Author: Carrie Cox

Algae-Fueled Motorcycle Sets Speed Record

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 Announces $144 Million Series C Funding

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.

Algae Biomass Organization Announces Denver, Colorado as Location for 6th Annual Algae Biomass Summit

Now accepting abstracts for speaking opportunities and poster presentations

DENVER–March 21, 2012 – The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the U.S. algae industry, today announced that the 6th annual Algae Biomass Summit will be held September 24 – 27, 2012 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel in Denver, Colorado.

The ABO is currently seeking proposals for speakers, abstracts and poster presentations in biology, engineering and analysis, commercialization, and policy and finance. Abstracts for program sessions, oral or poster presentations are due by April 6th, 2012. More information on presentations and potential topics, and how to submit a proposal, is available athttp://algaebiomasssummit.org.

“Each year our industry steps closer to the large-scale production of algae fuels and products that will help address the nation’s energy, food and environmental challenges,” said Mary Rosenthal, Executive Director of ABO. “Our sixth summit will highlight the accelerated pace of investment, technical development and job growth in this nationwide industry, and provide a knowledge sharing venue for policymakers, producers, suppliers, and everybody else in the algae value chain.”

Speakers and attendees at the Algae Biomass Summit will include national and international technologists, producers, scientists, investors, and policymakers. During the course of the event, leaders and attendees will discuss issues of critical importance to the emerging algae industry, including the commercial development of algal production, current government and private initiatives, evolving technologies, processing concepts, life cycle analysis and project finance.

The 2011 Algae Biomass Summit, held in Minneapolis, Minnesota was attended by more than 800 stakeholders across the algae industry from more than 25 countries.

Products made from algae are the natural solution to the energy, food, economic, and climate challenges facing our world today. Algae have the power to simultaneously put fuels in our vehicles, recycle CO2, provide nutrition for animals and people and create jobs for millions of Americans. More information can be found at www.allaboutalgae.com.

About the Algae Biomass Organization

The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) is a 501 c(6) non-profit whose mission is to promote the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable commodities derived from algae. Its membership is comprised of people, companies and organizations across the value chain. More information about ABO, including its leadership, membership, costs, benefits and members and their affiliations, is available at the website: www.algaebiomass.org.

 

Contact:

Nate Kommers, for the Algae Biomass Organization

206-625-0075 x2, nate.kommers@scovillepr.com

Ohio Adds ‘Algaculture’ to Agriculture Statutory Definition

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has signed HB 276 into law. The legislation amends state law to include algaculture, meaning the farming of algae, in the law governing agriculture, including those addressing county and township zoning, and current agriculture use valuation. Specifically, the legislation revises the definitions of “agriculture,” “agricultural purposes,” “agricultural production,” and “land devoted exclusively to agricultural use” found in state agricultural statutes and some other state statutes to include algaculture.

“We applaud the commitment of Ohio’s leadership for their vision and support of the emerging algae industry for both business and agriculture,” said Ross Youngs, CEO and founder of Ohio-based Algaeventure Systems. “HB 276 provides the right regulatory framework to properly cultivate the growing algal industry, attract investment dollars into the state of Ohio, and provide regulatory clarity. Defining Algaculture as agriculture in the Ohio Revised Code places Ohio in a leadership position while making a powerful statement that Ohio is open for business and welcomes investment in this emerging industry.”

According to a legislative summary published by the state, the act also revises the definition of “land devoted exclusively to agricultural use” for purposes of the statutes that govern current agricultural use validation of real property for real property tax assessment. The new definition includes land devoted exclusively to biodiesel production, biomass energy production, electric or heat energy production, and some biologically derived methane. In addition, the legislation states that country and township zoning laws do not grant authority to prohibit the use of land for these types of biorefining operations.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Jim Buchy and former Rep., now Sen. Lou Gentile. The legislation received strong bipartisan support, and was passed unanimously in both the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate.

A full copy of the legislation can be viewed on the Ohio General Assembly website.

Algae Biomass Organization’s Industry Survey Reveals Increased Production, Price-Competitiveness and Need for Level Playing Field

WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 1, 2012 – A new survey of the algae industry conducted by theAlgae Biomass Organization (ABO) shows algae companies are increasing production in 2012, they expect to be price-competitive with petroleum fuels by 2020, and that stable and effective Federal policy would accelerate production and job creation.

The survey of more than 380 algae industry contacts shows a rapidly growing sector: 65 percent of algae producers said they plan to expand capacity in 2012 as they work to provide the U.S with new sources of sustainable, domestically produced fuels.

Respondents are optimistic that algae biofuels will be commercially available and competitive with fossil fuels by 2020, with 90 percent believing that it is at least somewhat likely, and nearly 70 percent believing it is moderately to extremely likely. Nearly 20 percent believe fuel will be $1.50 per gallon or lower while nearly 50 percent believe it will be less than $3.00 per gallon by 2020.

Nearly unanimously respondents agreed that fair and stable government policy would help them develop competitively priced biofuels, increase production and employment. More than 88 percent of respondents said they agree that supportive policy would accelerate the industry’s development, and 81 percent said it was likely that their company would accelerate hiring with supportive policy.

While the new federal investments in research and development will help the industry advance, when it comes to competing with other biofuels algae-based fuels are still at a disadvantage because they doesn’t qualify for the same tax treatment under the Renewable Fuel Standard as other biofuels. When specifically asked if giving algae biofuels the same treatment in the tax code as other biofuels—a policy concept known as tax parity—more than 86 percent agreed that the industry could likely accelerate production.

“It’s clear from these results that the algae industry is moving forward with increased production and employment as well as continued scientific breakthroughs,” said Mary Rosenthal, executive director of ABO. “The survey confirms what we’ve said for years – that stable and equitable federal policy will only accelerate the development of an industry that can create a sustainable source of domestic fuels and jobs. We’ll continue to work with members on both sides of the aisle to educate them on the benefits of algae.”

Other key findings of the survey included:

  • There is a diverse and expanding value chain of companies in the industry. In addition to those involved in directly producing and buying algae or algae products, respondents also included manufacturers, research laboratories, providers of equipment or materials, and those supporting the industry with legal, administrative, IT and consulting services.
  • The algae industry supports a wide variety of jobs across the United States. Respondents reported that their companies had employees working on algae in nearly every state. Besides scientists and engineers, firms are also employing individuals involved in marketing, administrative, sales and operations capacities.
  • There is a strong feeling in the industry that education and awareness about algae’s potential will be an important element of its success. About 99% of respondents felt the public needed to be informed about algae’s benefits. More than half acknowledged they had not been in touch with state or federal policymakers about algae, and many had never hosted a policymaker at their facilities.

Products made from algae are the natural solution to the energy, food, economic, and climate challenges facing our world today. Algae have the power to simultaneously put fuels in our vehicles, recycle CO2, provide nutrition for animals and people and create jobs for millions of Americans. More information can be found at www.allaboutalgae.com.

 

About the Algae Biomass Organization

The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) is a 501 c(6) non-profit whose mission is to promote the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable commodities derived from algae. Its membership is comprised of people, companies and organizations across the value chain. More information about ABO, including its leadership, membership, costs, benefits and members and their affiliations, is available at the website:www.algaebiomass.org.

 

Media Contact:

John Williams, Scoville Public Relations for ABO

206-625-0075 x1, jwilliams@scovillepr.com