Author: Carrie Cox

Today the U.S. Navy begins its Green Fleet demonstrations in Hawaii–the largest display of biofueled naval power yet. Biofuels derived from a variety of sources, including algae, will be used in U.S. ships and aircraft as part of the Navy’s effort to reduce its reliance on imported oil. In support of the demonstrations, Mary Rosenthal, executive director of the Algal Biomass Organization, issued the following statement:

“The Algal Biomass Organization congratulates the U.S. Navy on its use of domestically-produced fuels made from algae as part of its continued testing program for biofuels. Today’s successful  demonstration of the “Great Green Fleet” at the Rim of the Pacific Exercise  is the latest in a series  of tests by the Navy and other major players that show that algae-based fuels can perform the same, or better, than petroleum fuels.

Fuels made from algae are made in the U.S.A, are 100-percent compatible with existing infrastructure, and in the near future, will be price-competitive with petroleum.  By developing domestic alternatives to petroleum, the U.S. algae industry is helping reducing our reliance on imported oil, creating manufacturing jobs in rural communities, and strengthening our national security.”

The U.S Department of Energy has issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled Innovative Pilot and Demonstration Scale Production of Advanced Biofuels.

This FOA seeks to identify, evaluate, and select innovative pilot- or demonstration-scale integrated biorefineries that can produce hydrocarbon fuels that meet military specifications. This includes specifications for JP-5 (jet fuel primarily for the Navy), JP-8 (jet fuel primarily for the Air Force), or F-76 (diesel).  Ethanol and Biodiesel are not eligible for this opportunity.

The DOE anticipates granting 2-4 awards that will range from $5 million to $7 million. Concept papers must be submitted to the EERE eXCHANGE website by July 16, 2012.

This FOA is part of an effort designed to spur markets for fuel production, and algae producers should consider responding. Novel and highly innovative technologies are strongly encouraged.

As advanced biofuel technologies mature and commercial facilities begin to expand there is some concern about finding enough talent to keep up with production.

Algae Industry Magazine makes note of a new program at Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) that seeks to address the workforce concern by offering five courses in biofuels energy including OSHA 10 General for biofuels, algae production, biodiesel production, biogas production, and ethanol production.

The SFCC course on algae includes training in the basics of algae biology, various growing technologies and harvesting techniques, and several of the markets (fuel, food, chemicals) that algae can impact.

In many cases participants will qualify for free tuition. Among those that will be considered for assistance are unemployed or dislocated workers, veterans or qualified spouses of veterans, workers in need of updated training, disabled persons and certain low-income citizens

More information is available at the SFCC website.

Algae’s ability to produce high-quality oils for nutritional and pharmaceutical applications proved to be an advantage for one company last week.

ABO member BioProcess Algae signed an agreement to provide commercial supplies of algae-derived, Omega-3 rich oils to KD-Pharma Bexbach GmbH, part of Bioseutica BV’s Fats & Lipids Division. KD-Pharma will use the feedstock to produce highly-concentrated vegetable sourced EPA oils.

More details about the agreement are in this NutraIngredients-USA article.

BioProcess Algae’s bioreactors grow algae with carbon dioxide that is captured from ethanol plants at their facility in Shanendoah, Iowa. The high-quality product is attractive to companies that require sustainable feedstocks for everything from Bioseutica BV’s applications, to animal feeds, green chemicals and biofuels.

Deals such as this will help the company expand operations and production, and achieve greater efficiencies and more attractive prices.

It is a growth process that other companies in the algae industry are likely to follow. As companies tap into markets that allow them to expand production, they will be able to leverage that greater production in markets that require far greater volumes—such as fuels and some chemical markets.