propel Fuels announced they were offering algal biodiesel from Solazyme, a renewable oil and bioproducts company, at retail pumps for consumer purchase.

Moving the algae industry from laboratories and demonstrations to real world roads is a major milestone for the future of renewable fuels.

Solazyme’s Soladiesel®BD is made by fermenting sugars with algae, and will be available in a month-long pilot program at Propel’s Bay Area network of retail renewable fuel locations.

Some of the early news stories are in the San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, NBC News,  GigaOM, and Biofuels Digest.

Solazyme’s high quality algae-based SoladieselBD meets or exceeds ASTM quality specifications and has shown performance enhancements including cold temperature operating performance. The fuel is compatible with existing diesel engines and the fuel’s performance is guaranteed by Propel. The fuel will be sold at the same price as conventional diesel fuels and will be available exclusively at Propel’s Clean Fuel Points in Redwood City, San Jose (N. First St.), Berkeley, and Oakland.

“Propel is committed to providing our customers with access to the highest quality, most sustainable, domestically produced fuels, so we’re proud to introduce the next generation of fuels to the retail market,” said Matt Horton, CEO of Propel Fuels. “Propel’s growing station network provides the critical link between these future fuels and today’s consumer fuel tanks, giving our customers a chance to make history.”

Solazyme’s technology platform converts plant sugars into oils by feeding the sugars to microalgae in standard industrial fermentation equipment. The algae consume the sugars and convert them into oils rapidly and efficiently. While it takes millennia to make petroleum, Solazyme’s process takes merely a few days. Testing undertaken by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows that, in a 20% blend, SoladieselBD significantly outperforms ultra-low sulfur diesel in total hydrocarbons (THC), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter tailpipe emissions. This includes an approximate 30% reduction in particulates, a 20% reduction in CO and an approximate 10% reduction in THC.

“Solazyme’s revolutionary algae-based technology platform has supplied our development partners and customers with advanced biofuels that meet or exceed some of the world’s most stringent fuels specifications and requirements,” said Bob Ames, VP of Fuels, Solazyme. “We’ve successfully demonstrated our land-based fuels in fleet vehicles and corporate busses, and are excited about this pilot program with Propel because it enables us to make these fuels available to the public.”

Jim Lane’s Biofuels Digest is out with this year’s list of the 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy and algae companies are all over it, including 5 of the Top 15, and the number 1 hottest company – Solazyme.

In the past 12 months there has been a rush of new algal products, demonstrations and technology milestones that is making algae difficult to ignore, and we are glad to see so much recognition in the bioenergy community.

Every year bioenergy companies active in advanced biofuels production compete for a coveted spot on the list, which was revealed Monday at the Advanced Biofuels Markets (ABM) conference in San Francisco.

And special thanks go to Jim Lane and the team at Biofuels Digest for coordinating the list and for the team at GreenPower Conferences for what is becoming a must-attend annual event. The competition and attendance of CEOs from across the industry at ABM is evidence of how important Biofuels Digest’s list has become, and every year the buzz around which companies have made the list fills the hallways and echos in the blogosphere.

Algae companies and ABO members on the 2012-2012 list include:

#1. Solazyme
#8. Sapphire Energy
#9. Joule Unlimited
#11. Honeywell’s UOP
#13. LS9
#35. Algenol
#40. Boeing
#41. OriginOil

We hope to see all of these, and more, on the list next year.

The record- breaking algae-fueled motorcycle from Below The Surface (BTS) – Driving Innovation’s racing team will be joined by a hydrogen-fueled desert truck in the Baja 1000 off-road race next month. This will be the first such racing team operating entirely on renewable fuels and we are glad to see them using algae-derived biofuels to get the job done.

The Baja 1000 covers some of the toughest racing conditions available, making this year’s event a thorough demonstration of the reliability of these renewable fuels.

And if you are in the San Diego area tomorrow (Nov 1) you will have a chance to check out both vehicles. They will be on display at the HALO Counter-Terrorism Summit at the Paradise Point Resort & Spa.

We wish them luck!