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  • Algae - Future Source for Transportation Fuel

    Sapphire Energy

    FAQ


    Excerpt:
    1. What is Green Crude?
      • Green Crude is the renewable crude oil that is a result of our proprietary process of turning algae into crude. It leverages the same industrial refining processes as current crude oil, yielding drop-in replacement transportation fuels that meet ASTM standards for gasoline, jet fuel and diesel that are environmentally sound, cost effective and scalable.
      • First- and second-generation biofuels are not compatible with the petroleum infrastructure while Green Crude fits within the existing infrastructure – from refinement through distribution, including the retail supply chain.

    2. How does Sapphire Energy produce fuel from algae?
      • The process for making algae into fuel at a very high level is this: we grow the algae in open ponds with only sunlight, CO2 and non-potable saltwater in deserts. We harvest the algae and extract the oils from the algae biomass. We prepare for processing and refining using traditional refining methods.
      • By applying the principals used in bio-agriculture, Sapphire has been able to produce oil in algae that is highly branched and undecorated – the way that traditional crude is – to get biological crude that is molecularly similar to light sweet crude. This Green Crude is then processed at a refinery just as traditional crude to make all three major distillates – gasoline, jet fuel and diesel.
      • Sapphire applies the principals of bio-agriculture by developing algae which are optimized for growing an industrial organism. The seeds are bred to resist disease or predators, to make the algae easy to harvest, and to produce oils which leverage the existing refining, transportation and distribution systems we use for traditional petroleum.

    3. How long is the process of making fuel from algae?
      • Starting from seed through oil extraction, the process is about 14 days on average, but it is continuous. Algae grows year-round, so there is tremendous potential.
      • What is the timeline for commercializing the technology?
      • The technology is here now. We’ve successfully tested our fuel in two commercial flights (Continental and JAL) and a cross-country road trip (Algaeus). We expect to be at commercial scale by 2018.

    4. What is your carbon footprint? How does Algae-based fuel fit into the Low Carbon Fuel Initiatives?
      • Sapphire’s green crude is good for the environment. At the very least, algae-based fuel is a low-carbon alternative to the current fossil fuels. Each kg of algal biomass requires the assimilation of 1.8 kg of CO2. Considering approximately 50 percent of the algal biomass consists of oil, the production of each gallon of oil consumes approximately 12-14 kg of CO2. On a GHG-lifecycle-basis, fuels produced from algae will significantly reduce CO2 impacts from the transportation sector and beneficially reuse CO2 to produce low carbon fuels in the process.

    5. What distinguishes Sapphire Energy from other biofuel companies?
      • While other companies are producing biodiesel fuel from algae, only Sapphire is making crude oil that fits into the existing fuel transport and distribution infrastructure. We’re focused on producing ASTM-certified fuels at a commercial scale without the use of sugar or any other feedstock. Our Green Crude is produced directly from CO2 and sunlight and the resulting fuel is not biodiesel, but high-value, renewable hydrocarbons.
      • Sapphire’s green crude is a non-food based biological and renewable form of energy. It can be produced on a large scale – eventually more than 1 billion gallons a year – and is a complete drop-in fuel replacement. There is no need to change the current petroleum infrastructure, from refinement through distribution and the retail supply chain.

    6. Does Sapphire use Genetically Modified Algae?
      • Sapphire’s primary advantage is that we’ve been able to bring all of the different technologies from different fields into creating commercially viable algae. We use all known bio-agriculture technologies to do this, including species selection, trait selection and mutagenesis, and in the future we will use genetic modification but are not deploying engineered strains at this time.

      .................................................

    View the complete presentation at:

    http://www.sapphireenergy.com/green-crude/faq
    Last edited by bsteadman; 10-03-2013, 07:14 PM.
    B. Steadman

  • #2
    Algenol Biofuels

    THE TECHNOLOGY


    DIRECT TO ETHANOL® technology uses sunlight, algae, non-arable land and carbon dioxide to economically produce ethanol, a valuable commodity, and waste biomass that can be converted into other biofuels. Our proprietary technology employs enhanced blue-green algae (or cyanobacteria) and Mother Nature’s photosynthesis to convert “sugar” (pyruvate) made within each cell and CO2 into ethanol and biomass.

    Cyanobacteria are among the most photosynthetically active organisms on earth, and, therefore, exhibit extremely efficient carbon fixation capabilities. Algenol enhances a natural ability found in many strains of cyanobacteria to produce ethanol by over expressing fermentation pathway enzymes channeling the majority of photosynthetically fixed carbon into ethanol production rather than routine cell maintenance. It is important to note that this is one of the many reasons why our enhanced algae are non-invasive in natural habitats. Algenol has approximately 2,300 algae strains that have been collected globally, characterized and screened in order to identify strains that are uniquely qualified for commercial ethanol production.

    A central component of Algenol’s Direct to Ethanol® technology is a proprietary flexible plastic film photobioreactor (PBR) that facilitates product creation and collection. The plastic used for PBR construction has been specifically engineered and enhanced with resins and other features designed to optimize a variety of performance metrics. Each individual PBR consists of ports for ethanol and biomass collection and the introduction of CO2 and nutrients. Algenol’s engineering team incorporates weather data and other commercial deployment considerations in order to design photobioreactors that optimize culture maintenance and ethanol production.

    Gravity facilitates the collection of the ethanol and water condensate from the PBRs. Next, our proprietary Vapor Compression Steam Stripping (VCSS) technology further purifies the ethanol for downstream processing using standard distillation and, potentially, novel energy limiting membrane technologies ultimately producing fuel grade ethanol. These technologies in combination with the solar-powered separation in our patented photobioreactors yield ethanol from the DIRECT TO ETHANOL® process with a carbon footprint that is 80% less than that of gasoline.


    View the complete post at:

    http://www.algenolbiofuels.com/direc...ect-to-ethanol
    B. Steadman

    Comment


    • #3
      Sapphire-Energy / Phillips-66 Fuel Production Consortium

      Phillips 66 banking on green crude oil produced from algae

      Tulsa World

      Rod Walton, World Business Editor
      12/10/2013

      Excerpt:

      Phillips 66 will work toward a new generation of fuels by working with Sapphire Energy Inc. to develop green crude oil from algae, the Houston-based refining and research giant announced Tuesday morning.

      The agreement between Phillips 66 and Sapphire hopes to take production of algae crude a major step further toward commercialization. Phillips 66 operates a major research center in Bartlesville, but it was not known if some of the algae work will take place there.

      "We are continually on the lookout for promising technology advances in energy manufacturing and logistics," Merl Lindstrom, vice president of technology for Phillips 66, said in a statement. "We believe this joint development project with Sapphire Energy could produce a refinery-ready, sustainable product for Phillips 66, creating yet another exciting opportunity in this rapidly changing energy landscape."

      Sapphire already now entered into contracts with two major companies, including Phillips 66, Sapphire CEO Cynthia "CJ" Warner said. The San Diego-based firm is now producing crude oil from algae biomass cultivated and harvested at its Green Crude Farm in Columbus, N.M.

      The companies hope to be at commercial demonstration scale by 2015, commercial scale three years later and producing one billion gallons annually by 2025.

      Energy research using algae is hardly new. ExxonMobil spent upwards of $600 million on develop algae-based fuel, although CEO Rex Tillerson said earlier this year that lasting results might be 25 years away.

      Proponents believe that algae natural produces many times more fuel than ethanol using the same amount of space. The technical hurdles, however, may limit the scope or scale of that production in the short-term, Tillerson cautioned in a television show.
      ...................................

      View the complete article at:

      http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/e...a4bcf6878.html
      B. Steadman

      Comment


      • #4
        Sapphire Energy Company Video

        B. Steadman

        Comment


        • #5
          Sapphire develops NM bio-fuels potential

          Senator visits with eye on federal policies

          Las Cruces Bulletin

          Alta LeCompte
          1/31/2014

          Excerpt:

          On a tour Thursday, Jan. 23, of Sapphire Energy’s research and development facility in the West Mesa Industrial Park, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich addressed the unique nature of the advanced biodiesel industry and the challenge it poses for legislators.

          “Advanced bio-fuels are caught between the silos of agricultural regulations and oil and gas industry regulations,” said Heinrich, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

          Heinrich said he wants to make sure the process of regulating the emerging industry is “thoughtful.”

          “I am continuing to watch how regulations are framed that deal with how bio-fuels are generated to make sure we have a system that works and that incentivizes production,” he said.

          “I’m working on an advanced bio-fuels letter with other senators for setting standards and making sure it is incentivized.”

          Heinrich’s stop at Sapphire Energy was part of a visit to Doña Ana County that also included Ben Archer Health Center in Hatch and a press conference on the OrganMountains-Desert Peaks national monument proposal.

          Hosting Heinrich at Sapphire Energy were Bryn Davis, New Mexico operations manager; Dean Venardos, vice president of operations; and Becky Ryan, associate director of field testing.

          Engineers on site

          As they left the administration building to tour Sapphire Energy’s experimental algae farm, Heinrich and Davis discovered they have something in common: Both are mechanical engineers.

          Both are outnumbered in their workplaces by colleagues with different backgrounds.

          Heinrich is the only engineer in the Senate.

          Davis is surrounded by biologists and chemists at the Sapphire facility he runs in the West Mesa Industrial Park.

          Sapphire’s Las Cruces site is the largest, photosynthetic, fully integrated, algae-to-energy testing facility in the world.

          The Las Cruces facility is a midpoint between basic research Sapphire does in California and its commercial scale demonstration farm near Columbus, N.M.

          “Everything we have here is a microcosm of what we have in Columbus,” Davis told Heinrich. “We have 3 acres of ponds, and they have 100, with a potential for 300.”

          The next step – commercial production – calls for 40,000 acres of ponds, he added.

          Getting there is a goal the senator and themanager hold in common.

          “Southern New Mexico meets all our criteria – land, sun, brackish water and university access,” Davis said.

          Because New Mexico is a small, agricultural state, the regulatory environment is easier to work with than it is in large states such as Texas, Davis added.

          “I’m excited by the opportunity this kind of work represents for New Mexico,” Heinrich said. “As the process improves, New Mexico is the ideal place to grow algae and producebio-fuel. It has an important piece in diversifying our economy.”

          Algae: A national fuel resource

          Heinrich said bio-fuel from algae is important to the nation as well as the state and locality.

          “Bio-fuel from algae is an important energy source for the future,” Heinrich said. “It is so well adapted to what we have here in New Mexico.”

          Open land and brackish water are well suited to algae production, he said, and using algae to produce fuel means crop land is not being taken out of production as it is when agricultural products such as corn are grown for bio-diesel.

          Making algae-based bio-fuel makes sense in terms of CO2 production and energy return, he said.

          Stopping at a pond, Heinrich asked Ryan, a molecular biologist, about the challenges of crop protection in the outdoor growing environment.

          Crop protection is a major concern, which Sapphire scientists address by developingstrains of algae capable of maintaining their dominance in an exposed environment, she explained “Ultimately we want it to be the winner,” she said, of the strains growing in Las Cruces – “the one that grows the fastest.”

          Local scientists staff lab

          Inside the lab, the senator had an opportunity to observe under a microscope a rotifer, a tiny pest with about 1,100 cells that preys on algae.

          Ryan said the lab manages water chemistry in the ponds, where there is constant testing of the chemicals. It also supports the work of Sapphire’s oil extraction unit.

          “Becky has great people on her staff,” Davis said. “There’s a lot of ability here.”

          Among the local talent are New Mexico State University students doing summer internships and recent graduates doing field placement.

          Sapphire is the first – and only – company to produce a renewable source of crude oil on a continuous basis from algae biomass.

          In 2011, the company began construction of the Green Crude Farm, the world’s first commercial demonstration algae-to-energy facility in Columbus, N.M.

          This project was awarded $104 million in federal funding, including a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Construction of Phase 1 of this demonstration site, which includes 100 wet acres of algae ponds and all the processing equipment needed for the facility, which was completed on-time and on-budget in 2012. The Green Crude Farm has been in continuous operation ever since.

          In 2013, the company announced the repayment of the remaining loan balance in full from the USDA after receiving additional equity from private investors.

          ..........................................

          View the complete article at:

          http://www.lascrucesbulletin.com/ind...uels+potential
          B. Steadman

          Comment


          • #6
            Tim Zenk, Transportation fuels from algae -- Sapphire Energy's Integrated Algal Bio-Refiner

            B. Steadman

            Comment


            • #7
              Algenol Tour Fall 2013

              B. Steadman

              Comment


              • #8
                THERE IS A COMPANY in Jupiter , Florida that claims a new science to make fuel from sunlight .
                Search or google sungas .

                Comment


                • #9
                  Are Algae Biofuels the Future of Energy? : Jerry Brand




                  Published on Aug 24, 2013 by Zeb Lockerman

                  The Culture Collection of Algae at the University of Texas at Austin, herein designated as "UTEX", has been in continuous operation since 1953. It was established by Richard C. Starr at Indiana University and was moved to its present site in 1976. Dr. Starr was the Director of UTEX from its inception until his untimely death in February of 1998, at which time Jerry J. Brand became the Director.

                  The principal resource of UTEX is its extensive collection of living algae. Nearly 2,800 different strains of algae, representing approximately 200 different genera, are provided to the public at modest charge. The Collection maintains an especially strong representation of freshwater and edaphic green algae and cyanobacteria, but includes representatives of most major algal taxa, including many marine macrophytic green and red algae. All strains in the Collection were obtained as isolates from natural sources, and no genetically altered strains are maintained. Approximately half of UTEX strains are axenic and all cultures are unialgal.

                  The Culture Collection of Algae is administrated as an Organized Research Unit of the University of Texas in Austin through the College of Natural Sciences. Its principal administrative officer is a Director who is responsible for establishing and enforcing policies regarding the management of UTEX. The resources of UTEX are managed through a Curator. The primary duties of UTEX staff are transferring cultures to fresh media on regular schedules, shipping cultures to users, keeping records related to sales and inventory, preparing media, and managing glassware.

                  The principal function of UTEX is the maintenance of its diverse stock of living algae, in order to make these algal strains available to a user community worldwide at modest cost. Cultures in the Collection are used especially for research, but also for biotechnology development, teaching, water quality assessment, food for aquatic animals, and a variety of other purposes. UTEX does not impose restrictions regarding the use of cultures that are purchased and does not assume any responsibility for cultures that are sold and sent away from the facility.

                  UTEX is a nonprofit organization. Principal financial support is obtained through the National Science Foundation of the U.S.A. Additional support comes from the College of Natural Sciences of The University of Texas at Austin and through the sale of cultures to the user community.

                  The Culture Collection of Algae at the University of Texas at Austin, herein designated as "UTEX", has been in continuous operation since 1953. It was established by Richard C. Starr at Indiana University and was moved to its present site in 1976. Dr. Starr was the Director of UTEX from its inception until his untimely death in February of 1998, at which time Jerry J. Brand became the Director.

                  A major research interest of Jerry Brand is the mechanism of freezing damage in algal cells and processes that protect them from chilling and freezing damage. Studies are directed toward the development of improved processes for cryopreservation (freezing and storing for an indefinitely long period of time at liquid nitrogen temperature) of living algae. These studies have led to the development of protocols to that have facilitated the successful cryopreservation of nearly 2/3 of the strains in the Culture Collection of Algae at the University of Texas. Jerry Brand studies metabolic processes in cyanobacteria that influence their physiological characteristics and ecological distribution. Research in this laboratory is directed toward characterization of a recently discovered cyanobacterium that produces multicellular "nodules" and is capable of dinitrogen fixation in the absence of heterocysts. Additional work is directed toward nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria in microbial mats and methods that selectively inactivate or insert genes at specific sites in cyanobacterial genomes, using "Targetron" methodology. J. Brand interacts extensively with the community of scientists, engineers and business interests that is developing new commercial uses of algae, especially as a source of transportation fuel.


                  http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/brand/index...
                  http://www.youtube.com/user/UTMcCombs...
                  http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/mcdb/res...
                  http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/
                  B. Steadman

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    " YYYYEEEEHHHHAAAWWWWW . TEXANS know what to do about fuel and we like new methods .
                    CHECK OUT : Sungas in Jupiter , Florida .

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      As Biofuels Lose Some Luster, Sapphire Goes Long with Sinopec Deal

                      Xconomy

                      Bruce V. Bigelow
                      7/10/2014

                      Excerpt:

                      In a ceremony held Thursday in Beijing, San Diego’s Sapphire Energy and Sinopec, China’s state-owned oil and gas conglomerate, agreed to work together to develop and produce algae-based biofuels in China.

                      “The goal is to build a large demonstration facility here with Sinopec,” Sapphire spokesman Tim Zenk said last night from Beijing in a phone call that preceded the ceremony. “We believe this will help us continue to validate what we have accomplished in New Mexico.”

                      Sapphire said last year that it was beginning year-round production of algae-based “green crude” at its 300-acre commercial algae farm and bio-refinery near Columbus, NM. Establishing a similar plant in China should enable the company to substantially lower its production costs.

                      Sapphire-Energy Algal Biorefinery near Columbus NM It might even prove crucial for Sapphire, as the biofuels industry has lost some luster in recent years; fracking has substantially lowered the cost of conventional petroleum production in the United States, where government policies also are buffeted by contrary energy interests.

                      Sapphire Energy and Sinopec were among six new U.S.-China partners formally selected for a flagship EcoPartnerships Program during a signing ceremony in China’s Hall of the People in Beijing. The program is intended to promote cooperation between U.S. and Chinese interests on clean energy, climate change, and environmental protection.

                      ......................................

                      View the complete article at:

                      http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/201...-sinopec-deal/
                      B. Steadman

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Contamination Management in Low Cost Open Algae Ponds for Biofuels Production

                        Industrial Biotechnology


                        To cite this article:

                        McBrideRobert C., LopezSalvador, MeenachChris, BurnettMike, LeePhilip A., NohillyFiona, and BehnkeCraig. Industrial Biotechnology. June 2014, 10(3): 221-227. doi:10.1089/ind.2013.0036.

                        Published in Volume: 10 Issue 3: June 5, 2014

                        ABSTRACT

                        Several challenges have to be overcome for the production of biofuel from algae to be commercialized. Key among those challenges is the management of contamination in open ponds; without technology to do this, biomass cannot be produced economically. A number of successful open pond technologies have been developed that manage contamination by creating an extreme environment that limits the amount of contamination and improves the stability of these systems. However, these solutions are neither aligned with the economics of fuel production, which demand low costs and high volumes, nor are they suited to many strains of algae considered candidates for fuel production. This work describes a possible solution developed by Sapphire Energy, Inc., to the contamination challenge of open pond cultivation with a strain of algae considered suitable for the production of biofuel. This example illustrates an integrated solution that incorporates pest identification, tracking, and management, and it focuses on a primitive fungal pest that has been shown to crash open ponds of algae used for the production of biofuels. The implementation of this solution can prevent these crashes and offers an approach to managing contamination in open ponds, thereby advancing the prospect of using algae as an economically viable strategy for the production of biofuels.

                        Introduction

                        Algae biofuels may provide a viable future alternative to fossil fuels, but a number of challenges remain before this can become an economic reality. 1,2 To compete with fossil fuels, algae biofuels must be produced at large scale and at low costs. Currently, the estimated cost for a barrel of algae oil ranges from $300–2,600, whereas a barrel of fossil oil typically costs $40–80. 3–6

                        One of the key platforms that will facilitate the scale-up of algae biofuels in a cost-effective manner is the open pond platform for the production of biomass. Despite their submaximal productivities, these ponds will form the basis of microalgae production at the large scale required for biofuels because of their simplicity and low costs. 7 However, this technology has not yet been optimized for those algal species short-listed for oil production, such as Scenedesmus sp., Chlorococcum sp., and Tetraselmis sp. 8 The primary challenge with growing these species is culture contamination and population crashes. 9 Open ponds are an excellent habitat for a variety of algae contaminants that can act as competitors (other algae, bacteria), parasites (virus, fungi, protozoans), or consumers (protozoans, aquatic invert

                        ........................................

                        View the complete article at:

                        http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/ful.../ind.2013.0036
                        Last edited by bsteadman; 07-11-2014, 06:52 PM.
                        B. Steadman

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          >>> INFO RECEIVED TODAY <<< Iran is already exploiting the use of scum ponds to create bio-fuel
                          from algae . Who would have thunk it ???

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Where are we with algae biofuels?

                            Biofuels Digest

                            Jim Lane
                            10/13/2014

                            Excerpt:

                            The state of R&D so far. 4 NAABB advances have brought the cost of algae biocrude oil down to $7.50 per gallon

                            3 roadblocks remain between today’s cost and $3.00.


                            In our two-part series, we look first at the breakthroughs that have radically changed the costs and outlook. In Part II, we look at where the opportunities lie to reach $2.00 per gallon algae biocrude oil.

                            If you have been looking for a good survey of algae’s progress towards markets like astaxanthin or omega-3 fatty acids, this isn’t going to be one of them. Here, we look at the prospects for algae biofuels — the roadblocks and the potential pathways forward.

                            The DOE had studied algae intensively from the late 1970s through the mid-1990s, closing down the Aquatic Species Program in 1996 when oil prices dipped below $20/barrel and it seemed like algae biofuels were too far away to continue the R&D effort.

                            By 2009, as oil prices reached $100 per barrel, amid rising concerns about domestic energy security and greenhouse gas emissions, the DOE re-embarked in a major way on a voyage in algae biofuels, and issued a “Development of Algal/Advanced Biofuels Consortia” funding opportunity. Eventually, DOE awarded $48.6 million to a consortium of organizations who formed the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and BioProducts, the NAABB, with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center as lead institution and Los Alamos’ Jose Olivares as principal investigator. The partners contributed $19.1 million in private funds.

                            They had a three year mission in developing the following pathways: Feedstock Supply–Strain development and cultivation; Feedstock Logistics–Harvesting and extraction; and Conversion/Production–Accumulation of intermediates and synthesis of fuels and co-products.

                            As a National Research Council report stated in 2012, “sustainable development of algal biofuels would require research, development, and demonstration” in five key areas:

                            1. Algal strains with enhanced growth characteristics and biofuel productivity;

                            2. An energy return on investment (EROI) that is comparable to other transportation fuels or at least improving and approaching the EROIs of other transportation fuels;

                            3. Reactor strategies that use either wastewater for cultivating algae for fuels or recycled water from harvesting systems, particularly if freshwater algae are used;

                            4. Recycling of nutrients in algal biofuel pathways that require harvesting, unless coproducts are produced that meet an equivalent nutrient need; and

                            5. A national assessment of land requirements for algae cultivation to inform the potential amount of algal biofuels that could be produced economically in the United States. That assessment must take into account climatic conditions; freshwater, inland and coastal saline water, and wastewater resources; sources of CO2; and land prices.
                            The NAABB consortium represented an extensive line-up of institutions and enterprises

                            National Laboratories included the Los Alamos National Laboratory; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Idaho National Laboratory; National Renewable Energy Laboratory; and the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service

                            Universities included Brooklyn College, Clarkson University, Colorado State, Iowa State, Michigan State, New Mexico State, North Carolina State, Texas AgriLife Research / Texas A&M, University of Arizona, UCLA, UC-Riverside, UC-San Diego, Penn, University of Texas, University of Washington, Washington State and Washington University.

                            Industry partners included Albemarle Catilin, Diversified Energy, Eldorado Biofuels, Genifuel, Cellana, Inventure, Kai BioEnergy, Palmer Labs, Phycal, Reliance Industries, Pan Pacific, Solix Biosystems, Targeted Growth, Terrabon, UOP, Honeywell’s UOP and Valicor.

                            When NAABB got underway, it established a starting baseline cost of $240 per gallon (for algae biocrude) based on the production, harvest, extraction and upgrade technologies developed to that point. Everyone agreed that the baseline could be radically improved — but how much, how fast.

                            In a close-out report released this past summer, NAABB noted that the consortium reached a $7.50 per gallon cost for algae biocrude, or an improvement of two orders of magnitude, in its three-years of existence.

                            The R&D effort was organized into seven areas: “(1) the development of new strains, (2) cultivation processes with these new strains, (3) harvest processing of the algal biomass, (4) extraction processing for crude lipids and LEA, (5) LEA conversion and LEA product trials, (6) direct conversion processes of algal biomass to biocrude, and (7) upgrading lipids and biocrudes to fuels.”

                            Let’s look today at the 4 major breakthroughs — and the three major challenges going forward. As NAABB reported, its breakthroughs were:
                            • New strain development—Discovery of a new platform production strain, Chlorella sp. DOE1412, which has the robust ability to produce good oil yield under a variety of conditions. When combined with genetically modified (GMO) versions of the strain the cost of algal biocrude would be reduced by 85%.
                            • Improved cultivation—Development of a new open pond cultivation system, the Aquaculture Raceway Integrated Design (ARID), which uses little energy, extends the growing period, improves productivity, and provides a 16% cost reduction.
                            • Low energy harvesting technology—Demonstrated use of an electrocoagulation (EC) harvesting technology, which is a low-energy, primary harvesting approach using commercially available equipment that provides a 14% cost reduction.
                            • High-yield extraction-conversion technology—Creation of a unique hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) system that combines extraction and conversion to provide high biocrude yield without the need for extraction solvents, resulting in an 86% cost reduction.

                            ...........................................

                            View the complete article at:

                            http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdiges...lgae-biofuels/
                            B. Steadman

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Where are we with algae biofuels? PART II

                              Biofuels Digest

                              Jim Lane
                              10/14/2014

                              Excerpt:

                              The state of R&D so far. 4 NAABB advances brought the cost of algae biocrude oil down to $7.50 per gallon.

                              3 roadblocks remain between today’s cost and $3.00.

                              This is a two-part series. In Part I here, we look first at the breakthroughs that have radically changed the costs and outlook. In Part II today, we look at where the opportunities lie to reach $2.00 per gallon algae biocrude oil.

                              PART II
                              The CLAW opportunity


                              While the NAABB consortium brough down the modeled cost of algae biocrude oil at scale to $7.50 per gallon, the Department of Energy has a target of $3 per gallons of “gasoline-equivalent fuel” for advanced algal biofuels by 2030.

                              How’s the gap going to be closed?

                              NREL, in a 2012 scenario tracing the pathway from $9.28 per gallon to $2.27 per gallon biofuels, identified:

                              1. Increasing the growth rate from 25 grams per square meter per day to 30 grams.
                              2. Increasing lipid content from 25% to 50%
                              3. Cutting harvest cost by 50%
                              4. Cut extraction cost by 50%
                              5. Sell Lipid Extracted Algae residual biomass for $500 per ton.

                              Of these, the easiest targets, after the NAABB work, will be in productivity, assuming that crop protection develops. As NAABB principal investigator José Olivares told the Digest: “A genetically modified strain of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii…provided 3x the productivity of the wild type. That modification is being placed into a production strain of Chlorella sorokiniana. The maximum productivity of the Chlorella wild type strain was around 16 g/m2/d. The productivity was modeled depending on season from 50%-200% increase.”

                              Perhaps the toughest target will be the $500 in co-product value, as “NAABB valued LEA as a feed supplement for animals at $160/ton and for mariculture at $200/ton. Whole algae for mariculture was valued at closer to $400/ton.”

                              In its close-out report, NAABB identified “the following broad research areas are important to the sustainability of algal biofuels…in need of further evaluation:

                              • Reduction of water in the entire production system;
                              • Robust cultivation, harvesting, and extraction systems;
                              • Improved production strains;
                              • Cost-effective sourcing of CO2, water, and nutrients; and
                              • Improvements in industrial design and logistics.

                              We’ll bring down NAABB’s targets to four key factors, we’ve summarized as CLAW

                              CO2 cost
                              Liner cost for ponds
                              Ash content
                              Water cost and usage

                              Summarizing the opportunities for further research, principal investigator José Olivares told the Digest that “The $7.50 /gal crude has some very significant technology changes in biology, cultivation, harvesting and conversion. What we saw as some of the biggest contributors were the cost of water, liners, and CO2. These are major operational and capital costs that need to be tackled very heavily.”

                              The DOE undertook two additional tasks in a new funding opportunity issued this summer, with a $25M funding opportunity with an interim goal of reducing the cost of algal biofuels to less than $5 per gasoline gallon equivalent (gge) by 2019. DOE outlined: “The funding will support projects in two topic areas:

                              Co-product revenue. Topic Area 1 awards (anticipated at 1–3 selections) will range from $5–10 million and focus on the development of algae cultures that, in addition to biofuels, produce valuable bioproducts that increase the overall value of the biomass.

                              Productivity. Topic Area 2 awards (anticipated at 3–7 selections) will range from $0.5–1 million and will focus on the development of crop protection or carbon dioxide utilization technologies to boost biomass productivity in ways that lead to higher yields of algae.”

                              .................................................. ....



                              View the complete article at:

                              http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdiges...fuels-part-ii/
                              B. Steadman

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