Author: Carrie Cox

We Need New Sources of Fuel

This week Mary Rosenthal, executive director of the Algae Biomass Organization, joins other energy leaders in a discussion about the United States’ energy independence in the National Journal’s Energy Expert Blog.

Mary notes that demand for fuels is going to continue, eventually surpassing the ability of fossil fuel supplies to be sufficient. If we want the benefits of improved energy independence, we can’t rely exclusively on existing sources, and the unique advantages of algae will make these incredibly efficient organisms an increasingly attractive option.

“If we want independence (the ability to produce more than we consume, forever), we can’t rely on sources of energy derived from finite resources. In the case of the algae industry, our “wells” are aboveground, never need digging and never run dry. Supporting technologies such as these will help get us a long way towards independence.”

To read Mary’s full response, and those of other experts, click here.

Algae Throttles Up and Spurs Biofuel Startups

Here is a great article by Todd Woody, Environmental Editor at Forbes. Woody had the incredible fortune to be on board a biofueled Navy C-2A Greyhound that landed in Oahu this July, and visit Sapphire Energy’s Green Crude Farm in New Mexico late last month.

“Algae is one of the great green hopes for creating a biofuels industry that can reach the scale necessary to bring down costs and compete against fossil fuels.”

Woody examines the role the military can play in developing biofuels—just as it has with many other technologies, and checks in with some of the algae industry’s cutting-edge progress. Check out the full article here.

Opportunities in algae

Perhaps the most fascinating new technology in late development today in Iowa is the BioProcess Algae project, co-located at the Green Plains Renewable Energy plant in Shenandoah, in the far southwest corner of the state.

The company is now in the process of upgrading to a 5-acre demonstration of its modular technology – which is expected to be the final step before active commercialization at Shenandoah and other sites.

Three things are especially notable about the project. First, it’s proven that it can successfully utilize excess CO2 and process heat from the Shenandoah ethanol plant to produce microalgae.

Second, it has proven (at pilot scale) that its unique growth media can work – and this is an important breakthrough, because the company is growing microalgae out of solution, using a biofilm. The thesis is that this approach will offer a high surface area to enhance light penetration, productivity, harvest density and gas transfer. Once the algae have reached critical density, they are srayed off the biofilm into a shallow bed of water, 2-3 inches deep, hugely reducing the amount of water that has to be moved in order to harvest algae.

Third, Green Plains is still supporting the project. Even in the “a penny really matters” world of corn ethanol, GPRE is well-known for a relentless focus on viability and profitability – and they have been adamant that the BioProcess Algae project is not a science project – but a focused exploration of value-add opportunities for their ethanol fleet – and that as soon as the project shows that it is not meeting GPRE’s tough success criteria, it will be shut down. Well, its not shut down.

And, as CEO Tim Burns notes, “you have to aim for the lowest cost production. That’s the winner.”

Meanwhile, the company is already taking orders. In June, BioProcess Algae and KD-Pharma Bexbach announced that they have entered a commercial supply agreement for the production of EPA-rich Omega-3 oils for use in concentrated EPA products for nutritional and/or pharmaceutical applications. Under the agreement, BioProcess Algae will supply microalgal oils which will be refined by KD-Pharma’s proprietary Supercritical Fluid Technology to produce highly-concentrated vegetable sourced EPA oils.

We’ll be profiling BioProcess Algae in more detail in September.

Seattle’s Beer Belly Summer of Algae

Yesterday, in a partly sunny Seattle, Matrix Genetics announced it would be spinning off from Targeted Growth to focus on the production of renewable fuels and specialty chemicals from cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). An investment from Avista Development will allow the company to expand laboratories and hire new staff as it sets out on its own.

Matrix’s focus on cyanobacteria comes from the organisms’ simple and well-understood genome. A well-developed set of tools makes modifications to these genomes possible, and researchers at Matrix are most interested in changes that can make cyanobacteria fat with lipids. Cells that can be made to develop these “beer bellies” can be a much more productive source of fuels and other petrochemical replacements. The incredible potential of the increased oil production can be seen in this picture of cyanobacteria that is producing lipids (triglyceride) with, and without, the enhancements.

Matrix made its announcement during a tour of its laboratories with representatives from the offices of local officials and media. The event was part of the Summer of Algae II, the Algae Biomass Organization’s campaign to showcase the promise of algae across the nation.  Several local newspapers and radio stations featured stories with more information about the announcement and Matrix Genetics’ technology:

The Summer of Algae II will continue. Algenol is rescheduling an event in Florida that had to be postponed with the arrival of Hurricane Isaac, and several other companies are planning more open houses in the fall. It’s all leading up to the Algae Biomass Summit in Denver, September 24-27. With all the exciting development of the past year we are expecting a record-sized crowd.

We’ll keep you updated!

Avista Backs Matrix in Spinoff to Create Algae-Based Fuel Maker

Avista Corp. (AVA), a U.S. energy holding company, provided backing to help Matrix Genetics LLC complete its spinoff from the biotechnology company Targeted Growth Inc.

Targeted Growth, which also created the biofuel companies AltAir Fuels LLC and Sustainable Oils Inc., is refocusing on its core agricultural business, and “the spinout of Matrix is
part of that strategy,” Matrix spokesmanJohn Williams said today by e-mail.

Matrix, based in Seattle, is developing renewable fuels and chemicals from blue-green algae, and Avista’s funding will also support research into new strains that will be easier to cultivate and boost output, according to a statement today that didn’t say how much Avista invested.

Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, are “the most abundant, diverse and robust micro-algae on Earth,” according to the statement. Matrix is modifying its genes to create proprietary strains that yield larger quantities of oil or have other optimal traits for fuels or chemical production.