Author: Carrie Cox

A group of researchers from Argonne National Laboratory’s Center for Transportation Research recently published a scientific paper that identifies key parameters for algal biofuel production using the GREET model, which models greenhouse gas emissions, regulated emissions and energy use for transportation fuels. The paper, titled “Methane and nitrous oxide emissions affect the life-cycle analysis of algal biofuels,” was published in a recent edition of Environmental Research Letters.

In the report, the researchers also described several goals they had with this analysis. First, they aimed to establish a framework that could be used to facilitate comparisons among algae scenarios and with other transportation fuels. Second, the research team wanted to identify which parameters produce the most significant impact to life-cycle analysis. As part of this, the paper noted that the team paid a great deal of attention to the amount of energy present within lipid-extracted algae. For example, this includes the energy potential associated with processing lipid-extracted algae in an anaerobic digestion system. The researchers also considered the impact of fugitive methane emissions, the fate of unrecovered nitrogen, as well as the potential for nitrous oxide (N2O).

According to information contained in the study, the baseline scenario considered by the researchers produced 55,400 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent (g CO2/e) per 1 million Btu of biodiesel, compared to 101,000 g CO2/e for low-sulfur diesel. The paper stated that the baseline scenario for algae biodiesel features the use of anaerobic digestion for energy and nutrient recovery from lipid-extracted algae. Alternatively, a reduced emissions scenario featured the use of catalytic hydrothermal gasification rather than anaerobic digestion.

On a full life cycle, or “well-to-wheels” basis, the modeling showed that algae biodiesel reduced the total amount of fossil energy use and petroleum used when compared the amount of these inputs required to make petroleum-based diesel. This was true even though the production of algae-based fuel consumed more energy during the production stage. The high energy use associated with the algae-biofuel production was attributed primarily to electricity use and fertilizer production. In addition, the total greenhouse gas emissions per million Btu of algae-biodiesel were less than those associated with petroleum diesel. The research paper largely attributed this to the substantial CO2 credit that results from the reuse of carbon contained within flue gas emissions exiting a power plant.

As a result of the analysis, the research team concluded that while algae biofuel production is energy intensive, substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions of 45 to 60 percent are still achieved when compared to conventional diesel fuel. According to the paper, most of the energy use was associated with circulating the algae culture and moving the culture to and from the first dewatering step.

Read more at Biodiesel Magazine

Below the Surface’s “Driving Innovation” Team established the first official algae-fueled motorcycle speed records during The Texas Mile land speed event on March 24th, 2012. Team leader Kristian Gustavson reached 94.6 mph using a 50/50 blend of biodiesel derived from algae and cooking oil waste from the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). Fellow team member, Devin Chatterjie, reached 96.2 MPH on 100% algae-derived Green Crude diesel fuel supplied by Sapphire Energy Inc., one of the world’s leaders in algae-based oil crude production. Together, they established the fastest and only known records to date for an algae-fueled motorcycle.

The Driving Innovation Team rode a unique turbo-charged, 800cc diesel powered Track Motorcycle manufactured in Holland. The bike was shipped from Holland to the US last fall courtesy of FedEx Express in a show of support for the project. They rode five times, registering 94.6, 95.1, 95.2, 95.6, and 96.2 MPH. Their next official speed trial will be in El Mirage, Calif., on May 19th.

“The Texas Mile organizers, racers, and spectators were extremely supportive of our team during the speed trials and I would really like to thank them for the warm welcome and opportunity to put algae fuel to the test. I am excited to work with them more in the future,” said Gustavson.

In a project entitled One Barrel for Baja, Gustavson led a team of UCSD students to make a portion of the biofuel themselves under the supervision of Dr. B. Greg Mitchell’s Scripps Photobiology Group, with assistance from the San Diego Center for Algal Biotechnology. The students grew and harvested algae using a sponsored Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) unit supplied by World Water Works from ponds at the Carbon Capture Corporation’s facility near the Salton Sea and at a greenhouse facility on the university’s campus.

After the algae harvest, its biomass was isolated and sent to Dr. Skip Pomeroy’s Laboratory at UCSD. In the laboratory, the lipids and fats were then extracted and further converted into usable diesel fuel by the Biofuels Action and Awareness Network.

Gustavson, a recent graduate of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation’s MAS Program at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, is a co-founder of Below the Surface, a nonprofit organization dedicated to exploring waterways and educating the public about issues pertaining to water. He started the One Barrel for Baja Project in order to synthesize enough algal biodiesel to compete in various speed trials and the grueling Baja 1000 race this fall (http://algae.ucsd.edu/Blog1/Blog-1-Baja.html). Below the Surface is committed to finding solutions to pollution and believes that biofuels from algae can help reduce run-off going into America’s waterways.

The Driving Innovation team is supported by: Dr. B. Greg Mitchell and his team from the Scripps Photobiology Group, Phitec, FedEx, Sapphire Energy, RED i Nation, Fun Bike Center, Clif Bar, Earth Protect, World Water Works, Carbon Capture Corporation, the BIOCOM Institute, Goal Zero, Screwed Industries, Dockers, New Leaf Biofuels, SD-CAB, BAAN, and the UCSD Student Veterans Organization.

Read more at www.algaeindustrymagazine.com

Sapphire Energy, Inc., one of the world leaders in algae-based green crude oil production, today announced it has secured the final tranche of a $144 million Series C investment funding. The Series C backers include Arrowpoint Partners, Monsanto, and other undisclosed investors.  All major Series B investors have participated. With this investment round, Sapphire Energy’s total funding from private and public sources substantially exceeds $300 million.

This round of funding is being used to directly support Sapphire Energy’s active and on-schedule commercial demonstration in Luna County, New Mexico. The Green Crude Farm, also known as the Integrated Algal BioRefinery (IABR), is the world’s first commercial demonstration scale algae-to-energy facility, integrating the entire value chain of algae-based fuel, from cultivation to production to extraction of ready-to-refine Green Crude.  Some proceeds from previous closes of the Series C financing already have been invested in Sapphire Energy’s continuing operations.

“The ongoing support from the private investment community speaks to how strongly they believe in the development of Green Crude as an alternative fuel resource, especially Sapphire Energy’s ability to commercialize it,” says Cynthia J. Warner, president and chairman of Sapphire Energy.  “It is increasingly important to find domestically produced crude oil alternatives to improve the country’s energy security, meet global energy demands, and provide jobs. Continued private investment is a critical step in achieving these goals.”

“It’s amazing to see that what started from an idea scribbled on the back of a napkin is now a leading force in support of the goal to improve energy security for the country,” explains Jason Pyle, CEO of Sapphire Energy. “Today, Sapphire Energy has a widely admired technology platform, outstanding leadership team, and significant ongoing support from the investment community, making it well positioned to achieve the goal of bringing domestically produced Green Crude oil to commercial scale.”

This announcement follows several recent partnerships and deals supporting Sapphire Energy’s continued expansion in Green Crude production. Last month, Sapphire announced it will integrate Earthrise Nutritionals’ spirulina strain into its growing inventory of cyanobacteria and algae strains to expand resources for algae-to-energy production. In May 2011, Sapphire announced a multi-year agreement with The Linde Group to co-develop a low-cost system to deliver CO2 to commercial-scale, open-pond, algae-to-fuel cultivation systems, now underway at the Green Crude Farm. In March 2011, Sapphire and Monsanto entered into a multi-year collaboration on algae-based research projects. Sapphire also was awarded a $50 million grant from the Department of Energy and a $54.4 million dollar loan guarantee from the Department of Agriculture, providing security for a privately funded loan.

About Sapphire Energy
San Diego-based Sapphire Energy is pioneering an entirely new industry – Green Crude – production with the potential to profoundly change America’s energy and petrochemical landscape for the better. Sapphire’s products and processes in this category differ significantly from other forms of biofuel because they are made solely from photosynthetic microorganisms (algae and cyanobacteria), using sunlight and CO2 as their feedstock; are not dependent on food crops or valuable farmland; do not use potable water; do not result in biodiesel or ethanol; enhance and replace petroleum-based products; are compatible with existing infrastructure; and are low carbon, renewable and scalable. Sapphire has an R&D facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and is currently building the first Integrated Algal BioRefinery in Columbus, New Mexico. For more information, visit www.sapphireenergy.com.