Developer of joint venture partnerships for algae production for biodiesel and commercial fish food World Health Energy Holdings, Inc (WHEN) has announced the signing of a letter of intent with industrial and transport company Prime Inc to develop a biodiesel production facility ramping up to 250 ac with a budget of up to USD 100 million.
The proposed sites for development are in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and will use an Algae Enhancement Technology, the GB3000 system, employed for growing algae for the production of fish feed, proteins and biofuel. Prime Inc India's current clients include Exxon, Shell, General Electric (GE) and Siemens.
"We look forward to working with Prime Inc India in the design, development and support of a cost-efficient algae production farm,” Liran Kosman, CFO of WHEN, said. “We anticipate scaling up operations and completing a number of significant algae projects in 2012."
World Health recently acquired GNE-India, an algae technology firm with the distribution and licensing rights to a unique and innovative technology, the GNE GB 3000 system, to grow algae quickly and efficiently to produce biodiesel and commercial fish food protein. GNE-India owns and retains the territorial rights for distribution and sales of the proprietary technology in India and Sri Lanka.
The company enjoys exclusive distribution and licensing rights to the GNE GB 3000 system in India and Croatia.
In 2011, the GB 3000 system was used to grow local algae species like spirulina, as well as chlorella, for fish feed and biodiesel markets, Biodiesel Magazine reports.
WHEN is focused on biofuels produced from algae because, the company explains, it gives substantially higher yields in comparison to ethanol derived from corn, rapeseed, jatropha and palm oil. The company also works with enterprises producing progressive, broad-based solutions for better physical, nutritional and environmental health worldwide.
In addition, World Health is pursuing another use of algae: the efficient production of high-protein fish feed for commercial fish farms.
Original post: http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?monthyear=&day=3&id=48761&l=e&special=&ndb=1%20target=
December 27, 2011
Solazyme Chief Operating Officer Webster Resigns Citing Health
Solazyme Inc. Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Webster resigned from the biofuels maker, effective immediately, for health and personal reasons.
Webster joined the South San Francisco, California-based company on Sept. 12, it said today in a securities filing. He was previously general manager of Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN)’s renewable products business. Solazyme produces oil from algae that can be processed into fuel and chemicals.
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-27/solazyme-chief-operating-officer-webster-resigns-citing-health.html
Webster joined the South San Francisco, California-based company on Sept. 12, it said today in a securities filing. He was previously general manager of Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN)’s renewable products business. Solazyme produces oil from algae that can be processed into fuel and chemicals.
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-27/solazyme-chief-operating-officer-webster-resigns-citing-health.html
Federal Gov't Finally Kills $6B USD Corn Ethanol Subsidy
Fresh debate focuses on eliminating blending/consumption mandates or replacing them with non-corn-based targets
Biofuels have become almost a dirty word, thanks to the government's dealings with respect to corn ethanol. Deep in campaign donations from farm lobbyists, federal politicans have sprinkled billions in subsidies on the corn farmers that helped pay their way into office. Many have argued these subsidies have cost the consumer both in direct taxes and by raising the cost of corn-derived food products at the supermarket. Still other critics accuse the government of greenwashing, pointing out that corn ethanol has actually been shown to increase greenhouse gas emissions, not cut them.
I. RIP "Dirty" Corn Ethanol Subsidy
In the end, it appears the critics prevailed. The federal government is at last axing the $6B USD in annual federal subsidies it had previously been bequeathing on corn farmers and ethanol production facilities.
As the Congressional year ended, corn ethanol's supporters failed to muster the support necessary to push through a new subsidy to replace the previous subsidy that was voted out over the summer.
Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, an ethanol trade group, clearly wasn't thrilled with the decision, but in an interview earlier this month he claimed the ethanol industry would survive without government handouts stating, "The blenders' tax credit initially helped the ethanol industry develop. But today, we don't have a production problem, we have a market access problem. Without the tax credit, the ethanol industry will survive; it will continue to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, create jobs and strengthen our economy."
By some estimates the total gifts to corn ethanol business totalled $45B USD since 1980.
The subsidy cut -- approved by a 73-27 Senate vote in June -- also is accompanied by the end of a tariff on the importation of Brazilian ethanol. Brazil has an excess of sugarcane ethanol, but the U.S. government had previously penalized this fuel stream as a means of allowing U.S. ethanol producers to escape competing on the free market.
The ethanol debate has divided both political parties and even set federal representatives within certain corn-producing states against each other.
For example Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), whose state is the nation's 11th-largest corn producer -- with 11,000 corn growers using 4 percent of the state's land (2.45 million acres) to produce 315 million bushels in 2010 -- was among those who voted against cutting the subsidy, attacking the plan.
By contrast Michigan Reps. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Township), Mike Rogers (R-Brighton), John Conyers (D-Detroit), Tim Walberg (R-Tipton), and Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland) joined California's Darrell Issa (R-San Diego) and Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange County) in attacking higher ethanol blends in a letter "E15 is not ready for prime time".
II. The Next Front: Cutting Mandatory Blending Targets
The letter alludes to the next major front in the debate -- the question of mandatory ethanol consumption targets and fuel blends.
Many states have already forced gas stations to vend a blend of fuel that's 90 percent gas and 10 percent ethanol. But this blend is insufficient to fulfill the federal mandates of 15 billion gallons of biofuel to be consumed by 2015 and 36 billion gallons by 2022. These mandates were pushed through by the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush (R) and Barack Obama (D).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has called for using a higher E15 blend (15 percent ethanol, 85 percent gas), while offering non-E15 options and warning stickers for drivers of older vehicles. Both the EPA and automakers agree that E15 use could do great harm to older engines. However, the automakers and the EPA dispute its effect on more modern engines. Automakers say E15 can still cause significant harm to some modern engine designs, while the EPA claims the automakers don't know what they're talking about and that it's own testing has proven E15 use in modern vehicles to be safe.
But the E15 scheme has been shelved indefinitely thanks to a 285-136 vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The house is now debating whether to roll back biofuels targets and/or the existing ethanol blending mandates. Downsides to such actions are that other biofuels such as algae and cellulosic ethanol -- which lack the compelling negatives of corn ethanol -- could be harmed. A repeal could also create uncertainty in the fuel market, causing deleterious financial effects.
III. Moving Towards Better Biofuels
An alternative could be to scale back targets, focusing solely on more promising technologies like cellulosic ethanol and algae, while scrapping any sort of federal mandate for corn ethanol. Interestingly such an idea has support from some environmental lobbies who aren't a fan of corn ethanol.
Environmental advocacy Friends of the Earth's biofuels policy campaigner Michal Rosenoer cheered the decision to kill the subsidy, stating, "The end of this giant subsidy for dirty corn ethanol is a win for taxpayers, the environment and people struggling to put food on their tables."
His group supports focusing federal funding on "better" biofuels.
One particularly promising biofuel is algal oil.
While pure-ethanol vehicles can have a better performance power-wise than pure-gasoline vehicles thanks to higher fuel compression ratios, availability mandates mixed vehicles that can burn both pure gasoline or pure ethanol. These dual-mode engines offer the worst of both worlds, in terms of inferior gasoline performance, while falling short of the promised ethanol performance.
By contrast, algal fuel can be produced in a higher octane blend which mirrors standard gasoline. Thus lesser engine modifications are necessary even for pure supplies. Additionally, for blends the performance losses would be lessened.
The U.S. military has been doing some excellent pioneering work in terms of reducing the cost of algae biofuels. A year ago algae biofuel cost $424 USD/gallon, this year it costs $26.67 USD/gallon.
Algae biofuel production is inherently scalable, although it works best in relatively frost-free climates like Florida and the American southwest. Aside from the cost of the glass tanks, harvesting/processing equipment, and bioengineered algae strains, the only additional costs involved are the certain fertilizers/growth additives used to accelerate the growth of the oily algae.
Algae's biggest weakness is that it doesn't have the millions in special interest money backing it hat corn ethanol has. Thus even as corn ethanol has some firm advocates on The Hill, algal biofuel is just starting to be considered.
Source: The Detroit News
Biofuels have become almost a dirty word, thanks to the government's dealings with respect to corn ethanol. Deep in campaign donations from farm lobbyists, federal politicans have sprinkled billions in subsidies on the corn farmers that helped pay their way into office. Many have argued these subsidies have cost the consumer both in direct taxes and by raising the cost of corn-derived food products at the supermarket. Still other critics accuse the government of greenwashing, pointing out that corn ethanol has actually been shown to increase greenhouse gas emissions, not cut them.
I. RIP "Dirty" Corn Ethanol Subsidy
In the end, it appears the critics prevailed. The federal government is at last axing the $6B USD in annual federal subsidies it had previously been bequeathing on corn farmers and ethanol production facilities.
As the Congressional year ended, corn ethanol's supporters failed to muster the support necessary to push through a new subsidy to replace the previous subsidy that was voted out over the summer.
Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, an ethanol trade group, clearly wasn't thrilled with the decision, but in an interview earlier this month he claimed the ethanol industry would survive without government handouts stating, "The blenders' tax credit initially helped the ethanol industry develop. But today, we don't have a production problem, we have a market access problem. Without the tax credit, the ethanol industry will survive; it will continue to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, create jobs and strengthen our economy."
By some estimates the total gifts to corn ethanol business totalled $45B USD since 1980.
The subsidy cut -- approved by a 73-27 Senate vote in June -- also is accompanied by the end of a tariff on the importation of Brazilian ethanol. Brazil has an excess of sugarcane ethanol, but the U.S. government had previously penalized this fuel stream as a means of allowing U.S. ethanol producers to escape competing on the free market.
The ethanol debate has divided both political parties and even set federal representatives within certain corn-producing states against each other.
For example Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), whose state is the nation's 11th-largest corn producer -- with 11,000 corn growers using 4 percent of the state's land (2.45 million acres) to produce 315 million bushels in 2010 -- was among those who voted against cutting the subsidy, attacking the plan.
By contrast Michigan Reps. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Township), Mike Rogers (R-Brighton), John Conyers (D-Detroit), Tim Walberg (R-Tipton), and Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland) joined California's Darrell Issa (R-San Diego) and Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange County) in attacking higher ethanol blends in a letter "E15 is not ready for prime time".
II. The Next Front: Cutting Mandatory Blending Targets
The letter alludes to the next major front in the debate -- the question of mandatory ethanol consumption targets and fuel blends.
Many states have already forced gas stations to vend a blend of fuel that's 90 percent gas and 10 percent ethanol. But this blend is insufficient to fulfill the federal mandates of 15 billion gallons of biofuel to be consumed by 2015 and 36 billion gallons by 2022. These mandates were pushed through by the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush (R) and Barack Obama (D).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has called for using a higher E15 blend (15 percent ethanol, 85 percent gas), while offering non-E15 options and warning stickers for drivers of older vehicles. Both the EPA and automakers agree that E15 use could do great harm to older engines. However, the automakers and the EPA dispute its effect on more modern engines. Automakers say E15 can still cause significant harm to some modern engine designs, while the EPA claims the automakers don't know what they're talking about and that it's own testing has proven E15 use in modern vehicles to be safe.
But the E15 scheme has been shelved indefinitely thanks to a 285-136 vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The house is now debating whether to roll back biofuels targets and/or the existing ethanol blending mandates. Downsides to such actions are that other biofuels such as algae and cellulosic ethanol -- which lack the compelling negatives of corn ethanol -- could be harmed. A repeal could also create uncertainty in the fuel market, causing deleterious financial effects.
III. Moving Towards Better Biofuels
An alternative could be to scale back targets, focusing solely on more promising technologies like cellulosic ethanol and algae, while scrapping any sort of federal mandate for corn ethanol. Interestingly such an idea has support from some environmental lobbies who aren't a fan of corn ethanol.
Environmental advocacy Friends of the Earth's biofuels policy campaigner Michal Rosenoer cheered the decision to kill the subsidy, stating, "The end of this giant subsidy for dirty corn ethanol is a win for taxpayers, the environment and people struggling to put food on their tables."
His group supports focusing federal funding on "better" biofuels.
One particularly promising biofuel is algal oil.
While pure-ethanol vehicles can have a better performance power-wise than pure-gasoline vehicles thanks to higher fuel compression ratios, availability mandates mixed vehicles that can burn both pure gasoline or pure ethanol. These dual-mode engines offer the worst of both worlds, in terms of inferior gasoline performance, while falling short of the promised ethanol performance.
By contrast, algal fuel can be produced in a higher octane blend which mirrors standard gasoline. Thus lesser engine modifications are necessary even for pure supplies. Additionally, for blends the performance losses would be lessened.
The U.S. military has been doing some excellent pioneering work in terms of reducing the cost of algae biofuels. A year ago algae biofuel cost $424 USD/gallon, this year it costs $26.67 USD/gallon.
Algae biofuel production is inherently scalable, although it works best in relatively frost-free climates like Florida and the American southwest. Aside from the cost of the glass tanks, harvesting/processing equipment, and bioengineered algae strains, the only additional costs involved are the certain fertilizers/growth additives used to accelerate the growth of the oily algae.
Algae's biggest weakness is that it doesn't have the millions in special interest money backing it hat corn ethanol has. Thus even as corn ethanol has some firm advocates on The Hill, algal biofuel is just starting to be considered.
Source: The Detroit News
December 26, 2011
The 11 Top Biofuels Trends of 2011
It’s that holiday time, time to look-back with misty eyes at the glories of yesteryear. In our case, at the 11 Hottest Trends of 2011, in what proved to be a vintage year for biofuels. There were IPOs a go-go, a big comeback from biodiesel. The global ethanol fleet has acquired new popularity amongst advanced biofuels developers looking for capital light steel in the ground. Meanwhile, gasification got hot. Seemed like every algae venture headed for Algstralia, and Brazil and the US Navy became everyone’s new best friends.
But it wasn’t all holly-jolly and ho-ho-ho. The long awaited biofuels shakeout began, with the are-they-with-us-or-are-they-not at Qteros, and the keel-over of Range Fuels. Who’s next, we wonder? Meanwhile, alcohol-to-jet fuel technology got hot, in part because oilseed-to-jet is so darn hard to find at scale.
We celebrate the holiday season with this look back at the 11 Trends for 2011.
1. The Rush for the Exit: Industry IPOs
The Great Green Bull Market in public equities opened up in early 2010 with the Codexis IPO, but gained momentum throughout 2010-11. Our IPO stories, generally styled the 10-Minute IPO, looked at the S-1 IPO registration statements and looked for the story underneath all the SEC gobbledygook. Our coverage of the Amyris, Solazyme, and KiOR IPOs were the most-read of the year.
More on this trend, here.
2. Biodiesel roars back with mandate, tax credits, B20 OKs
Turns out that predictions of biodiesel’s demise were a tad premature. The fuel’s boosters are gathering this week at the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo, touting a stream of good news. Highlights:
“The EPA has said that they are going to enforce the 800 million gallon volume RFS2 requirement” said National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe to Biodiesel magazine, “and we will have the tax credit in place. Last year we had neither in place.” He described the combination as a “powerful policy framework” and predicted that 2011 would be the biggest year yet for US biodiesel sales.
At the same time, more good news on vehicle acceptance. Jobe is touting that “We’ve got all of the Big Three American automakers accepting B20 in their vehicles.”
At the same time, there are challenges on the feedstock front. Bottom line, jatropha, camelina and algae are still emerging feedstocks, soy and canola are pricey, waste oils & greases are tough to find at scale, and palm is politically radioactive.
More on this trend, here.
3. Ethanol’s back, too, sort of, or is it that drop-ins have waned?
Drop-in fuels all the rage? Not smart, says Coskata CSO Rathin Datta, ethanol is the champion for biomass-based fuels.
In Washington DC last July , at the DOE’s Biomass 2011 annual conclave, Rick Wilson, the CEO of Cobalt Technologies, and Wes Bolsen, CMO of Coskata, engaged in a formal debate over the motion: “Federal funding for biofuels should focus primarily on the development of infrastructure-compatible, hydrocarbon fuels.”
There has been quite a lot of press in recent years around the development of “drop-in fuels” – from articles like 2009′s “Drop In, Tune Out, Turn On” to the coverage of recent DOE funding of consortia like the NABC that are pursuing infrastructure-compatible fuels.
But Coskata has been on the warpath of late to remind the industry, and the broader stakeholders in a future beyond fossil fuels, about why ethanol fuels were developed in the first place, and why they should be considered a superior alternative to drop-in hydrocarbons, when refining fuels from biomass.
At the end of last summer, Coskata CSO Rathin Datta didn’t exactly descend into the lion’s den, when choosing to present this strongly positive view on ethanol at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop in Indianapolis. It’s sort of like praising Cal Ripken Jr. in the friendly confines of Camden Yards.
More on this trend, here.
4. Aviation biofuels begins take-off
In Washington, U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced this month that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) signed a contract to purchase 450,000 gallons of advanced drop-in biofuel, the single largest purchase of biofuel in government history.
More on this trend, here.
5. Jumpin’ Jack Flash! It’s a gas, gas, gas!
New technologies bring gases into the vanguard of advanced biofuels feedstocks. In traditional biofuels, the story to date been all about solids and liquids – grains, juices, mash, slurries and eventually files, chemicals and biomaterials.
A lot of the early companies through the advanced biofuels IPO gate – like Amyris, Solazyme and Gevo, work on liquids too. In short, the wet stuff is the publicity hog.
But a new generation of technologies is coming along fast, primarily in advanced biofuels, which is gasifying biomass at the front end along its path towards making fuels, chemicals or other biomaterials – or in some cases, using organic chemicals already in a gaseous state.
One of the most exciting new technologies, syngas fermentation – described recently as the “third path for cellulosic ethanol” by Advanced Biofuels USA, is profiled here.
But there are a variety of types. Fisher-Tropsch process companies, such as Rentech; gas fermentation specialists such as INEOS Bio, Coskata, LanzaTech; pyrolysis companies like KiOR; and companies using catalysts to convert gasified biomass to liquid fuels and materials, such as S4, SynGest, and TRI. Plus, there is the hybrid fermentation and gasification approach that ZeaChem takes.
Here is the latest on 12 companies to watch.
6. Algae heads for Algstralia
Are the reports of an algal biofuels revolution in the Back of Beyond true? The Digest takes a look (or, a Captain Cook) at Algae.Tec, Aurora Algae and more. What do you do with a country that is basically a desert, cut off from the global biomass trade by a tyranny of distance, with a carbon emissions problem, a wealthy population, a stumbling rural economy, and the occasional political will to do something about climate change?
As the saying goes: if life gives you lemons, make lemonade; if life won’t even give you lemons, make algal biofuels.
Well, that may not yet be a household saying, but it will be soon enough if Australia has anything to do with it. These days, it feels sometimes as if titer, rate and yield are right up there with “mate”, “G’day” and “she’ll be right” in the Aussie lexicon.
It’s been a giddy couple of years of development, all right.
Solazyme teaming up with Qantas for a renewable jet fuel project. A Dunaliella salina plant at Hutt Lagoon in Western Australia. The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), which has developed the NCRIS Photobioreactor Facility in Adelaide and is pursuing nannochloropsis and chaetoceros, and participating in an Algal Fuels Consortium with Flinders University and CSIRO to develop a pilot and pre-commercial scale facility on Torrens Island.
But there’s more, here.
7. Green-black technologies
This week, Warburg Pincus announced that it will invest up to $355 million in First Green Partners, a newly formed early-stage venture capital company.
First Green will, in turn, invest in early-stage companies that focus on developing methods of converting renewable carbon, such as non-food biomass and carbon dioxide to fuels and chemicals, and applications of clean or green technologies in the conventional energy or industrial process, otherwise known as green-black technologies.
What is green-black, anyway?
We have been hearing a lot more about these type of technologies of late.
Take LanzaTech as an example. Here’s a technology in which a microorganism ferments carbon monoxide taken from, for example, blast furnaces at steel mills, to make fuels and chemicals. It’s green, of course, in the same way as a microorganism that ferments, for example, low-cost sugars derived from cellulose.
But it’s more than just a greentech play, because it remediates, adds value to, and depends on the old technologies. Hence, it’s green-black, not just green.
Other green black technologies? “Technologies for treating oil sands tailing ponds,” says First green co-president Cameron, “and for the use of methane for making more complex fuels and chemicals.”
It’s a wide field of potential. For example, consider the opportunities in what have been termed XTL processes. There’s biomass-to-liquid (BTL) – that would be a typical biofuels technology such as cellulosic ethanol. But, then, there’s coal-to-liquid (CTL) and natural gas-to-liquid (GTL), and there are a few technologies that can combine two or more, hence XTL. Accellergy, for example, is gaining traction in China with a strategy that uses coal as its basic feedstock for making liquid fuels, and supplements biomass as a means of lowering the overall carbon impact.
More on this trend, here.
8. Consolidation and changing of the guard
Range Fuels fails. In Georgia, the AgSouth Farm Credit bank, which is the lender of record for an $80 million construction loan that Range defaulted on, is advertising a foreclosure sale of Range’s OneGeorgia plant in the local Soperton (Georgia) News, which will take place on January 3rd.
More on this trend, here.
9. Everyone all aboard for Brazil.
Like MSW? You’ll love bagasse. Lot of the advantages of waste, and there’s a lot more available.
Sugar’s the new oil, DOE Secretary Steven Chu is fond of saying. Codexis agrees, but argues that sugarcane residue (instead of competing for cane syrup) is the path to the real riches.
You can extract sugar from a lot of things. Things that generally cost too much to begin with, or are in short supply (compared to the vast demand for oil), like corn starch, or wheat, or cellulosic wonderstuff.
Then, there’s bagasse. That leftover residue at the sugar mill after squeezing out all the cane juice.
Exciting enough that Cobalt recently signed an agreement with the 10th largest global chemical company, Rhodia, to pursue a fast track program to evaluate, design, and build 30,000 – 75,000 ton plants based on Cobalt Tech’s technology to transform South American bagasse into butanol.
Now, a lot of the excitement about Brazil has centered around the cane syrup, not the bagasse.
Pshaw, says Codexis CEO Alan Shaw.
The problem with the easy sugars
Shaw grabs a magic marker and begins to scribble out the equations on a white board in Redwood City. “It costs $275 a ton for the sugar,” as he pencils out the conversion from sugar carbohydrates to hydrocarbons, “and you lose up to 60 percent in the conversion. You need 3-5 tons of sugar to make a ton of diesel, once you have blown off all the oxygen. No one is going to pay more for your diesel because it is renewable. Acrylic acid, adipic acid – now there you have some good margin to work with.
But not diesel fuel.
More on this trend, here.
10. Alcohol to jet and other R&D pops in aviation biofuels
In Washington, the monster event of the year for aviation biofuels, the CAAFI annual meeting, concluded yesterday with $7.7 million in new grants announced by the FAA, going to eight companies to assist in the development of sustainable, affordable, available renewable jet fuels.
The FAA funds are being distributed by the Department of Transportations (DOT) John A. Volpe Center. The contracts address a recommendation issued by the Future of Aviation Advisory Committee, which was commissioned by Secretary LaHood last year.
The committee, comprised of experts from industry, academia, labor and government, specifically recommended that DOT exercise strong national leadership to promote and display U.S. aviation as a first user of sustainable alternative fuels.
More on this trend, here.
11. Military matters. The Green Strike Group: the fuels, the force, the skinny
The US Navy has announced a Green Strike Group. What exactly is that, and what does it mean for energy security, and domestic biofuels production?
Tactically, a Green Strike Group, powered by renewable diesel-electric engines, nuclear power and aviation biofuels, is able to operate independent of fossil fuel supply line threat or disruption. In the near term, this is a theoretical independence, as the Group will operate on 50/50 blends of biofuels and conventional fossil fuels. It expands the range of suppliers and the available ports of call.
Strategically, of course, the overall thrust is to foster a domestic fuel supply capable of reducing the strategic threat to the US economy and security posed by dependence on imported fossil fuels and OPEC.
There are real world reasons to suppose a connection between fuel supply and military tensions. The conversion of the British fleet from coal to oil after 1911, which enabled a more powerful, compact class of warship, has long been identified as a contributing factor in tensions that caused the outbreak of the First World War. The 1941 embargo on export of US oil to Japan is routinely cited as a proximate cause of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The US Government recently invoked the Defense Production Act of 1950, issuing a presidential finding the advanced biofuels were total to national security. The DPA authorizes the President and Congress to directly invest in the commercialization of vital defense technologies that would otherwise not reach (or too slowly reach) commercial-scale production at affordable prices.
Original article here: http://biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2011/12/27/the-11-top-biofuels-trends-of-2011/
But it wasn’t all holly-jolly and ho-ho-ho. The long awaited biofuels shakeout began, with the are-they-with-us-or-are-they-not at Qteros, and the keel-over of Range Fuels. Who’s next, we wonder? Meanwhile, alcohol-to-jet fuel technology got hot, in part because oilseed-to-jet is so darn hard to find at scale.
We celebrate the holiday season with this look back at the 11 Trends for 2011.
1. The Rush for the Exit: Industry IPOs
The Great Green Bull Market in public equities opened up in early 2010 with the Codexis IPO, but gained momentum throughout 2010-11. Our IPO stories, generally styled the 10-Minute IPO, looked at the S-1 IPO registration statements and looked for the story underneath all the SEC gobbledygook. Our coverage of the Amyris, Solazyme, and KiOR IPOs were the most-read of the year.
More on this trend, here.
2. Biodiesel roars back with mandate, tax credits, B20 OKs
Turns out that predictions of biodiesel’s demise were a tad premature. The fuel’s boosters are gathering this week at the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo, touting a stream of good news. Highlights:
“The EPA has said that they are going to enforce the 800 million gallon volume RFS2 requirement” said National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe to Biodiesel magazine, “and we will have the tax credit in place. Last year we had neither in place.” He described the combination as a “powerful policy framework” and predicted that 2011 would be the biggest year yet for US biodiesel sales.
At the same time, more good news on vehicle acceptance. Jobe is touting that “We’ve got all of the Big Three American automakers accepting B20 in their vehicles.”
At the same time, there are challenges on the feedstock front. Bottom line, jatropha, camelina and algae are still emerging feedstocks, soy and canola are pricey, waste oils & greases are tough to find at scale, and palm is politically radioactive.
More on this trend, here.
3. Ethanol’s back, too, sort of, or is it that drop-ins have waned?
Drop-in fuels all the rage? Not smart, says Coskata CSO Rathin Datta, ethanol is the champion for biomass-based fuels.
In Washington DC last July , at the DOE’s Biomass 2011 annual conclave, Rick Wilson, the CEO of Cobalt Technologies, and Wes Bolsen, CMO of Coskata, engaged in a formal debate over the motion: “Federal funding for biofuels should focus primarily on the development of infrastructure-compatible, hydrocarbon fuels.”
There has been quite a lot of press in recent years around the development of “drop-in fuels” – from articles like 2009′s “Drop In, Tune Out, Turn On” to the coverage of recent DOE funding of consortia like the NABC that are pursuing infrastructure-compatible fuels.
But Coskata has been on the warpath of late to remind the industry, and the broader stakeholders in a future beyond fossil fuels, about why ethanol fuels were developed in the first place, and why they should be considered a superior alternative to drop-in hydrocarbons, when refining fuels from biomass.
At the end of last summer, Coskata CSO Rathin Datta didn’t exactly descend into the lion’s den, when choosing to present this strongly positive view on ethanol at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop in Indianapolis. It’s sort of like praising Cal Ripken Jr. in the friendly confines of Camden Yards.
More on this trend, here.
4. Aviation biofuels begins take-off
In Washington, U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced this month that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) signed a contract to purchase 450,000 gallons of advanced drop-in biofuel, the single largest purchase of biofuel in government history.
More on this trend, here.
5. Jumpin’ Jack Flash! It’s a gas, gas, gas!
New technologies bring gases into the vanguard of advanced biofuels feedstocks. In traditional biofuels, the story to date been all about solids and liquids – grains, juices, mash, slurries and eventually files, chemicals and biomaterials.
A lot of the early companies through the advanced biofuels IPO gate – like Amyris, Solazyme and Gevo, work on liquids too. In short, the wet stuff is the publicity hog.
But a new generation of technologies is coming along fast, primarily in advanced biofuels, which is gasifying biomass at the front end along its path towards making fuels, chemicals or other biomaterials – or in some cases, using organic chemicals already in a gaseous state.
One of the most exciting new technologies, syngas fermentation – described recently as the “third path for cellulosic ethanol” by Advanced Biofuels USA, is profiled here.
But there are a variety of types. Fisher-Tropsch process companies, such as Rentech; gas fermentation specialists such as INEOS Bio, Coskata, LanzaTech; pyrolysis companies like KiOR; and companies using catalysts to convert gasified biomass to liquid fuels and materials, such as S4, SynGest, and TRI. Plus, there is the hybrid fermentation and gasification approach that ZeaChem takes.
Here is the latest on 12 companies to watch.
6. Algae heads for Algstralia
Are the reports of an algal biofuels revolution in the Back of Beyond true? The Digest takes a look (or, a Captain Cook) at Algae.Tec, Aurora Algae and more. What do you do with a country that is basically a desert, cut off from the global biomass trade by a tyranny of distance, with a carbon emissions problem, a wealthy population, a stumbling rural economy, and the occasional political will to do something about climate change?
As the saying goes: if life gives you lemons, make lemonade; if life won’t even give you lemons, make algal biofuels.
Well, that may not yet be a household saying, but it will be soon enough if Australia has anything to do with it. These days, it feels sometimes as if titer, rate and yield are right up there with “mate”, “G’day” and “she’ll be right” in the Aussie lexicon.
It’s been a giddy couple of years of development, all right.
Solazyme teaming up with Qantas for a renewable jet fuel project. A Dunaliella salina plant at Hutt Lagoon in Western Australia. The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), which has developed the NCRIS Photobioreactor Facility in Adelaide and is pursuing nannochloropsis and chaetoceros, and participating in an Algal Fuels Consortium with Flinders University and CSIRO to develop a pilot and pre-commercial scale facility on Torrens Island.
But there’s more, here.
7. Green-black technologies
This week, Warburg Pincus announced that it will invest up to $355 million in First Green Partners, a newly formed early-stage venture capital company.
First Green will, in turn, invest in early-stage companies that focus on developing methods of converting renewable carbon, such as non-food biomass and carbon dioxide to fuels and chemicals, and applications of clean or green technologies in the conventional energy or industrial process, otherwise known as green-black technologies.
What is green-black, anyway?
We have been hearing a lot more about these type of technologies of late.
Take LanzaTech as an example. Here’s a technology in which a microorganism ferments carbon monoxide taken from, for example, blast furnaces at steel mills, to make fuels and chemicals. It’s green, of course, in the same way as a microorganism that ferments, for example, low-cost sugars derived from cellulose.
But it’s more than just a greentech play, because it remediates, adds value to, and depends on the old technologies. Hence, it’s green-black, not just green.
Other green black technologies? “Technologies for treating oil sands tailing ponds,” says First green co-president Cameron, “and for the use of methane for making more complex fuels and chemicals.”
It’s a wide field of potential. For example, consider the opportunities in what have been termed XTL processes. There’s biomass-to-liquid (BTL) – that would be a typical biofuels technology such as cellulosic ethanol. But, then, there’s coal-to-liquid (CTL) and natural gas-to-liquid (GTL), and there are a few technologies that can combine two or more, hence XTL. Accellergy, for example, is gaining traction in China with a strategy that uses coal as its basic feedstock for making liquid fuels, and supplements biomass as a means of lowering the overall carbon impact.
More on this trend, here.
8. Consolidation and changing of the guard
Range Fuels fails. In Georgia, the AgSouth Farm Credit bank, which is the lender of record for an $80 million construction loan that Range defaulted on, is advertising a foreclosure sale of Range’s OneGeorgia plant in the local Soperton (Georgia) News, which will take place on January 3rd.
More on this trend, here.
9. Everyone all aboard for Brazil.
Like MSW? You’ll love bagasse. Lot of the advantages of waste, and there’s a lot more available.
Sugar’s the new oil, DOE Secretary Steven Chu is fond of saying. Codexis agrees, but argues that sugarcane residue (instead of competing for cane syrup) is the path to the real riches.
You can extract sugar from a lot of things. Things that generally cost too much to begin with, or are in short supply (compared to the vast demand for oil), like corn starch, or wheat, or cellulosic wonderstuff.
Then, there’s bagasse. That leftover residue at the sugar mill after squeezing out all the cane juice.
Exciting enough that Cobalt recently signed an agreement with the 10th largest global chemical company, Rhodia, to pursue a fast track program to evaluate, design, and build 30,000 – 75,000 ton plants based on Cobalt Tech’s technology to transform South American bagasse into butanol.
Now, a lot of the excitement about Brazil has centered around the cane syrup, not the bagasse.
Pshaw, says Codexis CEO Alan Shaw.
The problem with the easy sugars
Shaw grabs a magic marker and begins to scribble out the equations on a white board in Redwood City. “It costs $275 a ton for the sugar,” as he pencils out the conversion from sugar carbohydrates to hydrocarbons, “and you lose up to 60 percent in the conversion. You need 3-5 tons of sugar to make a ton of diesel, once you have blown off all the oxygen. No one is going to pay more for your diesel because it is renewable. Acrylic acid, adipic acid – now there you have some good margin to work with.
But not diesel fuel.
More on this trend, here.
10. Alcohol to jet and other R&D pops in aviation biofuels
In Washington, the monster event of the year for aviation biofuels, the CAAFI annual meeting, concluded yesterday with $7.7 million in new grants announced by the FAA, going to eight companies to assist in the development of sustainable, affordable, available renewable jet fuels.
The FAA funds are being distributed by the Department of Transportations (DOT) John A. Volpe Center. The contracts address a recommendation issued by the Future of Aviation Advisory Committee, which was commissioned by Secretary LaHood last year.
The committee, comprised of experts from industry, academia, labor and government, specifically recommended that DOT exercise strong national leadership to promote and display U.S. aviation as a first user of sustainable alternative fuels.
More on this trend, here.
11. Military matters. The Green Strike Group: the fuels, the force, the skinny
The US Navy has announced a Green Strike Group. What exactly is that, and what does it mean for energy security, and domestic biofuels production?
Tactically, a Green Strike Group, powered by renewable diesel-electric engines, nuclear power and aviation biofuels, is able to operate independent of fossil fuel supply line threat or disruption. In the near term, this is a theoretical independence, as the Group will operate on 50/50 blends of biofuels and conventional fossil fuels. It expands the range of suppliers and the available ports of call.
Strategically, of course, the overall thrust is to foster a domestic fuel supply capable of reducing the strategic threat to the US economy and security posed by dependence on imported fossil fuels and OPEC.
There are real world reasons to suppose a connection between fuel supply and military tensions. The conversion of the British fleet from coal to oil after 1911, which enabled a more powerful, compact class of warship, has long been identified as a contributing factor in tensions that caused the outbreak of the First World War. The 1941 embargo on export of US oil to Japan is routinely cited as a proximate cause of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The US Government recently invoked the Defense Production Act of 1950, issuing a presidential finding the advanced biofuels were total to national security. The DPA authorizes the President and Congress to directly invest in the commercialization of vital defense technologies that would otherwise not reach (or too slowly reach) commercial-scale production at affordable prices.
Original article here: http://biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2011/12/27/the-11-top-biofuels-trends-of-2011/
The great biofuel boondoggle
On orders from the White House, the Navy has purchased 450,000 gallons of a biofuel mix for its aviation fuel for about $16 a gallon. JP-5, the normal fuel for jet aircraft, sells for less than $4 a gallon.
A fermented algae biofuel sold by the California firm Solazyme for $26 a gallon was mixed with oil products to bring the overall price down to four times the going rate for jet fuel. The mixing took place in a Louisiana plant built in part by a $21.8 million grant Solazyme received from President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill.
T.J. Glauthier, a “strategic adviser” at Solazyme, worked for Mr. Obama on the energy portion of the stimulus bill. This was the largest government purchase of biofuel ever. It was authorized by executive order under the Obama administration’s “we can’t wait” campaign.
“Administration officials gave no indication why they’re not going through Congress, instead of using a program that was established to promote rapid job growth by bypassing congressional debate,” said Fox News.
About 300 people work at the Lousiana biofuels plant. That comes out to a taxpayer subsidy of about $73,000 per job — not counting the gouging the taxpayers are getting on the cost of the fuel.
Physics as well as economics make it impractical to produce much biofuel from algae, researchers at Kansas State University said in April. But the Navy, in partnership with the Departments of Agriculture and Energy, plans to spend up to $510 million over the next three years to develop infrastructure for supplying the military with biofuels, the White House announced in August.
Solazyme’s $26 a gallon biofuel is a bargain compared to the $1.5 billion in grants and loans the government has made to producers of cellulosic ethanol (ethanol made from wood, switchgrass, or the non-edible parts of plants).
From the standpoint of science and economics, ethanol is a terrible substitute for gasoline. It is a net consumer of energy. (More is used to produce it than ethanol generates when it is burned.) Ethanol is highly corrosive. It damages engines and can’t be transported in pipelines. Ethanol has a lower octane rating than gasoline, so it lowers vehicle mileage.
The great benefit of ethanol, allegedly, is that it emits less carbon dioxide. But production of bioethanol and biodiesel actually increases the greenhouse effect when the forest land in the tropics that is being cleared to plant energy crops is taken into account, a leading British scientist told the Royal Academy of Engineering last year.It will take up to 300 years for ethanol to compensate for the CO2 released from the forests already burnt, Dr. Roland Clift said.
Ethanol is more attractive from the standpoint of politics. Subsidies go mostly to the swing states of the Midwest. Subsidy recipients have made generous political contributions.
There was no commercial production of cellulosic ethanol in 2007. There still isn’t much. After Congress passed the subsidies, about half a dozen companies started up to get a piece of the $1.5 billion. The largest filed for bankruptcy last year, amid charges of fraud. The others are struggling because even with the subsidies, cellulosic ethanol costs too much to produce to compete with petroleum, the National Academy of Science said in a report in October. “Currently, no commercially viable biorefineries exist for converting cellulosic biomass to fuel,” the NAS said.
This is a problem, because the Democratic Congress in 2007 went beyond providing handsome subsidies for a product that didn’t exist. It passed a law requiring oil companies to buy cellulosic fuel to blend with conventional gasoline. The mandate for this year was supposed to be 250 million gallons, but the EPA quietly reduced that to 6.6 million gallons.That was still more than all the cellulosic ethanol produced, so oil companies had to spend $10 million to buy waiver credits for failing to obey a mandate to buy a product that wasn’t available for purchase.
The Obama administration in September lent Abengoa Bioenergy $134 million to build a cellulosic plant in Kansas.
The government “subsidized a product that didn’t exist, mandated its purchase though it still didn’t exist, is punishing oil companies for not buying the product that doesn’t exist, and is now doubling down on the subsidies on the hope that someday it might exist,” said the Wall Street Journal in an editorial. “We’d call this the march of folly, but that’s unfair to fools.”
Original post here: http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/opinion/oped/the-great-biofuel-boondoggle/article_1d667241-4ec4-5e40-b74c-6a6b6ccd1b00.html
A fermented algae biofuel sold by the California firm Solazyme for $26 a gallon was mixed with oil products to bring the overall price down to four times the going rate for jet fuel. The mixing took place in a Louisiana plant built in part by a $21.8 million grant Solazyme received from President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill.
T.J. Glauthier, a “strategic adviser” at Solazyme, worked for Mr. Obama on the energy portion of the stimulus bill. This was the largest government purchase of biofuel ever. It was authorized by executive order under the Obama administration’s “we can’t wait” campaign.
“Administration officials gave no indication why they’re not going through Congress, instead of using a program that was established to promote rapid job growth by bypassing congressional debate,” said Fox News.
About 300 people work at the Lousiana biofuels plant. That comes out to a taxpayer subsidy of about $73,000 per job — not counting the gouging the taxpayers are getting on the cost of the fuel.
Physics as well as economics make it impractical to produce much biofuel from algae, researchers at Kansas State University said in April. But the Navy, in partnership with the Departments of Agriculture and Energy, plans to spend up to $510 million over the next three years to develop infrastructure for supplying the military with biofuels, the White House announced in August.
Solazyme’s $26 a gallon biofuel is a bargain compared to the $1.5 billion in grants and loans the government has made to producers of cellulosic ethanol (ethanol made from wood, switchgrass, or the non-edible parts of plants).
From the standpoint of science and economics, ethanol is a terrible substitute for gasoline. It is a net consumer of energy. (More is used to produce it than ethanol generates when it is burned.) Ethanol is highly corrosive. It damages engines and can’t be transported in pipelines. Ethanol has a lower octane rating than gasoline, so it lowers vehicle mileage.
The great benefit of ethanol, allegedly, is that it emits less carbon dioxide. But production of bioethanol and biodiesel actually increases the greenhouse effect when the forest land in the tropics that is being cleared to plant energy crops is taken into account, a leading British scientist told the Royal Academy of Engineering last year.It will take up to 300 years for ethanol to compensate for the CO2 released from the forests already burnt, Dr. Roland Clift said.
Ethanol is more attractive from the standpoint of politics. Subsidies go mostly to the swing states of the Midwest. Subsidy recipients have made generous political contributions.
There was no commercial production of cellulosic ethanol in 2007. There still isn’t much. After Congress passed the subsidies, about half a dozen companies started up to get a piece of the $1.5 billion. The largest filed for bankruptcy last year, amid charges of fraud. The others are struggling because even with the subsidies, cellulosic ethanol costs too much to produce to compete with petroleum, the National Academy of Science said in a report in October. “Currently, no commercially viable biorefineries exist for converting cellulosic biomass to fuel,” the NAS said.
This is a problem, because the Democratic Congress in 2007 went beyond providing handsome subsidies for a product that didn’t exist. It passed a law requiring oil companies to buy cellulosic fuel to blend with conventional gasoline. The mandate for this year was supposed to be 250 million gallons, but the EPA quietly reduced that to 6.6 million gallons.That was still more than all the cellulosic ethanol produced, so oil companies had to spend $10 million to buy waiver credits for failing to obey a mandate to buy a product that wasn’t available for purchase.
The Obama administration in September lent Abengoa Bioenergy $134 million to build a cellulosic plant in Kansas.
The government “subsidized a product that didn’t exist, mandated its purchase though it still didn’t exist, is punishing oil companies for not buying the product that doesn’t exist, and is now doubling down on the subsidies on the hope that someday it might exist,” said the Wall Street Journal in an editorial. “We’d call this the march of folly, but that’s unfair to fools.”
Original post here: http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/opinion/oped/the-great-biofuel-boondoggle/article_1d667241-4ec4-5e40-b74c-6a6b6ccd1b00.html
Maersk Tests Algae-Based Biofuel in Cargo Voyage to India
Maersk is testing a range of algae-based biofuel blends aboard a container ship headed to India as part of a project with the U.S. Navy.
Maersk, based in Denmark, has worked with the Navy for about 30 years. However, the biofuels testing program is the first partnership between the world's largest commercial container carrier and the Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command.
Both the Navy and the Maersk Line, which is part of the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group, are on a mission to reduce the environmental impacts of their operations at sea and on land.
The 300-meter Maersk Kalmar, which has a dedicated test engine and a fuel system that includes equipment to blend biofuel and house it in separate tanks, was chosen for the project. While on a month-long voyage from Bremerton, Germany, to Pipav, India, the ship used 30 tons of biofuel derived from algae in blends ranging from 7 percent to 100 percent.
The blends were evaluated for nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxide and carbon dioxide emissions and particulate matter residue, in addition to basic performance issues, such as power efficiency and wear and tear on the engine. An analysis of the test results is pending. Maersk and the Navy announced their project mid-month, just as the data collection phase was wrapping up.
The Navy and the shipping industry are seeking more earth-friendly ways to power and design ships without sacrificing capacity or performance of the vessels. At the same time, industry regulators are working to tighten standards on emissions.
"We expect to identify an optimal blend of distillate and biofuel that will meet the more stringent requirements of the International Maritime Organization's forthcoming emissions regulations," said David Anderson, Maersk's technical representative for the biofuel testing project, in a statement.
Maersk, whose fleet includes more than 1,300, set a goal of reducing its emissions by at least 10 percent based on 2007 levels by 2012. It surpassed that goal and beat the target date by achieving a 13 percent reduction by the close of 2010.
By then, the company also was able to trace and track 85 percent of its emissions and became the first in its industry to verify the emissions of its ships. Maersk said in its latest sustainability report that the remaining 15 percent of corporate emissions come from office buildings and small vessels with scant historical data, a situation the company is trying to improve.
Earlier this year, the company said it had ordered the greenest container ship yet designed. The Triple E from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Company is expected on average to consume half the energy and emit half the carbon of other carriers serving Europe-Asia trade routes. The Triple E is scheduled to launch 2013.
The Navy's work toward greater environmental responsibility includes a plan with the Energy and Agriculture departments to invest $510 million for production of advanced drop-in aviation and marine biofuels.
Original post available here: http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2011/12/21/maersk-tests-algae-based-biofuel-cargo-voyage-india
Maersk, based in Denmark, has worked with the Navy for about 30 years. However, the biofuels testing program is the first partnership between the world's largest commercial container carrier and the Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command.
Both the Navy and the Maersk Line, which is part of the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group, are on a mission to reduce the environmental impacts of their operations at sea and on land.
The 300-meter Maersk Kalmar, which has a dedicated test engine and a fuel system that includes equipment to blend biofuel and house it in separate tanks, was chosen for the project. While on a month-long voyage from Bremerton, Germany, to Pipav, India, the ship used 30 tons of biofuel derived from algae in blends ranging from 7 percent to 100 percent.
The blends were evaluated for nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxide and carbon dioxide emissions and particulate matter residue, in addition to basic performance issues, such as power efficiency and wear and tear on the engine. An analysis of the test results is pending. Maersk and the Navy announced their project mid-month, just as the data collection phase was wrapping up.
The Navy and the shipping industry are seeking more earth-friendly ways to power and design ships without sacrificing capacity or performance of the vessels. At the same time, industry regulators are working to tighten standards on emissions.
"We expect to identify an optimal blend of distillate and biofuel that will meet the more stringent requirements of the International Maritime Organization's forthcoming emissions regulations," said David Anderson, Maersk's technical representative for the biofuel testing project, in a statement.
Maersk, whose fleet includes more than 1,300, set a goal of reducing its emissions by at least 10 percent based on 2007 levels by 2012. It surpassed that goal and beat the target date by achieving a 13 percent reduction by the close of 2010.
By then, the company also was able to trace and track 85 percent of its emissions and became the first in its industry to verify the emissions of its ships. Maersk said in its latest sustainability report that the remaining 15 percent of corporate emissions come from office buildings and small vessels with scant historical data, a situation the company is trying to improve.
Earlier this year, the company said it had ordered the greenest container ship yet designed. The Triple E from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Company is expected on average to consume half the energy and emit half the carbon of other carriers serving Europe-Asia trade routes. The Triple E is scheduled to launch 2013.
The Navy's work toward greater environmental responsibility includes a plan with the Energy and Agriculture departments to invest $510 million for production of advanced drop-in aviation and marine biofuels.
Original post available here: http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2011/12/21/maersk-tests-algae-based-biofuel-cargo-voyage-india
Algae Biodiesel Company World Health Energy Holdings Inc. Announces Letter of Intent to Develop Up to 250 Acre Algae Farm With Prime Inc. India; $100
NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 12/21/11 -- World Health Energy Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: WHEN) (PINKSHEETS: WHEN), a public holding company developing joint venture partnerships for algae production for biodiesel and commercial fish food, announced today the signing of Letter of Intent with Prime Inc., an India Industrial and transport Company, to develop a biodiesel production facility ramping up to 250 acres with a budget of up to 100 million dollars.
The proposed sites for development are in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, India and will utilize an Algae Enhancement Technology, known as the GB3000 system, used for growing algae for the production of Fish Feed, Proteins and Bio-fuel in the Territory of India. Prime Inc. India's current clients include: Exon, Shell, General Electric (GE) and Siemens.
Liran Kosman, CFO of World Health Energy, said: "We look forward to working with Prime Inc. India in the design, development and support of a cost-efficient algae production farm. We anticipate scaling up operations and completing a number of significant algae projects in 2012."
World Health Energy Holdings, Inc. recently acquired GNE-India, an algae technology company with the distribution and licensing rights to a unique and innovative technology, the GNE GB 3000 system, to grow algae quickly and efficiently for the production of biodiesel and commercial fish food protein. GNE-India owns and retains the territorial rights for distribution and sales of the proprietary technology to both India and Sri Lanka. The company has exclusive distribution and licensing rights to the GNE GB 3000 system in India and Croatia. Earlier this year, the GB 3000 system was used to grow a combination of local algae species, as well as Chlorella, targeting the product to the fish feed and biodiesel markets.
World Health Energy Holdings, Inc. is focused on biofuels produced from algae, which boasts substantially higher yields in comparison to ethanol derived from corn, rapeseed, jatropha and palm oil. The company also works with visionary enterprises in the multi-billion dollar renewable energy arena producing progressive, broad-based solutions for better physical, nutritional and environmental health worldwide. In addition, the company is pursuing an ancillary use of algae -- the efficient production of high-protein fish feed for commercial fish farms.
Ongoing Shareholder Updates
Shareholders and interested investors who would like to be added to WHEN's corporate e-mail list are encouraged to send an e-mail to info@worldhealthenergy.com for all future corporate press releases and industry updates.
About World Health Energy Holdings, Inc.
World Health Energy Holdings, Inc. is an emerging algae for food and renewable energy biofuel company. The company will produce, sub-license and market high-quality, low cost B100 Biodiesel to replace traditional fossil fuels with proprietary algae biofuel systems. Corporate website: http://www.worldhealthenergy.com
About GNE-India, Inc. http://www.gne.bz
GNE Global Natural Energy Ltd. is an algae tech company with unique systems to grow algae commercially for energy and food. The Company was founded by top experts in the plant and algae field after several years of research and development to create affordable and viable algae biofuel systems.
"Safe Harbor Statement" Under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act Of 1995
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The statements in this release are forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results, events and performance could vary materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause World Health Energy Holdings, Inc.'s actual results in future periods to differ materially from results expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, product demand and market competition. You should independently investigate and fully understand all risks before making investment decisions.
Original article: http://www.sys-con.com/node/2108849
The proposed sites for development are in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, India and will utilize an Algae Enhancement Technology, known as the GB3000 system, used for growing algae for the production of Fish Feed, Proteins and Bio-fuel in the Territory of India. Prime Inc. India's current clients include: Exon, Shell, General Electric (GE) and Siemens.
Liran Kosman, CFO of World Health Energy, said: "We look forward to working with Prime Inc. India in the design, development and support of a cost-efficient algae production farm. We anticipate scaling up operations and completing a number of significant algae projects in 2012."
World Health Energy Holdings, Inc. recently acquired GNE-India, an algae technology company with the distribution and licensing rights to a unique and innovative technology, the GNE GB 3000 system, to grow algae quickly and efficiently for the production of biodiesel and commercial fish food protein. GNE-India owns and retains the territorial rights for distribution and sales of the proprietary technology to both India and Sri Lanka. The company has exclusive distribution and licensing rights to the GNE GB 3000 system in India and Croatia. Earlier this year, the GB 3000 system was used to grow a combination of local algae species, as well as Chlorella, targeting the product to the fish feed and biodiesel markets.
World Health Energy Holdings, Inc. is focused on biofuels produced from algae, which boasts substantially higher yields in comparison to ethanol derived from corn, rapeseed, jatropha and palm oil. The company also works with visionary enterprises in the multi-billion dollar renewable energy arena producing progressive, broad-based solutions for better physical, nutritional and environmental health worldwide. In addition, the company is pursuing an ancillary use of algae -- the efficient production of high-protein fish feed for commercial fish farms.
Ongoing Shareholder Updates
Shareholders and interested investors who would like to be added to WHEN's corporate e-mail list are encouraged to send an e-mail to info@worldhealthenergy.com for all future corporate press releases and industry updates.
About World Health Energy Holdings, Inc.
World Health Energy Holdings, Inc. is an emerging algae for food and renewable energy biofuel company. The company will produce, sub-license and market high-quality, low cost B100 Biodiesel to replace traditional fossil fuels with proprietary algae biofuel systems. Corporate website: http://www.worldhealthenergy.com
About GNE-India, Inc. http://www.gne.bz
GNE Global Natural Energy Ltd. is an algae tech company with unique systems to grow algae commercially for energy and food. The Company was founded by top experts in the plant and algae field after several years of research and development to create affordable and viable algae biofuel systems.
"Safe Harbor Statement" Under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act Of 1995
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The statements in this release are forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results, events and performance could vary materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause World Health Energy Holdings, Inc.'s actual results in future periods to differ materially from results expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, product demand and market competition. You should independently investigate and fully understand all risks before making investment decisions.
Original article: http://www.sys-con.com/node/2108849
ALGAE-X exhibits diesel fuel filtration systems at Power-Gen
ALGAE-X International (AXI) showcased its automated fuel filtration systems at Power-Gen International, which took place in Las Vegas, USA, from 13-15 December 2011.
AXI’s STS 7004 automated fuel filtration system are available with touch-screen controller, Modbus, TCP/IP LAN connectivity and E-mail and SMS alerts. They are Green Certified and are designed to prevent fuel-related engine failures by maintaining fuel quality and guaranteeing reliable emergency power whenever needed.
Proper generator service is an integral part of every maintenance plan, but most service agreements do not cover fuel-related engine failures. Fuel has a limited shelf life and even ‘fresh fuel’ may contain water, sediment, microbes and bio-fuel components upon delivery. However, periodic generator testing could significantly accelerate the fuel deterioration process.
Original post: http://www.filtsep.com/view/22817/algaex-exhibits-diesel-fuel-filtration-systems-at-powergen-/
AXI’s STS 7004 automated fuel filtration system are available with touch-screen controller, Modbus, TCP/IP LAN connectivity and E-mail and SMS alerts. They are Green Certified and are designed to prevent fuel-related engine failures by maintaining fuel quality and guaranteeing reliable emergency power whenever needed.
Proper generator service is an integral part of every maintenance plan, but most service agreements do not cover fuel-related engine failures. Fuel has a limited shelf life and even ‘fresh fuel’ may contain water, sediment, microbes and bio-fuel components upon delivery. However, periodic generator testing could significantly accelerate the fuel deterioration process.
Original post: http://www.filtsep.com/view/22817/algaex-exhibits-diesel-fuel-filtration-systems-at-powergen-/
Turning algae into energy gets Halifax company on award shortlist
Three N.S. firms in running for green technology prize
A Halifax biotechnology company is hoping green slime will help its business take flight.
Marine Arctic & Antarctic Technologies Inc. is one of 10 startups that made the shortlist of the Nova Scotia Clean Tech Open, Innovacorp announced Wednesday.
The competition’s goal is to assist a clean technology company in getting established in the province.
Marine Arctic & Antarctic Technologies is developing technology to mass produce micro-algae for use in biofuel and other products.
"It’s like slop,” CEO Mather Carscallen said of the raw material during an interview.
“Some of it smells bad. Some of it doesn’t. It’s pretty much every different smell, shape, colour you could ever imagine.”
The algae would be incubated in a bioreactor that could vary in size and designed to be cost effective, he said.
Carscallen, a doctoral student at Dalhousie University, formed the company in the summer of 2010 in partnership with Neil Ross.
Carscallen, whose research focuses on polar conservation, said algae has huge potential as a source of biofuel.
“It grows in so many conditions across the globe. With so many strains of micro-algae out there, we can actually select (them), depending on what we’re looking for.”
Once the oil is extracted for fuel, the byproducts could be used in various products, including cosmetics, nutritional supplements and animal feed, he said.
The Clean Tech Open competition, launched in September, attracted 65 submissions from companies around the world.
The other companies still in the running are:
Amarok Industries, Halifax — Zero-emission electric motorcycles
Algae Energy, Halifax — Oil extraction from algae for use in biodiesel production
TocardoInternational BV, Netherlands — Tidal energy
Rentricity Inc., New York — Hydrokinetic energy recovery systems for the water and waste water industries
Pohuhvat LTD, Serbia — Tidal turbines and mobile underwater platforms
PearlLED Inc., California — LED light bulbs
Nitro-Turbodyne Inc., California — Low-to-medium power generation system
GridManager A/S, Denmark — Environmental business intelligence
CleanHydro Inc., Florida — Hydrogen production technology
For the second round of competition, the companies have to submit a full business plan by Feb.1 and pitch their ventures to a judging panel later that month.
The winner, to be announced in April, receives $100,000 in cash, a $200,000 negotiable seed investment, mentoring and in-kind business services, including one-year of free rent of space at the Innovacorp Enterprise Centre in Halifax.
Original post: http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/45109-turning-algae-energy-gets-halifax-company-award-shortlist
A Halifax biotechnology company is hoping green slime will help its business take flight.
Marine Arctic & Antarctic Technologies Inc. is one of 10 startups that made the shortlist of the Nova Scotia Clean Tech Open, Innovacorp announced Wednesday.
The competition’s goal is to assist a clean technology company in getting established in the province.
Marine Arctic & Antarctic Technologies is developing technology to mass produce micro-algae for use in biofuel and other products.
"It’s like slop,” CEO Mather Carscallen said of the raw material during an interview.
“Some of it smells bad. Some of it doesn’t. It’s pretty much every different smell, shape, colour you could ever imagine.”
The algae would be incubated in a bioreactor that could vary in size and designed to be cost effective, he said.
Carscallen, a doctoral student at Dalhousie University, formed the company in the summer of 2010 in partnership with Neil Ross.
Carscallen, whose research focuses on polar conservation, said algae has huge potential as a source of biofuel.
“It grows in so many conditions across the globe. With so many strains of micro-algae out there, we can actually select (them), depending on what we’re looking for.”
Once the oil is extracted for fuel, the byproducts could be used in various products, including cosmetics, nutritional supplements and animal feed, he said.
The Clean Tech Open competition, launched in September, attracted 65 submissions from companies around the world.
The other companies still in the running are:
Amarok Industries, Halifax — Zero-emission electric motorcycles
Algae Energy, Halifax — Oil extraction from algae for use in biodiesel production
TocardoInternational BV, Netherlands — Tidal energy
Rentricity Inc., New York — Hydrokinetic energy recovery systems for the water and waste water industries
Pohuhvat LTD, Serbia — Tidal turbines and mobile underwater platforms
PearlLED Inc., California — LED light bulbs
Nitro-Turbodyne Inc., California — Low-to-medium power generation system
GridManager A/S, Denmark — Environmental business intelligence
CleanHydro Inc., Florida — Hydrogen production technology
For the second round of competition, the companies have to submit a full business plan by Feb.1 and pitch their ventures to a judging panel later that month.
The winner, to be announced in April, receives $100,000 in cash, a $200,000 negotiable seed investment, mentoring and in-kind business services, including one-year of free rent of space at the Innovacorp Enterprise Centre in Halifax.
Original post: http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/45109-turning-algae-energy-gets-halifax-company-award-shortlist
Federal agencies going green
Algae-fueled Navy boats at Naval Station Norfolk. Solar panels at NASA Langley Research Center's new office building. Geothermal wells at Fort Eustis.
Congress has not passed comprehensive energy and climate change legislation. As a result, federal agencies in Hampton Roads and beyond are investing in renewable energy. Nowhere is the trend more evident than the Department of Defense, which consumes more energy than all other federal agencies combined.
Other agencies, including the Department of Energy's Jefferson Lab in Newport News, are looking at renewables and nuclear energy. Because nuclear produces no emissions, it would help the lab reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions it is responsible for.
Original post: http://www.dailypress.com/news/newport-news/dp-nws-yir-science-story5-20111222,0,880817.story
Congress has not passed comprehensive energy and climate change legislation. As a result, federal agencies in Hampton Roads and beyond are investing in renewable energy. Nowhere is the trend more evident than the Department of Defense, which consumes more energy than all other federal agencies combined.
Other agencies, including the Department of Energy's Jefferson Lab in Newport News, are looking at renewables and nuclear energy. Because nuclear produces no emissions, it would help the lab reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions it is responsible for.
Original post: http://www.dailypress.com/news/newport-news/dp-nws-yir-science-story5-20111222,0,880817.story
December 25, 2011
Collaborative project to promote sustainable energy for USDA
A $3.2 million grant awarded to four universities has New Mexico State University's College of Engineering and College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences collaborating with three other institutions to prom
The University of Texas at El Paso is the lead institution for the multi-university project entitled BGREEN (Building Regional Energy and Educational Alliances). Texas A&M University-Kingsville and Texas State University-San Marcos are also included in the grant.
The goal of the project is to create a collaborative network of sustainable energy researchers, educators, USDA agencies, and non-profit organizations to coordinate efforts and increase educational and post-graduation opportunities for Hispanic students pursuing careers contributing to sustainable energy and agriculture research.
NMSU has received $780,000 for its contribution to the project, focused on logistics, bio-energy and bio-materials, and economics in the areas of engineering and agriculture.
Industrial engineering professor Delia J. Valles-Rosales, principal investigator for NMSU on the project, industrial engineering professor Hansuk Sohn, civil engineering professor Nirmala Khandan, and agricultural economics professor Ram Acharya are collaborating on the research.
The goal of the BGREEN Project is to increase the number of U.S. citizens or permanent residents from underrepresented minorities with graduate degrees in science and engineering fields linked to the USDA mission, Valles-Rosales said.
Curriculum design and development, instruction delivery systems, student experiential learning, and student recruitment and retention are the four goals of the program.
"The main area is sustainable energy, and our role is to train students to conduct research in that area and be able to work priority areas for the USDA and its agencies," Acharya said. "We will work as a team. Sustainable energy involves energy technology as well as the economic impact of that technology. It could involve new technology to produce new energy sources like bio-energy and how that impacts the overall economy."
The four-year grant will support undergraduate and graduate students to advance their education in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency. This will include recruitment within the college of engineering and the college of agriculture. Students, if accepted into the program, will be co-advised by professors from both colleges and take classes specifically designed for the program that incorporate the engineering and agriculture aspects of the sustainable energy.
Each year, the project will support six undergraduate students to take the proposed courses and work on a research project. Funding will also support four undergraduate students to participate on a research project at one USDA agency. In addition, two master's students and four doctoral students will be supported each year to conduct research and have the opportunity to continue their research at USDA-Agricultural Research Service facilities.
The NMSU team will create a formal curriculum that incorporates agriculture and engineering, and a system to recruit students into the program. Students in the program will be required to take the courses specifically designed by these four professors and conduct research focused on biofuels and biohydrogen, biodiesel, microbial fuel cells, biomaterials, and distribution and pre-processing.
"This is a multi-disciplinary project, so each one of us has a significant contribution," Sohn said.
Khandan will develop curriculum materials and provide field experience to students in several on-going algal biodiesel research projects. Khandan is using a photobioreactor to study different species of algae at an outdoor test bed facility. His research efforts also include collaborations with industry leaders in this area and students will have opportunities to make visits to these industrial settings as well.
Acharya will provide students with knowledge in the area of agricultural economic. He will develop teaching materials on issues related to economic aspects of sustainable energy and incorporate them in a number of existing undergraduate level courses including Applied Production Economics and Marketing and Pricing Agricultural Products. He will also work to place students in summer internships at USDA facilities.
Sohn will contribute to curriculum development and educate students on biofuels, energy distribution, planning and related transportation issues. He will prepare materials and re-design an existing undergraduate and graduate level course to include materials in sustainable energy focusing on transportation. Additionally, he will coordinate efforts for evaluation and assessment of the program.
Valles-Rosales will manage all NMSU activities and coordinate with partner institutions. She also will redesign existing graduate and undergraduate-level courses on manufacturing processes to include biofuels process modeling and simulation, algae and other biomass resources plating, harvesting, and processing, life product cycle assessment, bioproduct design and manufacturing, and product degradation/reliability analysis.
Recruitment for the program will begin in spring and fall of 2012. For inquiries about the positions or to apply, email Valles-Rosales at dvalles@nmsu.edu, Khandan at nkhandan@nmsu.edu, Acharya at acharyar@ad.nmsu.edu, or Sohn at hsohn@nmsu.edu. Applications must include a two-page curriculum vitae, an official transcript, names and contact information of two references, and a cover letter stating research interests and motivations for applying.
Original article: http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_19619890
The University of Texas at El Paso is the lead institution for the multi-university project entitled BGREEN (Building Regional Energy and Educational Alliances). Texas A&M University-Kingsville and Texas State University-San Marcos are also included in the grant.
The goal of the project is to create a collaborative network of sustainable energy researchers, educators, USDA agencies, and non-profit organizations to coordinate efforts and increase educational and post-graduation opportunities for Hispanic students pursuing careers contributing to sustainable energy and agriculture research.
NMSU has received $780,000 for its contribution to the project, focused on logistics, bio-energy and bio-materials, and economics in the areas of engineering and agriculture.
Industrial engineering professor Delia J. Valles-Rosales, principal investigator for NMSU on the project, industrial engineering professor Hansuk Sohn, civil engineering professor Nirmala Khandan, and agricultural economics professor Ram Acharya are collaborating on the research.
The goal of the BGREEN Project is to increase the number of U.S. citizens or permanent residents from underrepresented minorities with graduate degrees in science and engineering fields linked to the USDA mission, Valles-Rosales said.
Curriculum design and development, instruction delivery systems, student experiential learning, and student recruitment and retention are the four goals of the program.
"The main area is sustainable energy, and our role is to train students to conduct research in that area and be able to work priority areas for the USDA and its agencies," Acharya said. "We will work as a team. Sustainable energy involves energy technology as well as the economic impact of that technology. It could involve new technology to produce new energy sources like bio-energy and how that impacts the overall economy."
The four-year grant will support undergraduate and graduate students to advance their education in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency. This will include recruitment within the college of engineering and the college of agriculture. Students, if accepted into the program, will be co-advised by professors from both colleges and take classes specifically designed for the program that incorporate the engineering and agriculture aspects of the sustainable energy.
Each year, the project will support six undergraduate students to take the proposed courses and work on a research project. Funding will also support four undergraduate students to participate on a research project at one USDA agency. In addition, two master's students and four doctoral students will be supported each year to conduct research and have the opportunity to continue their research at USDA-Agricultural Research Service facilities.
The NMSU team will create a formal curriculum that incorporates agriculture and engineering, and a system to recruit students into the program. Students in the program will be required to take the courses specifically designed by these four professors and conduct research focused on biofuels and biohydrogen, biodiesel, microbial fuel cells, biomaterials, and distribution and pre-processing.
"This is a multi-disciplinary project, so each one of us has a significant contribution," Sohn said.
Khandan will develop curriculum materials and provide field experience to students in several on-going algal biodiesel research projects. Khandan is using a photobioreactor to study different species of algae at an outdoor test bed facility. His research efforts also include collaborations with industry leaders in this area and students will have opportunities to make visits to these industrial settings as well.
Acharya will provide students with knowledge in the area of agricultural economic. He will develop teaching materials on issues related to economic aspects of sustainable energy and incorporate them in a number of existing undergraduate level courses including Applied Production Economics and Marketing and Pricing Agricultural Products. He will also work to place students in summer internships at USDA facilities.
Sohn will contribute to curriculum development and educate students on biofuels, energy distribution, planning and related transportation issues. He will prepare materials and re-design an existing undergraduate and graduate level course to include materials in sustainable energy focusing on transportation. Additionally, he will coordinate efforts for evaluation and assessment of the program.
Valles-Rosales will manage all NMSU activities and coordinate with partner institutions. She also will redesign existing graduate and undergraduate-level courses on manufacturing processes to include biofuels process modeling and simulation, algae and other biomass resources plating, harvesting, and processing, life product cycle assessment, bioproduct design and manufacturing, and product degradation/reliability analysis.
Recruitment for the program will begin in spring and fall of 2012. For inquiries about the positions or to apply, email Valles-Rosales at dvalles@nmsu.edu, Khandan at nkhandan@nmsu.edu, Acharya at acharyar@ad.nmsu.edu, or Sohn at hsohn@nmsu.edu. Applications must include a two-page curriculum vitae, an official transcript, names and contact information of two references, and a cover letter stating research interests and motivations for applying.
Original article: http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_19619890
Collaborative project to promote sustainable energy for USDA
A $3.2 million grant awarded to four universities has New Mexico State University's College of Engineering and College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences collaborating with three other institutions to prom
The University of Texas at El Paso is the lead institution for the multi-university project entitled BGREEN (Building Regional Energy and Educational Alliances). Texas A&M University-Kingsville and Texas State University-San Marcos are also included in the grant.
The goal of the project is to create a collaborative network of sustainable energy researchers, educators, USDA agencies, and non-profit organizations to coordinate efforts and increase educational and post-graduation opportunities for Hispanic students pursuing careers contributing to sustainable energy and agriculture research.
NMSU has received $780,000 for its contribution to the project, focused on logistics, bio-energy and bio-materials, and economics in the areas of engineering and agriculture.
Industrial engineering professor Delia J. Valles-Rosales, principal investigator for NMSU on the project, industrial engineering professor Hansuk Sohn, civil engineering professor Nirmala Khandan, and agricultural economics professor Ram Acharya are collaborating on the research.
The goal of the BGREEN Project is to increase the number of U.S. citizens or permanent residents from underrepresented minorities with graduate degrees in science and engineering fields linked to the USDA mission, Valles-Rosales said.
Curriculum design and development, instruction delivery systems, student experiential learning, and student recruitment and retention are the four goals of the program.
"The main area is sustainable energy, and our role is to train students to conduct research in that area and be able to work priority areas for the USDA and its agencies," Acharya said. "We will work as a team. Sustainable energy involves energy technology as well as the economic impact of that technology. It could involve new technology to produce new energy sources like bio-energy and how that impacts the overall economy."
The four-year grant will support undergraduate and graduate students to advance their education in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency. This will include recruitment within the college of engineering and the college of agriculture. Students, if accepted into the program, will be co-advised by professors from both colleges and take classes specifically designed for the program that incorporate the engineering and agriculture aspects of the sustainable energy.
Each year, the project will support six undergraduate students to take the proposed courses and work on a research project. Funding will also support four undergraduate students to participate on a research project at one USDA agency. In addition, two master's students and four doctoral students will be supported each year to conduct research and have the opportunity to continue their research at USDA-Agricultural Research Service facilities.
The NMSU team will create a formal curriculum that incorporates agriculture and engineering, and a system to recruit students into the program. Students in the program will be required to take the courses specifically designed by these four professors and conduct research focused on biofuels and biohydrogen, biodiesel, microbial fuel cells, biomaterials, and distribution and pre-processing.
"This is a multi-disciplinary project, so each one of us has a significant contribution," Sohn said.
Khandan will develop curriculum materials and provide field experience to students in several on-going algal biodiesel research projects. Khandan is using a photobioreactor to study different species of algae at an outdoor test bed facility. His research efforts also include collaborations with industry leaders in this area and students will have opportunities to make visits to these industrial settings as well.
Acharya will provide students with knowledge in the area of agricultural economic. He will develop teaching materials on issues related to economic aspects of sustainable energy and incorporate them in a number of existing undergraduate level courses including Applied Production Economics and Marketing and Pricing Agricultural Products. He will also work to place students in summer internships at USDA facilities.
Sohn will contribute to curriculum development and educate students on biofuels, energy distribution, planning and related transportation issues. He will prepare materials and re-design an existing undergraduate and graduate level course to include materials in sustainable energy focusing on transportation. Additionally, he will coordinate efforts for evaluation and assessment of the program.
Valles-Rosales will manage all NMSU activities and coordinate with partner institutions. She also will redesign existing graduate and undergraduate-level courses on manufacturing processes to include biofuels process modeling and simulation, algae and other biomass resources plating, harvesting, and processing, life product cycle assessment, bioproduct design and manufacturing, and product degradation/reliability analysis.
Recruitment for the program will begin in spring and fall of 2012. For inquiries about the positions or to apply, email Valles-Rosales at dvalles@nmsu.edu, Khandan at nkhandan@nmsu.edu, Acharya at acharyar@ad.nmsu.edu, or Sohn at hsohn@nmsu.edu. Applications must include a two-page curriculum vitae, an official transcript, names and contact information of two references, and a cover letter stating research interests and motivations for applying.
Original article: http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_19619890
The University of Texas at El Paso is the lead institution for the multi-university project entitled BGREEN (Building Regional Energy and Educational Alliances). Texas A&M University-Kingsville and Texas State University-San Marcos are also included in the grant.
The goal of the project is to create a collaborative network of sustainable energy researchers, educators, USDA agencies, and non-profit organizations to coordinate efforts and increase educational and post-graduation opportunities for Hispanic students pursuing careers contributing to sustainable energy and agriculture research.
NMSU has received $780,000 for its contribution to the project, focused on logistics, bio-energy and bio-materials, and economics in the areas of engineering and agriculture.
Industrial engineering professor Delia J. Valles-Rosales, principal investigator for NMSU on the project, industrial engineering professor Hansuk Sohn, civil engineering professor Nirmala Khandan, and agricultural economics professor Ram Acharya are collaborating on the research.
The goal of the BGREEN Project is to increase the number of U.S. citizens or permanent residents from underrepresented minorities with graduate degrees in science and engineering fields linked to the USDA mission, Valles-Rosales said.
Curriculum design and development, instruction delivery systems, student experiential learning, and student recruitment and retention are the four goals of the program.
"The main area is sustainable energy, and our role is to train students to conduct research in that area and be able to work priority areas for the USDA and its agencies," Acharya said. "We will work as a team. Sustainable energy involves energy technology as well as the economic impact of that technology. It could involve new technology to produce new energy sources like bio-energy and how that impacts the overall economy."
The four-year grant will support undergraduate and graduate students to advance their education in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency. This will include recruitment within the college of engineering and the college of agriculture. Students, if accepted into the program, will be co-advised by professors from both colleges and take classes specifically designed for the program that incorporate the engineering and agriculture aspects of the sustainable energy.
Each year, the project will support six undergraduate students to take the proposed courses and work on a research project. Funding will also support four undergraduate students to participate on a research project at one USDA agency. In addition, two master's students and four doctoral students will be supported each year to conduct research and have the opportunity to continue their research at USDA-Agricultural Research Service facilities.
The NMSU team will create a formal curriculum that incorporates agriculture and engineering, and a system to recruit students into the program. Students in the program will be required to take the courses specifically designed by these four professors and conduct research focused on biofuels and biohydrogen, biodiesel, microbial fuel cells, biomaterials, and distribution and pre-processing.
"This is a multi-disciplinary project, so each one of us has a significant contribution," Sohn said.
Khandan will develop curriculum materials and provide field experience to students in several on-going algal biodiesel research projects. Khandan is using a photobioreactor to study different species of algae at an outdoor test bed facility. His research efforts also include collaborations with industry leaders in this area and students will have opportunities to make visits to these industrial settings as well.
Acharya will provide students with knowledge in the area of agricultural economic. He will develop teaching materials on issues related to economic aspects of sustainable energy and incorporate them in a number of existing undergraduate level courses including Applied Production Economics and Marketing and Pricing Agricultural Products. He will also work to place students in summer internships at USDA facilities.
Sohn will contribute to curriculum development and educate students on biofuels, energy distribution, planning and related transportation issues. He will prepare materials and re-design an existing undergraduate and graduate level course to include materials in sustainable energy focusing on transportation. Additionally, he will coordinate efforts for evaluation and assessment of the program.
Valles-Rosales will manage all NMSU activities and coordinate with partner institutions. She also will redesign existing graduate and undergraduate-level courses on manufacturing processes to include biofuels process modeling and simulation, algae and other biomass resources plating, harvesting, and processing, life product cycle assessment, bioproduct design and manufacturing, and product degradation/reliability analysis.
Recruitment for the program will begin in spring and fall of 2012. For inquiries about the positions or to apply, email Valles-Rosales at dvalles@nmsu.edu, Khandan at nkhandan@nmsu.edu, Acharya at acharyar@ad.nmsu.edu, or Sohn at hsohn@nmsu.edu. Applications must include a two-page curriculum vitae, an official transcript, names and contact information of two references, and a cover letter stating research interests and motivations for applying.
Original article: http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_19619890
Collaborative project to promote sustainable energy for USDA
A $3.2 million grant awarded to four universities has New Mexico State University's College of Engineering and College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences collaborating with three other institutions to prom
The University of Texas at El Paso is the lead institution for the multi-university project entitled BGREEN (Building Regional Energy and Educational Alliances). Texas A&M University-Kingsville and Texas State University-San Marcos are also included in the grant.
The goal of the project is to create a collaborative network of sustainable energy researchers, educators, USDA agencies, and non-profit organizations to coordinate efforts and increase educational and post-graduation opportunities for Hispanic students pursuing careers contributing to sustainable energy and agriculture research.
NMSU has received $780,000 for its contribution to the project, focused on logistics, bio-energy and bio-materials, and economics in the areas of engineering and agriculture.
Industrial engineering professor Delia J. Valles-Rosales, principal investigator for NMSU on the project, industrial engineering professor Hansuk Sohn, civil engineering professor Nirmala Khandan, and agricultural economics professor Ram Acharya are collaborating on the research.
The goal of the BGREEN Project is to increase the number of U.S. citizens or permanent residents from underrepresented minorities with graduate degrees in science and engineering fields linked to the USDA mission, Valles-Rosales said.
Curriculum design and development, instruction delivery systems, student experiential learning, and student recruitment and retention are the four goals of the program.
"The main area is sustainable energy, and our role is to train students to conduct research in that area and be able to work priority areas for the USDA and its agencies," Acharya said. "We will work as a team. Sustainable energy involves energy technology as well as the economic impact of that technology. It could involve new technology to produce new energy sources like bio-energy and how that impacts the overall economy."
The four-year grant will support undergraduate and graduate students to advance their education in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency. This will include recruitment within the college of engineering and the college of agriculture. Students, if accepted into the program, will be co-advised by professors from both colleges and take classes specifically designed for the program that incorporate the engineering and agriculture aspects of the sustainable energy.
Each year, the project will support six undergraduate students to take the proposed courses and work on a research project. Funding will also support four undergraduate students to participate on a research project at one USDA agency. In addition, two master's students and four doctoral students will be supported each year to conduct research and have the opportunity to continue their research at USDA-Agricultural Research Service facilities.
The NMSU team will create a formal curriculum that incorporates agriculture and engineering, and a system to recruit students into the program. Students in the program will be required to take the courses specifically designed by these four professors and conduct research focused on biofuels and biohydrogen, biodiesel, microbial fuel cells, biomaterials, and distribution and pre-processing.
"This is a multi-disciplinary project, so each one of us has a significant contribution," Sohn said.
Khandan will develop curriculum materials and provide field experience to students in several on-going algal biodiesel research projects. Khandan is using a photobioreactor to study different species of algae at an outdoor test bed facility. His research efforts also include collaborations with industry leaders in this area and students will have opportunities to make visits to these industrial settings as well.
Acharya will provide students with knowledge in the area of agricultural economic. He will develop teaching materials on issues related to economic aspects of sustainable energy and incorporate them in a number of existing undergraduate level courses including Applied Production Economics and Marketing and Pricing Agricultural Products. He will also work to place students in summer internships at USDA facilities.
Sohn will contribute to curriculum development and educate students on biofuels, energy distribution, planning and related transportation issues. He will prepare materials and re-design an existing undergraduate and graduate level course to include materials in sustainable energy focusing on transportation. Additionally, he will coordinate efforts for evaluation and assessment of the program.
Valles-Rosales will manage all NMSU activities and coordinate with partner institutions. She also will redesign existing graduate and undergraduate-level courses on manufacturing processes to include biofuels process modeling and simulation, algae and other biomass resources plating, harvesting, and processing, life product cycle assessment, bioproduct design and manufacturing, and product degradation/reliability analysis.
Recruitment for the program will begin in spring and fall of 2012. For inquiries about the positions or to apply, email Valles-Rosales at dvalles@nmsu.edu, Khandan at nkhandan@nmsu.edu, Acharya at acharyar@ad.nmsu.edu, or Sohn at hsohn@nmsu.edu. Applications must include a two-page curriculum vitae, an official transcript, names and contact information of two references, and a cover letter stating research interests and motivations for applying.
Original article: http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_19619890
The University of Texas at El Paso is the lead institution for the multi-university project entitled BGREEN (Building Regional Energy and Educational Alliances). Texas A&M University-Kingsville and Texas State University-San Marcos are also included in the grant.
The goal of the project is to create a collaborative network of sustainable energy researchers, educators, USDA agencies, and non-profit organizations to coordinate efforts and increase educational and post-graduation opportunities for Hispanic students pursuing careers contributing to sustainable energy and agriculture research.
NMSU has received $780,000 for its contribution to the project, focused on logistics, bio-energy and bio-materials, and economics in the areas of engineering and agriculture.
Industrial engineering professor Delia J. Valles-Rosales, principal investigator for NMSU on the project, industrial engineering professor Hansuk Sohn, civil engineering professor Nirmala Khandan, and agricultural economics professor Ram Acharya are collaborating on the research.
The goal of the BGREEN Project is to increase the number of U.S. citizens or permanent residents from underrepresented minorities with graduate degrees in science and engineering fields linked to the USDA mission, Valles-Rosales said.
Curriculum design and development, instruction delivery systems, student experiential learning, and student recruitment and retention are the four goals of the program.
"The main area is sustainable energy, and our role is to train students to conduct research in that area and be able to work priority areas for the USDA and its agencies," Acharya said. "We will work as a team. Sustainable energy involves energy technology as well as the economic impact of that technology. It could involve new technology to produce new energy sources like bio-energy and how that impacts the overall economy."
The four-year grant will support undergraduate and graduate students to advance their education in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency. This will include recruitment within the college of engineering and the college of agriculture. Students, if accepted into the program, will be co-advised by professors from both colleges and take classes specifically designed for the program that incorporate the engineering and agriculture aspects of the sustainable energy.
Each year, the project will support six undergraduate students to take the proposed courses and work on a research project. Funding will also support four undergraduate students to participate on a research project at one USDA agency. In addition, two master's students and four doctoral students will be supported each year to conduct research and have the opportunity to continue their research at USDA-Agricultural Research Service facilities.
The NMSU team will create a formal curriculum that incorporates agriculture and engineering, and a system to recruit students into the program. Students in the program will be required to take the courses specifically designed by these four professors and conduct research focused on biofuels and biohydrogen, biodiesel, microbial fuel cells, biomaterials, and distribution and pre-processing.
"This is a multi-disciplinary project, so each one of us has a significant contribution," Sohn said.
Khandan will develop curriculum materials and provide field experience to students in several on-going algal biodiesel research projects. Khandan is using a photobioreactor to study different species of algae at an outdoor test bed facility. His research efforts also include collaborations with industry leaders in this area and students will have opportunities to make visits to these industrial settings as well.
Acharya will provide students with knowledge in the area of agricultural economic. He will develop teaching materials on issues related to economic aspects of sustainable energy and incorporate them in a number of existing undergraduate level courses including Applied Production Economics and Marketing and Pricing Agricultural Products. He will also work to place students in summer internships at USDA facilities.
Sohn will contribute to curriculum development and educate students on biofuels, energy distribution, planning and related transportation issues. He will prepare materials and re-design an existing undergraduate and graduate level course to include materials in sustainable energy focusing on transportation. Additionally, he will coordinate efforts for evaluation and assessment of the program.
Valles-Rosales will manage all NMSU activities and coordinate with partner institutions. She also will redesign existing graduate and undergraduate-level courses on manufacturing processes to include biofuels process modeling and simulation, algae and other biomass resources plating, harvesting, and processing, life product cycle assessment, bioproduct design and manufacturing, and product degradation/reliability analysis.
Recruitment for the program will begin in spring and fall of 2012. For inquiries about the positions or to apply, email Valles-Rosales at dvalles@nmsu.edu, Khandan at nkhandan@nmsu.edu, Acharya at acharyar@ad.nmsu.edu, or Sohn at hsohn@nmsu.edu. Applications must include a two-page curriculum vitae, an official transcript, names and contact information of two references, and a cover letter stating research interests and motivations for applying.
Original article: http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_19619890
December 20, 2011
Algae biofuel pilot plant construction starts
The Biotechnology Consortium (Bal Biofuels) began the construction of the Experimental Centre of Algae (CEA) in Puerto Montt Campus of the University of Los Lagos. The plant is expected to be operational from August next year.
The proponents of the initiative plan to develop technology to produce advanced biofuels and high added value chemicals with low emissions of carbon dioxide and low cost, using native giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) farmed in a sustainable manner.
The ceremony of initiation of the pilot plant works was attended by the University Chancellor, Óscar Garrido; the director of the Regional Management of the Production Development Corporation (Corfo), Claudia Huber; the co-founder of the firm Bio Architecture Lab, Yuki Kashiyama; university officials; academics; students and BAL Chile executives.
The idea is to generate raw material (algae culture) in 2012 and then to produce advanced biofuels or renewable chemicals in the 600-square-metre pilot plant to be built in the region of Los Lagos.
"The University of Los Lagos is committed to offering support in a strategic public-private alliance that aims to be a significant contribution to the region. This is an investment and we expect the return of this investment will allow us to activate the aquaculture sector, generate employment and ultimately become a development pole," said Garrido.
Meanwhile, Yuki Kashiyama, co-founder of the firm Bio Architecture Lab, highlighted the "excellent conditions" of Chile for farming algae and expressed confidence that this activity "will benefit the country because it will create jobs and economic development."
The University of Los Lagos, through its Centre i~mar, manages the technology to successfully develop algae farming at a commercial level.
Meanwhile, BAL Chile SA provides the administrative management and the project general coordination and Bio Architecture Lab developed and patented the microbial system capable of producing low-cost biofuels from brown marine macroalgae, El Repuertero reported.
Original post:http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?monthyear=&day=21&id=48639&l=e&special=&ndb=1%20target=
The proponents of the initiative plan to develop technology to produce advanced biofuels and high added value chemicals with low emissions of carbon dioxide and low cost, using native giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) farmed in a sustainable manner.
The ceremony of initiation of the pilot plant works was attended by the University Chancellor, Óscar Garrido; the director of the Regional Management of the Production Development Corporation (Corfo), Claudia Huber; the co-founder of the firm Bio Architecture Lab, Yuki Kashiyama; university officials; academics; students and BAL Chile executives.
The idea is to generate raw material (algae culture) in 2012 and then to produce advanced biofuels or renewable chemicals in the 600-square-metre pilot plant to be built in the region of Los Lagos.
"The University of Los Lagos is committed to offering support in a strategic public-private alliance that aims to be a significant contribution to the region. This is an investment and we expect the return of this investment will allow us to activate the aquaculture sector, generate employment and ultimately become a development pole," said Garrido.
Meanwhile, Yuki Kashiyama, co-founder of the firm Bio Architecture Lab, highlighted the "excellent conditions" of Chile for farming algae and expressed confidence that this activity "will benefit the country because it will create jobs and economic development."
The University of Los Lagos, through its Centre i~mar, manages the technology to successfully develop algae farming at a commercial level.
Meanwhile, BAL Chile SA provides the administrative management and the project general coordination and Bio Architecture Lab developed and patented the microbial system capable of producing low-cost biofuels from brown marine macroalgae, El Repuertero reported.
Original post:http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?monthyear=&day=21&id=48639&l=e&special=&ndb=1%20target=
U Georgia, U Puerto Rico, to launch algal fuels R&D center
In Georgia, the University of Georgia has teamed with the University of Puerto Rico to develop a new R&D center that will focus on algae-based biofuels thanks to a $4 million grant from the Dept. of Defense.
In Athens, where UGA operates a state-of-the-art algae research facility, researchers will focus their efforts on production of different strains of microalgae grown in wastewater. In Rio Piedras, the researchers will identify local strains of marine macro-algae-kelp-like seaweeds-that can produce maximum yields of biogas.
Researchers at the Rio Piedras facility also will culture algae and develop pilot-scale facilities that produce biogas and liquid transportation fuels-biodiesel , bioethanol and biocrude-from algae. The project will use facilities of industrial partner BiolÃpidos de Puerto Rico for biodiesel production.
With a goal of establishing a biofuels industry in Puerto Rico, UPR and UGA researchers will study the economic viability of an algae-based biofuels industry, assist UPR in identifying local industrial partners and develop a future workforce.
Original post: http://biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2011/12/20/u-georgia-u-puerto-rico-to-launch-algal-fuels-rd-center/
In Athens, where UGA operates a state-of-the-art algae research facility, researchers will focus their efforts on production of different strains of microalgae grown in wastewater. In Rio Piedras, the researchers will identify local strains of marine macro-algae-kelp-like seaweeds-that can produce maximum yields of biogas.
Researchers at the Rio Piedras facility also will culture algae and develop pilot-scale facilities that produce biogas and liquid transportation fuels-biodiesel , bioethanol and biocrude-from algae. The project will use facilities of industrial partner BiolÃpidos de Puerto Rico for biodiesel production.
With a goal of establishing a biofuels industry in Puerto Rico, UPR and UGA researchers will study the economic viability of an algae-based biofuels industry, assist UPR in identifying local industrial partners and develop a future workforce.
Original post: http://biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2011/12/20/u-georgia-u-puerto-rico-to-launch-algal-fuels-rd-center/
Missoula biochemical research fueled by ancient algae
Sometimes, to see the future you have to look back - say, 2.5 billion years back.
That's the plan at Missoula-based Blue Marble Biomaterials, a young company exploring ways to make extremely valuable products out of prosaically natural processes.
"We concentrate on making things worth between $5,000 and $6,000 a kilogram," Blue Marble co-founder James Stephens said. Things like food colorings, flavors and nutritional oils derived from coffee grounds, beer mash and algae. And a recent discovery about a very old form of algae may revolutionize both Blue Marble and the whole business of bioengineering.
Stephens graduated from the University of Montana and went to Seattle to start a business. In 2010, he moved back to Missoula and went to his alma mater's office of technology transfer, looking for promising research.
When tech transfer director Joe Fanguy handed over a description of geoscience professors Carrine Blank and Nancy Hinman's work on algae evolution, Stephens wasn't immediately interested. He'd worked with algae before, trying to get the primitive plant form to produce biofuels or digest water pollutants. Those projects either required too much government subsidy to be economical or didn't attract enough interest to be profitable.
Algae had another problem. It typically needs a lot of nitrogen-based fertilizer to feed on. Most nitrogen-based fertilizer comes from petrochemicals, which are both expensive and produce lots of greenhouse gases - something Blue Marble was trying to eliminate, not produce.
"But the metabolic path they discovered is unique to the algae world," Stephens said. "It's a non-fertilizer nitrogen source that grows a broad variety of organisms. It opens up a chance for a wide diversity of products."
Blank specializes in evolutionary biology, the study of how and when organisms developed crucial traits that improved their chances of survival. In looking at the genetic structure of some old strains of algae, she noticed they were feeding off a form of nitrogen very different from the typical sources.
The development occurred at a time in Earth's history when primitive lifeforms were trying out lots of different ways to make energy: feeding off of sulfur, iron and carbon compounds because oxygen wasn't yet a major component of the atmosphere. As more plants developed the ability to photosynthesize carbon and give off oxygen, the diversity of life exploded. But some forms held onto their old ways, and continued to exist in strange environments like Washington's Soap Lake, where the water is highly acidic.
Blue Marble and Blank are in the process of confirming an international patent on the discovery, so they can't reveal the details until the paperwork is filed. But the company is already working up methods of using Blank's discovery to produce algae in large enough quantities for a commercially viable operation.
They've moved from test tubes to 2,000-liter bioreactors, lit with glowing rods that can be tuned to mimic virtually any kind of sunlight characteristic on Earth. That makes it possible to make an algae from a Yellowstone National Park hot pot or one from an Ecuadorian jungle feel right at home.
Once produced, the algae pigments can be refined for various shades of food coloring that have no genetic modification or petrochemical basis. Plus, the process consumes large amounts of carbon dioxide, one of the worst greenhouse gases, and releases oxygen as a waste product.
Other products include the kinds of omega-3 oils commonly derived from fish, which themselves produce the oil by consuming the algae. And the spent algae can be sold as a soil treatment for farms.
"We have 26 strains, and we're developing new strains," Blank said. "Each makes different products like oils and pigments. They do different things under different conditions we can use for different industrial applications."
Stephens said in his prospecting for chemical innovations, he's frequently talked with researchers in forestry and pharmaceutical departments, where new product discoveries are common.
"Why would you ever talk to an evolutionary biologist?" he joked. "It's not a traditionally tapped resource."
Read more: http://missoulian.com/news/local/missoula-biochemical-research-fueled-by-ancient-algae/article_7d58d43e-2ac3-11e1-b7b7-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1h7vgzVqS
That's the plan at Missoula-based Blue Marble Biomaterials, a young company exploring ways to make extremely valuable products out of prosaically natural processes.
"We concentrate on making things worth between $5,000 and $6,000 a kilogram," Blue Marble co-founder James Stephens said. Things like food colorings, flavors and nutritional oils derived from coffee grounds, beer mash and algae. And a recent discovery about a very old form of algae may revolutionize both Blue Marble and the whole business of bioengineering.
Stephens graduated from the University of Montana and went to Seattle to start a business. In 2010, he moved back to Missoula and went to his alma mater's office of technology transfer, looking for promising research.
When tech transfer director Joe Fanguy handed over a description of geoscience professors Carrine Blank and Nancy Hinman's work on algae evolution, Stephens wasn't immediately interested. He'd worked with algae before, trying to get the primitive plant form to produce biofuels or digest water pollutants. Those projects either required too much government subsidy to be economical or didn't attract enough interest to be profitable.
Algae had another problem. It typically needs a lot of nitrogen-based fertilizer to feed on. Most nitrogen-based fertilizer comes from petrochemicals, which are both expensive and produce lots of greenhouse gases - something Blue Marble was trying to eliminate, not produce.
"But the metabolic path they discovered is unique to the algae world," Stephens said. "It's a non-fertilizer nitrogen source that grows a broad variety of organisms. It opens up a chance for a wide diversity of products."
Blank specializes in evolutionary biology, the study of how and when organisms developed crucial traits that improved their chances of survival. In looking at the genetic structure of some old strains of algae, she noticed they were feeding off a form of nitrogen very different from the typical sources.
The development occurred at a time in Earth's history when primitive lifeforms were trying out lots of different ways to make energy: feeding off of sulfur, iron and carbon compounds because oxygen wasn't yet a major component of the atmosphere. As more plants developed the ability to photosynthesize carbon and give off oxygen, the diversity of life exploded. But some forms held onto their old ways, and continued to exist in strange environments like Washington's Soap Lake, where the water is highly acidic.
Blue Marble and Blank are in the process of confirming an international patent on the discovery, so they can't reveal the details until the paperwork is filed. But the company is already working up methods of using Blank's discovery to produce algae in large enough quantities for a commercially viable operation.
They've moved from test tubes to 2,000-liter bioreactors, lit with glowing rods that can be tuned to mimic virtually any kind of sunlight characteristic on Earth. That makes it possible to make an algae from a Yellowstone National Park hot pot or one from an Ecuadorian jungle feel right at home.
Once produced, the algae pigments can be refined for various shades of food coloring that have no genetic modification or petrochemical basis. Plus, the process consumes large amounts of carbon dioxide, one of the worst greenhouse gases, and releases oxygen as a waste product.
Other products include the kinds of omega-3 oils commonly derived from fish, which themselves produce the oil by consuming the algae. And the spent algae can be sold as a soil treatment for farms.
"We have 26 strains, and we're developing new strains," Blank said. "Each makes different products like oils and pigments. They do different things under different conditions we can use for different industrial applications."
Stephens said in his prospecting for chemical innovations, he's frequently talked with researchers in forestry and pharmaceutical departments, where new product discoveries are common.
"Why would you ever talk to an evolutionary biologist?" he joked. "It's not a traditionally tapped resource."
Read more: http://missoulian.com/news/local/missoula-biochemical-research-fueled-by-ancient-algae/article_7d58d43e-2ac3-11e1-b7b7-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1h7vgzVqS
Algae…Soylent Green…and the Future of Biofuel
With more and more cars on roadways worldwide – and fossil fuel supplies running low, can renewable fuels really replace crude oil?
In Nebraska, the alternative of choice is ethanol because corn is the mainstay of our economy. But corn, along with many other crops, takes lots of land…and huge amounts of water. As important as it is to Nebraska, ethanol, at best, is a 10% additive, not a future fuel in its own right.
So what’s a real alternative? Research shows one promising alternative seems the least obvious – algae (see QUEST Nebraska: Algae for Fuel).
Algae is a microscopic plant-like marine organism. There are billions of them in our world, and they exist all around us. Algae are found in ponds, lakes, streams – all types of bodies of water…even in your bathtub if it’s not cleaned regularly.
It’s green and a bit slimy to the touch. For the most part, we avoid contact with algae – but it just may be the key to our energy future. How’s that? Companies like Sapphire Energy in San Diego, CA are working with universities, including the University of Nebraska to make microscopic algae into the fuel for the future.
Algae conjures up thoughts about Soylent Green, the 1973 sci-fi movie thriller that depicts human survival dependent upon on a green food ration made of “high protein plankton.” Algae are a type of plankton.
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read the next sentence if you’ve never seen this movie.
But there was more to the content of Soylent Green. Charlton Heston solves the riddle with a horrific warning: Soylent Green is PEOPLE!
Remember when I said algae are slimy? There’s a reason for that. If Charlton Heston was warning us, he’d exclaim: Algae is OIL! Not exactly – but oil we use for our fuel today is actually made from ancient, ancient algae.
“Each algae contains up to 50% oil,” says University of Nebraska-Lincoln biologist George Oyler. Over millions of years, billions of algae die, collect, and over time are chemically altered through pressure and heat that converts algae oil into “crude oil” which we seek and drill for to energize our world. Finding a way to convert algae into oil faster than nature would create an almost endless supply of oil. “We want to accelerate that process into a single year.”
In 2009, a QUEST video Algae Power, surveyed algae biofuel as a grand experiment, “not ready for prime time.” The problem was scaling up to industrial production. Now, Sapphire Energy is leading the way towards industrial production. It’s no longer a survey experiment.
The process begins as Sapphire technician Emma Valdez swipes a metal loop over an algae filled petri plate (culture dish) and transfers cells to a new plate. “Algae is one of the fastest growing plant on the planet. This plate contains millions of algae cells. I can take this plate and make multiple copies.” Pointing to a stack of petri dishes, she explains that these plates are added to water to make a dense culture, giving rise to 20-liter glass carboy containers. “I can grow this to scale in a little over a week.”
The carboy containers are then added to long oval test pools in a greenhouse, creating larger concentrations of promising algae species.
Growing algae outdoors is a huge challenge. But that’s exactly Sapphire’s goal – creating algae farms. But algae is a wild plant. “No one’s taken a wild plant and just grown it to scale,” says Mike Mendez, Sapphire’s former VP of Technology (now a research professor at UC-San Diego). “Algae isn’t an industry. It’s a commodity, like corn. We have to think like a farmer and grow algae as a crop.”
But plants like corn haven’t become crops overnight. Mendez says, “It took 7,000 years to get corn where it is today. I’m gonna have to do whatever it takes to speed up the process.” Sapphire wants to plant, harvest and process algae oil in real time.
So, Sapphire has created a 20-acre aquatic test farm in arid Las Cruces, New Mexico. Why here? New Mexico has an abundance of sunlight and a rich supply of salt water beneath the dry sands that can’t be used for farming or drinking, but is perfect for growing algae. Nonetheless, the algae has to survive stress, disease, summer heat and winter freeze. For two years, scientists and technicians have been successful in scaling up algae from the carboys to 40-foot, then 100-foot, and finally 300-foot oval ponds.
Once the algae mature in the ponds, it’s sent to an industrial centrifuge that separates the algae from the water, creating a thick algae paste. That paste is fed into a test pilot extractor that uses eco-friendly solvents to crack open the algae cells and release oil – green crude.
Sapphire will soon open a 300-acre in 2012. It will be the largest algae biofuel test plant in the nation. They expect to produce 1 million gallons of algae biofuel per year – an industry record. Once Sapphire can create even larger quantities of green crude, they believe the cost of creating an algae fuel will begin approaching the cost of oil. Stay tuned to see if their plan creates a viable renewable fuel for our future.
Original post: http://science.kqed.org/quest/2011/12/19/algae%E2%80%A6soylent-green%E2%80%A6and-the-future-of-biofuel/
In Nebraska, the alternative of choice is ethanol because corn is the mainstay of our economy. But corn, along with many other crops, takes lots of land…and huge amounts of water. As important as it is to Nebraska, ethanol, at best, is a 10% additive, not a future fuel in its own right.
So what’s a real alternative? Research shows one promising alternative seems the least obvious – algae (see QUEST Nebraska: Algae for Fuel).
Algae is a microscopic plant-like marine organism. There are billions of them in our world, and they exist all around us. Algae are found in ponds, lakes, streams – all types of bodies of water…even in your bathtub if it’s not cleaned regularly.
It’s green and a bit slimy to the touch. For the most part, we avoid contact with algae – but it just may be the key to our energy future. How’s that? Companies like Sapphire Energy in San Diego, CA are working with universities, including the University of Nebraska to make microscopic algae into the fuel for the future.
Algae conjures up thoughts about Soylent Green, the 1973 sci-fi movie thriller that depicts human survival dependent upon on a green food ration made of “high protein plankton.” Algae are a type of plankton.
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read the next sentence if you’ve never seen this movie.
But there was more to the content of Soylent Green. Charlton Heston solves the riddle with a horrific warning: Soylent Green is PEOPLE!
Remember when I said algae are slimy? There’s a reason for that. If Charlton Heston was warning us, he’d exclaim: Algae is OIL! Not exactly – but oil we use for our fuel today is actually made from ancient, ancient algae.
“Each algae contains up to 50% oil,” says University of Nebraska-Lincoln biologist George Oyler. Over millions of years, billions of algae die, collect, and over time are chemically altered through pressure and heat that converts algae oil into “crude oil” which we seek and drill for to energize our world. Finding a way to convert algae into oil faster than nature would create an almost endless supply of oil. “We want to accelerate that process into a single year.”
In 2009, a QUEST video Algae Power, surveyed algae biofuel as a grand experiment, “not ready for prime time.” The problem was scaling up to industrial production. Now, Sapphire Energy is leading the way towards industrial production. It’s no longer a survey experiment.
The process begins as Sapphire technician Emma Valdez swipes a metal loop over an algae filled petri plate (culture dish) and transfers cells to a new plate. “Algae is one of the fastest growing plant on the planet. This plate contains millions of algae cells. I can take this plate and make multiple copies.” Pointing to a stack of petri dishes, she explains that these plates are added to water to make a dense culture, giving rise to 20-liter glass carboy containers. “I can grow this to scale in a little over a week.”
The carboy containers are then added to long oval test pools in a greenhouse, creating larger concentrations of promising algae species.
Growing algae outdoors is a huge challenge. But that’s exactly Sapphire’s goal – creating algae farms. But algae is a wild plant. “No one’s taken a wild plant and just grown it to scale,” says Mike Mendez, Sapphire’s former VP of Technology (now a research professor at UC-San Diego). “Algae isn’t an industry. It’s a commodity, like corn. We have to think like a farmer and grow algae as a crop.”
But plants like corn haven’t become crops overnight. Mendez says, “It took 7,000 years to get corn where it is today. I’m gonna have to do whatever it takes to speed up the process.” Sapphire wants to plant, harvest and process algae oil in real time.
So, Sapphire has created a 20-acre aquatic test farm in arid Las Cruces, New Mexico. Why here? New Mexico has an abundance of sunlight and a rich supply of salt water beneath the dry sands that can’t be used for farming or drinking, but is perfect for growing algae. Nonetheless, the algae has to survive stress, disease, summer heat and winter freeze. For two years, scientists and technicians have been successful in scaling up algae from the carboys to 40-foot, then 100-foot, and finally 300-foot oval ponds.
Once the algae mature in the ponds, it’s sent to an industrial centrifuge that separates the algae from the water, creating a thick algae paste. That paste is fed into a test pilot extractor that uses eco-friendly solvents to crack open the algae cells and release oil – green crude.
Sapphire will soon open a 300-acre in 2012. It will be the largest algae biofuel test plant in the nation. They expect to produce 1 million gallons of algae biofuel per year – an industry record. Once Sapphire can create even larger quantities of green crude, they believe the cost of creating an algae fuel will begin approaching the cost of oil. Stay tuned to see if their plan creates a viable renewable fuel for our future.
Original post: http://science.kqed.org/quest/2011/12/19/algae%E2%80%A6soylent-green%E2%80%A6and-the-future-of-biofuel/
December 19, 2011
Algae Biofuel Closer as NATO and NASA Step Into the Slime
Interest in creating biofuels from algae is increasing. We’ve covered Isaac Berzin from GreenFuel who rejuvenated NASA’s original idea; then there is Iran creating biofuel from algae (they didn’t answer our emails though); and Seambotic an Israel company launching a commercial algae farm in the USA to grow algae for use in both biofuel and food products.
There are other players in our global village: California based OriginOil, an innovator in algae based biofuel technology is forming a joint venture, Future Energy Solutions Unlimited Inc (FES), with the Energime Group of Companies to test and eventually produce algae based biofuels for strategic fuel centers throughout the world. This biofuel is targeted to be used for satisfying a “mission-critical need of US military and NATO for strategic fuels independence.”
Algae biofuel farm
The biofuel development will be part of feasibility studies which will be carried out by FES and its Australian subsidiary, Alternate Energy Systems Pty (AES). Marketing area emphasis will begin in the USA and in Australia, with later long term marketing in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Interest in using algae as a biofuel has resulted in a number of projects in various parts of the world, including a joint venture with Israel’s Seambiotic and China’s giant Goudan Utility Company.
Algae is one of the world’s most common aquatic plants. Studies have already shown it to have great potentials to create oils for for the food industry as well as for various fuels; making it an excellent replacement for fossil fuels.
Algae as both a food source and as a biofuel has been the subject of many projects all over the world; utilizing one of the earth’s most abundant plants that has been supplying much of our oxygen as well as food for marine life. Vegans get Omega 3 from algae sources.
Being able to utilize this natural wonder product made result in long term solutions to provide food products for both animals and human beings, as well as an environmentally cleaner bio fuel. This possibility could have important possibilities for Middle East countries with large populations – such as Egypt.
Source: http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/12/algae-biofuel-nato-nasa/
There are other players in our global village: California based OriginOil, an innovator in algae based biofuel technology is forming a joint venture, Future Energy Solutions Unlimited Inc (FES), with the Energime Group of Companies to test and eventually produce algae based biofuels for strategic fuel centers throughout the world. This biofuel is targeted to be used for satisfying a “mission-critical need of US military and NATO for strategic fuels independence.”
Algae biofuel farm
The biofuel development will be part of feasibility studies which will be carried out by FES and its Australian subsidiary, Alternate Energy Systems Pty (AES). Marketing area emphasis will begin in the USA and in Australia, with later long term marketing in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Interest in using algae as a biofuel has resulted in a number of projects in various parts of the world, including a joint venture with Israel’s Seambiotic and China’s giant Goudan Utility Company.
Algae is one of the world’s most common aquatic plants. Studies have already shown it to have great potentials to create oils for for the food industry as well as for various fuels; making it an excellent replacement for fossil fuels.
Algae as both a food source and as a biofuel has been the subject of many projects all over the world; utilizing one of the earth’s most abundant plants that has been supplying much of our oxygen as well as food for marine life. Vegans get Omega 3 from algae sources.
Being able to utilize this natural wonder product made result in long term solutions to provide food products for both animals and human beings, as well as an environmentally cleaner bio fuel. This possibility could have important possibilities for Middle East countries with large populations – such as Egypt.
Source: http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/12/algae-biofuel-nato-nasa/
UGA to get $1.2M for algae research, biofuel study
The University of Georgia will work with the University of Puerto Rico to develop a renewable energy center focused on growing algae-based biofuels, reports the Associated Press.
The partnership will be funded through a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. UGA will receive $1.2 million of the money for its algae research facility, the news service reports.
As part of their work, researchers will study the economic viability of an algae-based biofuels industry, AP reported.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/morning_call/2011/12/uga-to-get-12m-for-algae-research.html
The partnership will be funded through a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. UGA will receive $1.2 million of the money for its algae research facility, the news service reports.
As part of their work, researchers will study the economic viability of an algae-based biofuels industry, AP reported.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/morning_call/2011/12/uga-to-get-12m-for-algae-research.html
UGA to get $1.2M for algae research, biofuel study
The University of Georgia will work with the University of Puerto Rico to develop a renewable energy center focused on growing algae-based biofuels, reports the Associated Press.
The partnership will be funded through a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. UGA will receive $1.2 million of the money for its algae research facility, the news service reports.
As part of their work, researchers will study the economic viability of an algae-based biofuels industry, AP reported.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/morning_call/2011/12/uga-to-get-12m-for-algae-research.html
The partnership will be funded through a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. UGA will receive $1.2 million of the money for its algae research facility, the news service reports.
As part of their work, researchers will study the economic viability of an algae-based biofuels industry, AP reported.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/morning_call/2011/12/uga-to-get-12m-for-algae-research.html
“Biorefinery” building begins
FORT MYERS — GCM Contracting Solutions Inc. began construction on a new “biorefinery” for Algenol Biofuels last week.
Algenol Biofuels is a 5-year old company that hopes to generate competitively priced ethanol from algae. The firm has not yet generated any revenues.
GCM is building the biorefinery on a 36-acre parcel located north of Alico Road in Lee County. Completion is scheduled for late 2012.
GCM Contracting has worked with Algenol before; in 2010, the firm built a research and development complex for the alternative fuel producer. Like Algenol, GCM is based in Fort Myers; company President and owner Robert Brown founded the firm in 1988.
Algenol founder and CEO Paul Woods spoke to the Business Review in September about his company’s plan for success. That story, “Algae Bloom,” is available online.
Source:http://www.review.net/section/detail/12-19-2011-biorefinery-building-begins/
Algenol Biofuels is a 5-year old company that hopes to generate competitively priced ethanol from algae. The firm has not yet generated any revenues.
GCM is building the biorefinery on a 36-acre parcel located north of Alico Road in Lee County. Completion is scheduled for late 2012.
GCM Contracting has worked with Algenol before; in 2010, the firm built a research and development complex for the alternative fuel producer. Like Algenol, GCM is based in Fort Myers; company President and owner Robert Brown founded the firm in 1988.
Algenol founder and CEO Paul Woods spoke to the Business Review in September about his company’s plan for success. That story, “Algae Bloom,” is available online.
Source:http://www.review.net/section/detail/12-19-2011-biorefinery-building-begins/
Is Algae-based Biofuel an Energy Game Changer?
Algae is one surprising potential energy source that is showing great promise. It has gained recent media attention as the U.S Navy has announced plans to test the use of algae biofuel in one of its cargo ships. Unlike oil which is only found in underground deposits in certain parts of the world, algae grows in abundance all over the globe. Approximately half of algae’s weight is comprised of lipid oil can be converted into biodiesel. Biodiesel burns more cleanly and efficiently than petroleum.
Alternative fuel sources must be perfected and made cost effective in the coming years if we are to offset the ever-increasing price of gasoline and electricity generated from fossil fuel sources. We have become accustomed to electricity rates that are very low compared to what they may become as fossil fuels continue to deplete. It is critical that we find cost-effective and economically viable alternatives.
Unlike oil, algae are renewable and ubiquitous. Algae grow almost any place on earth. Pond scum, the most prominent of all the varieties of algae is the form best suited to develop biodiesel. Unlike other forms of crop-based fuel production algae does not reduce food supply. In fact, algae byproducts that are not converted to fuel can be made into fertilizer.
Many large corporations are coming around to the possibility of large-scale energy production from algae. In fact, currently private sector research is taking place on a larger scale than government or university funded research. There's growing pressure to focus more public funds into research of this potentially game-changing technology. Many people feel passionately that algae is the key to changing our energy mix away from fossil fuel and that algae could produce most of our electricity and fuel our vehicles if only more funding and effort is put into the research needed to perfect the technologies for processing algae into fuel.
Algae vs. Oil
Despite the large amount of interest from the private energy sector compared to the public sector skeptics maintained that oil companies will not easily allow oil to be usurped as the energy source of choice for the worlds energy needs. Despite the global economic slowdown that began in 2008 oil prices have remained stubbornly resilient. If supply continues to decline oil prices have nowhere to go but up. The world's energy needs will not go down absent some kind of global economic calamity. This means oil companies will always be able to find willing buyers for oil even as prices climb.
Many people vilify fossil fuels. It's true that they have had a damaging impact on the environment as well as social harmony. However the fact remains that ever since the first ox was yoked by a man society has relied on some source of energy other than our own bodies to sustain us. As the industrial revolution took hold fossil fuels met that need for energy and helped fuel and amazing century of human achievement. However, the world’s fossil fuel reserves were a onetime endowment. They don't replenish themselves on a practical timescale. Renewable energy sources such as algae will not be an optional energy choice forever.
Geopolitical Implications of a Shift in Energy Production
The current word political and power structures is driven in large part by the need to produce and trade in fossil energy. This means that algae energy technology has the potential to be disruptive in the short term yet stabilizing in the long-run. Entire nation's credit their political standing and wealth in very large part to the oil found within their borders. Algae, by contrast to fossil fuels, can be grown and refined into electricity and other energy by essentially any nation on earth. That shift in political and economic power structure on a global scale would be seismic. However, in a world where almost every nation on earth is energy independent a major cause of political and economic strife would be removed from the world dynamic.
Today's model of extracting fuel from one place in the globe and shipping it thousands of miles across oceans could be transformed to one of local production of algae to produce electricity and transportation fuel. This would mean more jobs in places where economic opportunity may be lacking today.
If scientists are able to transition the technology of algae to biofuel from the lab to full scale, real world production impact could be far-reaching.
Read more: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/green/article/is-algae-based-biofuel-an-energy/page-2/#ixzz1h249aayI
Alternative fuel sources must be perfected and made cost effective in the coming years if we are to offset the ever-increasing price of gasoline and electricity generated from fossil fuel sources. We have become accustomed to electricity rates that are very low compared to what they may become as fossil fuels continue to deplete. It is critical that we find cost-effective and economically viable alternatives.
Unlike oil, algae are renewable and ubiquitous. Algae grow almost any place on earth. Pond scum, the most prominent of all the varieties of algae is the form best suited to develop biodiesel. Unlike other forms of crop-based fuel production algae does not reduce food supply. In fact, algae byproducts that are not converted to fuel can be made into fertilizer.
Many large corporations are coming around to the possibility of large-scale energy production from algae. In fact, currently private sector research is taking place on a larger scale than government or university funded research. There's growing pressure to focus more public funds into research of this potentially game-changing technology. Many people feel passionately that algae is the key to changing our energy mix away from fossil fuel and that algae could produce most of our electricity and fuel our vehicles if only more funding and effort is put into the research needed to perfect the technologies for processing algae into fuel.
Algae vs. Oil
Despite the large amount of interest from the private energy sector compared to the public sector skeptics maintained that oil companies will not easily allow oil to be usurped as the energy source of choice for the worlds energy needs. Despite the global economic slowdown that began in 2008 oil prices have remained stubbornly resilient. If supply continues to decline oil prices have nowhere to go but up. The world's energy needs will not go down absent some kind of global economic calamity. This means oil companies will always be able to find willing buyers for oil even as prices climb.
Many people vilify fossil fuels. It's true that they have had a damaging impact on the environment as well as social harmony. However the fact remains that ever since the first ox was yoked by a man society has relied on some source of energy other than our own bodies to sustain us. As the industrial revolution took hold fossil fuels met that need for energy and helped fuel and amazing century of human achievement. However, the world’s fossil fuel reserves were a onetime endowment. They don't replenish themselves on a practical timescale. Renewable energy sources such as algae will not be an optional energy choice forever.
Geopolitical Implications of a Shift in Energy Production
The current word political and power structures is driven in large part by the need to produce and trade in fossil energy. This means that algae energy technology has the potential to be disruptive in the short term yet stabilizing in the long-run. Entire nation's credit their political standing and wealth in very large part to the oil found within their borders. Algae, by contrast to fossil fuels, can be grown and refined into electricity and other energy by essentially any nation on earth. That shift in political and economic power structure on a global scale would be seismic. However, in a world where almost every nation on earth is energy independent a major cause of political and economic strife would be removed from the world dynamic.
Today's model of extracting fuel from one place in the globe and shipping it thousands of miles across oceans could be transformed to one of local production of algae to produce electricity and transportation fuel. This would mean more jobs in places where economic opportunity may be lacking today.
If scientists are able to transition the technology of algae to biofuel from the lab to full scale, real world production impact could be far-reaching.
Read more: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/green/article/is-algae-based-biofuel-an-energy/page-2/#ixzz1h249aayI
BIO Supports Extension of Cellulosic Tax Credits, Inclusion of Algae
WASHINGTON, Dec 19, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Extension of cellulosic biofuel tax credits now and eligibility for algae biofuels are needed to help companies raise financing for first-of-a-kind biorefineries. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today thanked Senators Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) for their request to Senate leadership for this extension.
Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO's Industrial & Environmental Section, stated, "The advanced biofuels industry is at an inflection point and is rapidly maturing because biotech companies have made significant private investments to commercialize the technology. Additional investment is needed to build commercial scale biorefineries to produce these advanced biofuels. The cellulosic biofuels production tax credit and the accelerated depreciation for cellulosic biofuel property have the potential to unlock this vital project financing. Algae biofuels also need to be eligible for these credits. But the December 31, 2012, expiration date for these credits prevents project developers from leveraging their full value.
"BIO and its member companies thank the Senators who have recognized the importance of supportive, stable federal policy to ensure that advanced biofuels developers can move forward on first-of-a-kind commercial projects. We ask that any tax package that considers effectively expired provisions extend the cellulosic biofuels production tax credit and accelerated depreciation for cellulosic biofuel property, and include eligibility of algae-based biofuels."
In addition to extending the tax credits for cellulosic biofuels, BIO supports extension of the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project credit and the Research and Experimentation credit.
About BIO
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world's largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIO produces BIOtech NOW, an online portal and monthly newsletter chronicling "innovations transforming our world." Subscribe to BIOtech NOW.
Upcoming BIO Events
BIO Asia International Partnering Conference January 31-February 1, 2012 Osaka, Japan
BIO CEO & Investor Conference February 13-14, 2012 New York, NY
World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing April 29-May 2, 2012 Orlando, FL
2012 BIO International Convention June 18-21, 2012 Boston, MA
SOURCE: Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO's Industrial & Environmental Section, stated, "The advanced biofuels industry is at an inflection point and is rapidly maturing because biotech companies have made significant private investments to commercialize the technology. Additional investment is needed to build commercial scale biorefineries to produce these advanced biofuels. The cellulosic biofuels production tax credit and the accelerated depreciation for cellulosic biofuel property have the potential to unlock this vital project financing. Algae biofuels also need to be eligible for these credits. But the December 31, 2012, expiration date for these credits prevents project developers from leveraging their full value.
"BIO and its member companies thank the Senators who have recognized the importance of supportive, stable federal policy to ensure that advanced biofuels developers can move forward on first-of-a-kind commercial projects. We ask that any tax package that considers effectively expired provisions extend the cellulosic biofuels production tax credit and accelerated depreciation for cellulosic biofuel property, and include eligibility of algae-based biofuels."
In addition to extending the tax credits for cellulosic biofuels, BIO supports extension of the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project credit and the Research and Experimentation credit.
About BIO
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world's largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIO produces BIOtech NOW, an online portal and monthly newsletter chronicling "innovations transforming our world." Subscribe to BIOtech NOW.
Upcoming BIO Events
BIO Asia International Partnering Conference January 31-February 1, 2012 Osaka, Japan
BIO CEO & Investor Conference February 13-14, 2012 New York, NY
World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing April 29-May 2, 2012 Orlando, FL
2012 BIO International Convention June 18-21, 2012 Boston, MA
SOURCE: Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
December 18, 2011
UGA Helping Grow Algae for Renewable Biofuel
Georgia researchers have teamed up with the University of Puerto Rico to create a renewable energy center.
Algae grows fast, can make a home almost anywhere, and doesn't compete for resources with other important plants -- making it one of the most promising fuel sources for renewable energy, according to a University of Georgia press release.
To help realize that promise, the University of Georgia and the University of Puerto Rico are launching a center in San Juan, aiming to provide power to Puerto Rico and reduce fossil fuel dependence in the U.S. The Defense Department is funding the $4 million project.
UGA has an algae research facility in Athens, and researchers here will study production of different kinds of microalgae grown in wastewater.
"This new center is designed to connect the basic research at the university level with the practical and applied needs of industry and will serve as a gateway for students to find successful careers in this new and rapidly growing industry," UGA engineering outreach faculty member Ryan Adolphson said in the release.
Source: http://athens.patch.com/articles/uga-helping-grow-algae-for-renewable-biofuel
Algae grows fast, can make a home almost anywhere, and doesn't compete for resources with other important plants -- making it one of the most promising fuel sources for renewable energy, according to a University of Georgia press release.
To help realize that promise, the University of Georgia and the University of Puerto Rico are launching a center in San Juan, aiming to provide power to Puerto Rico and reduce fossil fuel dependence in the U.S. The Defense Department is funding the $4 million project.
UGA has an algae research facility in Athens, and researchers here will study production of different kinds of microalgae grown in wastewater.
"This new center is designed to connect the basic research at the university level with the practical and applied needs of industry and will serve as a gateway for students to find successful careers in this new and rapidly growing industry," UGA engineering outreach faculty member Ryan Adolphson said in the release.
Source: http://athens.patch.com/articles/uga-helping-grow-algae-for-renewable-biofuel
Investing in a green revolution
Southern Ute Tribe sets sights on clean energy, to invest millions to develop oil from algae
La Plata County’s billion-dollar tribe is looking to the future of energy to keep its wealth secure.
“This is not going to pay us back next week or next year,” said Bob Zahradnik, director of the tribe’s far-reaching business arm, the Growth Fund.
About 93 percent of the tribe’s annual wealth and profits each year comes from “conventional energy,” or natural gas and oil, he said. But as the nation sets its sights on cleaner, greener energy for the future, so is the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.
One of four major investors in Solix Biofuels, a company focused on developing algae-based energy production systems, the Southern Utes, tribal officials said, are investing in technologies they hope will change life economically and environmentally for their “grandkids,” Zahradnik said.
Diving into a new cutting-edge technology means longer wait times to see profits on investments, including the millions of dollars tribal officials have funneled into Solix in recent years. But they think they’ve found a way to make a little cash in what Zahradnik called “a very tough sector of business” that’s highly secretive as the industry remains years away from unlocking the technology that could make fuel from algae a viable consumer product.
Recent industry advances have led to successful refining of algae oil and the first plane flight using an algae-blended fuel, but Solix officials said algae fuel has not yet successfully been put into cars, and it is a long way from being an affordable solution for consumer use.
“We are really making an effort to see what else we can do with those algaes,” said Lewis Abrams, business development manager for Solix.
They have narrowed their focus for now to an algae strain that is found off the northern coast of Scotland that so far seems to thrive in the sunny but erratic Southwest Colorado climate at the Solix facility on the Southern Ute reservation, he said.
“This strain seemed to overcome our obstacles here,” Abrams said.
Animal feed, food and vitamin supplements and agricultural products are among the most promising and potentially profitable uses for the algae strain they’re growing, Abrams said.
They also have positioned the company to bring in revenue through the sales of multiple algae-development systems that other energy entrepreneurs, researchers and colleges can use to conduct their work in algae technologies.
Solix’s smaller systems, which help developers test and narrow algae strains for bigger production and research efforts start at $50,000. Their product prices increase with the size and scale of their production systems, reaching a top price for the firm’s largest system of more than $500,000.
Solix and tribal officials tout claims that the systems produce among the highest algae yields in the industry, allow for genetic modification of strains, and prevent the “colony collapses” and contamination issues that require researchers to start anew mid-project and are common in pond-based algae production techniques. They said Solix is among the few algae-driven companies with systems that “can actually produce oil quantities.”
It means Solix and the tribe could be selling the systems that will eventually help unlock the secrets of success in algae-based products of the future, including a renewable fuel source for passenger vehicles.
Solix is working to provide “the platform” from which others can develop new algae strains, uses and technologies. A few universities and even the Department of Defense already are using or plan to use Solix’s technologies, officials said.
It also opens the door to ensure that as viable and profitable algae uses are developed, Solix could be ready to jump into full production using that new knowledge and its production systems.
“We hope to be one of the companies in full-scale production when the technology warrants it,” Zahradnik said.
Source: http://durangoherald.com/article/20111218/NEWS04/712189991/-1/s
La Plata County’s billion-dollar tribe is looking to the future of energy to keep its wealth secure.
“This is not going to pay us back next week or next year,” said Bob Zahradnik, director of the tribe’s far-reaching business arm, the Growth Fund.
About 93 percent of the tribe’s annual wealth and profits each year comes from “conventional energy,” or natural gas and oil, he said. But as the nation sets its sights on cleaner, greener energy for the future, so is the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.
One of four major investors in Solix Biofuels, a company focused on developing algae-based energy production systems, the Southern Utes, tribal officials said, are investing in technologies they hope will change life economically and environmentally for their “grandkids,” Zahradnik said.
Diving into a new cutting-edge technology means longer wait times to see profits on investments, including the millions of dollars tribal officials have funneled into Solix in recent years. But they think they’ve found a way to make a little cash in what Zahradnik called “a very tough sector of business” that’s highly secretive as the industry remains years away from unlocking the technology that could make fuel from algae a viable consumer product.
Recent industry advances have led to successful refining of algae oil and the first plane flight using an algae-blended fuel, but Solix officials said algae fuel has not yet successfully been put into cars, and it is a long way from being an affordable solution for consumer use.
“We are really making an effort to see what else we can do with those algaes,” said Lewis Abrams, business development manager for Solix.
They have narrowed their focus for now to an algae strain that is found off the northern coast of Scotland that so far seems to thrive in the sunny but erratic Southwest Colorado climate at the Solix facility on the Southern Ute reservation, he said.
“This strain seemed to overcome our obstacles here,” Abrams said.
Animal feed, food and vitamin supplements and agricultural products are among the most promising and potentially profitable uses for the algae strain they’re growing, Abrams said.
They also have positioned the company to bring in revenue through the sales of multiple algae-development systems that other energy entrepreneurs, researchers and colleges can use to conduct their work in algae technologies.
Solix’s smaller systems, which help developers test and narrow algae strains for bigger production and research efforts start at $50,000. Their product prices increase with the size and scale of their production systems, reaching a top price for the firm’s largest system of more than $500,000.
Solix and tribal officials tout claims that the systems produce among the highest algae yields in the industry, allow for genetic modification of strains, and prevent the “colony collapses” and contamination issues that require researchers to start anew mid-project and are common in pond-based algae production techniques. They said Solix is among the few algae-driven companies with systems that “can actually produce oil quantities.”
It means Solix and the tribe could be selling the systems that will eventually help unlock the secrets of success in algae-based products of the future, including a renewable fuel source for passenger vehicles.
Solix is working to provide “the platform” from which others can develop new algae strains, uses and technologies. A few universities and even the Department of Defense already are using or plan to use Solix’s technologies, officials said.
It also opens the door to ensure that as viable and profitable algae uses are developed, Solix could be ready to jump into full production using that new knowledge and its production systems.
“We hope to be one of the companies in full-scale production when the technology warrants it,” Zahradnik said.
Source: http://durangoherald.com/article/20111218/NEWS04/712189991/-1/s
ADVANCED BIOFUELS COMPANY ALGAE.TEC CONGRATULATS THE GOVERNMENT IN RECOGNISING CARBON CAPTURE AS AN ENERGY SOLUTION
Perth, Western Australia/Atlanta, Georgia - 13th December 2011 - Algae.Tec Limited (ASX: AEB) an advanced biofuels company said the Government had recognised the potential of carbon capture as part of Australia's energy future in the draft Energy White Paper released today.
Algae.Tec's Executive Chairman Roger Stroud said the draft Energy White Paper released by the Resources Minister, highlights carbon capture as a key part of the new energy solution for Australia.
Algae.Tec's advanced algae to biofuels technology delivers carbon capture as part of its algae growth system.
"The Algae.Tec technology is designed to be built along-side power stations and manufacturing facilities and captures carbon pollution which feeds into the algae growth system," said Stroud.
The recent deal signed between Algae.Tec and Holcim Lanka, a cement and building materials company, is evidence of how the Algae.Tec solution can reduce the carbon footprint of big industry by channeling waste carbon dioxide into the algae growth system and generating valuable biofuel at below market cost.
Carbon-capture, used in advanced technology such as this, produces some of the most economically viable biofuels available.
(ASX: AEB, FWB: GZA:GR, ALGXY:US)
Algae.Tec is an advanced renewable oil company that has developed a high-yield enclosed algae growth and harvesting system, the McConchie-Stroud System.
The company has offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Perth, Western Australia. The company has a highly experienced global team with over 200 years of technical, professional and business expertise in key energy and environmental industries and core competencies in biofuel technologies and energy markets.
The McConchie-Stroud System is a high efficiency microalgae production technology via a modular photo-bioreactor system, which features improved algae harvesting and product refinement technologies. Its algae technology has demonstrated exceptional performance in productivity, product yield, carbon dioxide sequestration, and production unit footprint requirements versus agricultural crops and other competitive algae processes in the industry.
Source:http://www.4-traders.com/news/ADVANCED-BIOFUELS-COMPANY-ALGAE-TEC-CONGRATULATS-THE-GOVERNMENT-IN-RECOGNISING-CARBON-CAPTURE-AS-AN---13934903/
Algae.Tec's Executive Chairman Roger Stroud said the draft Energy White Paper released by the Resources Minister, highlights carbon capture as a key part of the new energy solution for Australia.
Algae.Tec's advanced algae to biofuels technology delivers carbon capture as part of its algae growth system.
"The Algae.Tec technology is designed to be built along-side power stations and manufacturing facilities and captures carbon pollution which feeds into the algae growth system," said Stroud.
The recent deal signed between Algae.Tec and Holcim Lanka, a cement and building materials company, is evidence of how the Algae.Tec solution can reduce the carbon footprint of big industry by channeling waste carbon dioxide into the algae growth system and generating valuable biofuel at below market cost.
Carbon-capture, used in advanced technology such as this, produces some of the most economically viable biofuels available.
(ASX: AEB, FWB: GZA:GR, ALGXY:US)
Algae.Tec is an advanced renewable oil company that has developed a high-yield enclosed algae growth and harvesting system, the McConchie-Stroud System.
The company has offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Perth, Western Australia. The company has a highly experienced global team with over 200 years of technical, professional and business expertise in key energy and environmental industries and core competencies in biofuel technologies and energy markets.
The McConchie-Stroud System is a high efficiency microalgae production technology via a modular photo-bioreactor system, which features improved algae harvesting and product refinement technologies. Its algae technology has demonstrated exceptional performance in productivity, product yield, carbon dioxide sequestration, and production unit footprint requirements versus agricultural crops and other competitive algae processes in the industry.
Source:http://www.4-traders.com/news/ADVANCED-BIOFUELS-COMPANY-ALGAE-TEC-CONGRATULATS-THE-GOVERNMENT-IN-RECOGNISING-CARBON-CAPTURE-AS-AN---13934903/
OriginOil Enters Joint Venture to Develop Biorefineries for U.S. Department of Defense Biofuels Programs
JV receives preliminary funding commitment of $4.5 million to carry out bankable feasibility studies
LOS ANGELES, Dec 15, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- OriginOil, Inc. (otc/bb:OOIL), the developer of a breakthrough technology to extract oil from algae and an emerging leader in the global algae oil services industry, today announced it has co-founded a new joint venture (JV), to develop biorefineries serving U.S. and NATO military requirements for alternative fuels.
The JV, Future Energy Solutions Unlimited, Inc. (FES), with its wholly owned Australian subsidiary, Alternate Energy Systems Pty Ltd (AES), plans to carry out bankable feasibility studies supporting project development and project delivery for diversified biofuel refining centers in strategic locations around the world.
OriginOil intends to contribute its proprietary systems and process knowledge to help develop multi-feedstock blending standards that will be needed for the new biorefineries. OriginOil recently announced a research agreement with the Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, in part to tackle these standards.
The Energime Group of Companies has given preliminary commitments to provide $1.5 million in matching funds to AES and $3 million to FES, for a total of $4.5 million. The investments, to be finalized in early 2012, are intended to fund the planned bankable feasibility studies, leading to a key role for Energime in designing, building, operating and owning these refineries.
"We are excited to be involved in this dramatic development in biofuels production," said Bill Sosinsky, CEO of Energime. "We look forward to co-developing projects with Larry Sirmans throughout the world in this fast growing space. We believe other key players in private industry will soon be joining OriginOil in this venture, which responds to a mission-critical need of the U.S. and NATO for strategic fuels independence."
"Through its massive commitment to alternative fuels, the U.S. military has provided the market both opportunity and challenge, which we intend to meet," said Larry Sirmans, CEO of FES. "Our project delivery team has a unique blend of industry-specific knowledge and experience as well as very relevant military experience. We know and understand what both the military and the industry face to make this a reality. We are focusing on projects initially in the U.S. and Australia. Longer term, we see tremendous opportunity for Asia, Europe and Africa."
A veteran of large-scale biofuels project development, Sirmans was Projects Director for Agri Energy and project developer for Australian Biofuels-Swan Hill Ethanol. He is the outgoing Technical Director of Australia's MBD Energy Ltd, a leading player in Australia's fast-growing algae biofuels sector.
"Our venture with Larry Sirmans is a game-changer for algae because these biorefineries will rely on algae to provide high energy values and a molecular structure that is virtually identical to petroleum," said Riggs Eckelberry, OriginOil CEO. "It all starts with these feasibility studies and the setting of multi-feedstock standards. We're excited to be helping out."
In August, the departments of Agriculture, Energy and Navy announced their intent to invest up to $510 million during the next three years in partnership with the private sector to produce advanced drop-in biofuels to power military and commercial transportation.
About Energime, Inc. ( www.energime.com )
Energime is a bottom-line solutions provider for businesses looking to lower their operating costs and create a more sustainable business model. Specializing in designing and integrating energy conservation, efficiency, renewable energy generation and high density food growth systems, Energime works with and represents more than 65 companies globally. The company's goal is to provide its clients with an affordable, money-saving, one-stop answer to rising operating expenses.
About OriginOil, Inc. ( www.originoil.com )
OriginOil helps algae growers extract oil from algae for use as a feedstock for the commercial production of transportation fuels, chemicals and foods. In a single step, our breakthrough technology efficiently dewaters and breaks down algae for its useful products, overcoming one of the greatest challenges in making algae a viable replacement for petroleum. As a pioneer and the emerging leader in the global algae oil services field, OriginOil supports its core algae extraction technology with an array of process innovations for some of the world's most successful algae growers and refiners, just as pioneers like Schlumberger and Halliburton have done in the oilfield services industry. To learn more about OriginOil(R), please visit our website at www.originoil.com .
Safe Harbor Statement:
Matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "may," "intend," "expect" and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those contemplated, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations of the Company and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. These include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties associated with our history of losses and our need to raise additional financing, the acceptance of our products and technology in the marketplace, our ability to demonstrate the commercial viability of our products and technology and our need to increase the size of our organization. Further information on the Company's risk factors is contained in the Company's quarterly and annual reports as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.
Abstract
OriginOil enters JV to develop biorefineries for U.S. Department of Defense biofuels programs, JV receives preliminary funding commitment of $4.5 million to carry out bankable feasibility studies
SOURCE: OriginOil, Inc.
LOS ANGELES, Dec 15, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- OriginOil, Inc. (otc/bb:OOIL), the developer of a breakthrough technology to extract oil from algae and an emerging leader in the global algae oil services industry, today announced it has co-founded a new joint venture (JV), to develop biorefineries serving U.S. and NATO military requirements for alternative fuels.
The JV, Future Energy Solutions Unlimited, Inc. (FES), with its wholly owned Australian subsidiary, Alternate Energy Systems Pty Ltd (AES), plans to carry out bankable feasibility studies supporting project development and project delivery for diversified biofuel refining centers in strategic locations around the world.
OriginOil intends to contribute its proprietary systems and process knowledge to help develop multi-feedstock blending standards that will be needed for the new biorefineries. OriginOil recently announced a research agreement with the Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, in part to tackle these standards.
The Energime Group of Companies has given preliminary commitments to provide $1.5 million in matching funds to AES and $3 million to FES, for a total of $4.5 million. The investments, to be finalized in early 2012, are intended to fund the planned bankable feasibility studies, leading to a key role for Energime in designing, building, operating and owning these refineries.
"We are excited to be involved in this dramatic development in biofuels production," said Bill Sosinsky, CEO of Energime. "We look forward to co-developing projects with Larry Sirmans throughout the world in this fast growing space. We believe other key players in private industry will soon be joining OriginOil in this venture, which responds to a mission-critical need of the U.S. and NATO for strategic fuels independence."
"Through its massive commitment to alternative fuels, the U.S. military has provided the market both opportunity and challenge, which we intend to meet," said Larry Sirmans, CEO of FES. "Our project delivery team has a unique blend of industry-specific knowledge and experience as well as very relevant military experience. We know and understand what both the military and the industry face to make this a reality. We are focusing on projects initially in the U.S. and Australia. Longer term, we see tremendous opportunity for Asia, Europe and Africa."
A veteran of large-scale biofuels project development, Sirmans was Projects Director for Agri Energy and project developer for Australian Biofuels-Swan Hill Ethanol. He is the outgoing Technical Director of Australia's MBD Energy Ltd, a leading player in Australia's fast-growing algae biofuels sector.
"Our venture with Larry Sirmans is a game-changer for algae because these biorefineries will rely on algae to provide high energy values and a molecular structure that is virtually identical to petroleum," said Riggs Eckelberry, OriginOil CEO. "It all starts with these feasibility studies and the setting of multi-feedstock standards. We're excited to be helping out."
In August, the departments of Agriculture, Energy and Navy announced their intent to invest up to $510 million during the next three years in partnership with the private sector to produce advanced drop-in biofuels to power military and commercial transportation.
About Energime, Inc. ( www.energime.com )
Energime is a bottom-line solutions provider for businesses looking to lower their operating costs and create a more sustainable business model. Specializing in designing and integrating energy conservation, efficiency, renewable energy generation and high density food growth systems, Energime works with and represents more than 65 companies globally. The company's goal is to provide its clients with an affordable, money-saving, one-stop answer to rising operating expenses.
About OriginOil, Inc. ( www.originoil.com )
OriginOil helps algae growers extract oil from algae for use as a feedstock for the commercial production of transportation fuels, chemicals and foods. In a single step, our breakthrough technology efficiently dewaters and breaks down algae for its useful products, overcoming one of the greatest challenges in making algae a viable replacement for petroleum. As a pioneer and the emerging leader in the global algae oil services field, OriginOil supports its core algae extraction technology with an array of process innovations for some of the world's most successful algae growers and refiners, just as pioneers like Schlumberger and Halliburton have done in the oilfield services industry. To learn more about OriginOil(R), please visit our website at www.originoil.com .
Safe Harbor Statement:
Matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "may," "intend," "expect" and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those contemplated, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations of the Company and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. These include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties associated with our history of losses and our need to raise additional financing, the acceptance of our products and technology in the marketplace, our ability to demonstrate the commercial viability of our products and technology and our need to increase the size of our organization. Further information on the Company's risk factors is contained in the Company's quarterly and annual reports as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.
Abstract
OriginOil enters JV to develop biorefineries for U.S. Department of Defense biofuels programs, JV receives preliminary funding commitment of $4.5 million to carry out bankable feasibility studies
SOURCE: OriginOil, Inc.
Sapphire Energy Installs Custom-Made Software from CLC bio for Biofuel Research
SAN DIEGO & AARHUS, Denmark, Dec 15, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- CLC bio, the market-leading bioinformatics sequence analysis software provider, today announced that Sapphire Energy, Inc. has installed a custom-made bioinformatics solution from CLC bio in their research center in San Diego. Sapphire Energy is at the forefront of the biofuel industry with the potential to radically change the world's energy landscape with 'Green Crude' - a renewable crude oil that is a result of a proprietary process of turning sunlight, CO2, and algae into green oils to be refined into fuel.
"Using sophisticated breeding and selection methods, we're perfecting the efficiency of oil-producing algae, which live mostly on sunlight and carbon dioxide, and improving algae's resistance to disease and its harvest-capability," says Dr. Christopher Yohn, principal scientist at Sapphire Energy. "To meet our development goals, we recognized the need for bioinformatics software. CLC bio has delivered quality custom solutions to automate several critical processes in our R&D workflows."
"I'm pleased that we could assist Sapphire Energy in automating their bioinformatics analysis pipeline in time for a large scale-up in their sequencing projects," states Dr. Cecilie Boysen, Senior Consulting Manager at CLC bio. "It is always exciting to be able to help and work with companies in the renewable energy sector, as this is an area that has a huge potential to shape everyone's future in a positive way."
CLC bio's consulting department designs and implements customized bioinformatics solutions that help organizations work more effectively, shifting the efforts from repetitive, manual tasks to tasks that adds scientific value, and thereby reduce the time-to-market for their research results.
About Sapphire Energy
http://www.sapphireenergy.com
About CLC bio
http://www.clcbio.com/about
SOURCE: CLC bio
"Using sophisticated breeding and selection methods, we're perfecting the efficiency of oil-producing algae, which live mostly on sunlight and carbon dioxide, and improving algae's resistance to disease and its harvest-capability," says Dr. Christopher Yohn, principal scientist at Sapphire Energy. "To meet our development goals, we recognized the need for bioinformatics software. CLC bio has delivered quality custom solutions to automate several critical processes in our R&D workflows."
"I'm pleased that we could assist Sapphire Energy in automating their bioinformatics analysis pipeline in time for a large scale-up in their sequencing projects," states Dr. Cecilie Boysen, Senior Consulting Manager at CLC bio. "It is always exciting to be able to help and work with companies in the renewable energy sector, as this is an area that has a huge potential to shape everyone's future in a positive way."
CLC bio's consulting department designs and implements customized bioinformatics solutions that help organizations work more effectively, shifting the efforts from repetitive, manual tasks to tasks that adds scientific value, and thereby reduce the time-to-market for their research results.
About Sapphire Energy
http://www.sapphireenergy.com
About CLC bio
http://www.clcbio.com/about
SOURCE: CLC bio
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
