Green Options » algal oil

Solazyme Makes First Algae Diesel to Meet Strict US Standard

Nick Chambers — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:02:59 +0000

Solazyme announced today that they have produced the first 100% algae-based renewable diesel to meet the strict American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D-975 specifications.

Called Soladiesel(RD)™, it is the world’s first 100% algal diesel blend to meet these standards.

The company has road-tested Soladiesel(RD)™ in a factory standard 2005 diesel Jeep Liberty with results that indicate identical usability and engine wear to that of petroleum diesel.

Soladiesel(RD)™ has lower particulate emissions than petroleum-based diesel and also meets the ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) standards.

Solazyme’s certification is a very important step in the commercialization of algae-based diesel. Many industries that depend on diesel fuel have been skeptical about what kind of damage alternative fuels such as biodiesel could cause to their expensive-to-repair rigs.

Technically, Soladiesel(RD)™ is not biodiesel — as was pointed out to me by Solazyme’s Chief Technology Officer, Harrison Dillon. According to Mr. Dillon, Soladiesel(RD)™ is chemically indistinguishable from petroleum diesel, which is why it has passed the same ASTM standards used for petroleum diesel and not the ASTM D6751 specifications used for biodiesel.

With the ASTM D-975 certification comes a needed step in putting the minds of truckers and related folks at ease.

We’ve covered Solazyme in detail before, but it still isn’t clear if their algal biodiesel process is nearing commercialization — leaving many unanswered questions. This in contrast to other algae-based biodiesel companies, such as PetroSun, which have apparently already started commercial production of algal biodiesel. This is what Mr.Dillon had to say about Solazyme’s future:

“As far as the road to commercialization: we currently do produce at scale, but expect that our product will be fully commercialized in 2-3 years.”

Solazyme’s novel algae biodiesel method grows algae in the absence of light. In nature, algae use light to make sugar and then make oil from that sugar. Solazyme skips the light part and just feeds their algae sugar to get them to make oil.

As noted in previous posts, this method achieves a 1000-fold increase in productivity, but has two obvious problems: no carbon is sequestered in the growing process, and it requires a source of sugar. That source is currently sugarcane, but Solazyme says cellulosic feedstocks could also be used at some future date.

View Solazyme’s press release here.

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OriginOil Develops Portable Modular Round-the-Clock Algae Biodiesel System

Nick Chambers — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 22:39:34 +0000

OriginOil has been a busy little company.

On the heels of a breakthrough which the company claims will make algae oil farming a true competitor to petroleum, OriginOil has filed two patents that may make the production of fuel products from algae incredibly cheap and easy in the near future.

The first patent deals with a system known as the “Helix BioReactor™.” OriginOil Director of Development, Nicholas Eckelberry, had this to say about the Helix:

“The key to dependable, high algae yield is continuous lighting [to sustain growth]. In a natural pond, the sun only illuminates down to about half an inch below the surface. In contrast, the Helix Bioreactor features a rotating vertical shaft with very low energy lights arranged in [such a way as to provide constant light to all algae in the bioreactor].

This results in a theoretically unlimited number of [growth] layers. Additionally, each lighting element is engineered to produce specific [types of] light for optimal algae growth. By giving algae only the light it needs, throughout the growth tank, all of the time, we’re growing algae quickly and cost-effectively.”

The second patent takes the Helix Bioreactor™ and uses it in a modular, scalable and transportable algae factory. This system will allow stacking of many Helix BioReactors into an “integrated network of fully automated, portable and remotely monitored growth units.” OriginOil executives had this to say about it:

“OriginOil’s system addresses two key areas: growth of the algae and extraction of the oil. By using a modular design, we can connect a large number of Helix BioReactors to a small number of extraction units to achieve economies of scale and higher production of algae oil. This is an important patent filing as it helps to enable the industrialization of algae production. As we envision it, the system is modular, stackable, truckable, self-sufficient, adaptable, fully remote-manageable, and, most of all, scalable.”

As noted in a previous Gas 2.0 post about algae, acre-for-acre algae can produce up to 100 times the oil yield of soybeans. Additionally, the biomass left over after oil extraction can either be fed to livestock as a protein supplement, or fermented into ethanol.

One big problem hampering oil-from-algae systems up to this point has been figuring out how to collect and extract oil from the algae, and in the case of open ponds, prevent contamination by invasive species. OriginOil’s system may represent a giant leap forward in addressing these major issues in an efficient and cost effective way.

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Image Credits: OriginOil Logo from OriginOil, Algae photo from Spigoo’s Flickr library under Creative Commons

First Heavy-Duty Diesel Powered By Algae Biodiesel, Solazyme’s “Soladiesel”

Clayton B. Cornell — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:07:54 +0000

It looks like Solazyme will be making algal biodiesel for the US military, after a test-drive demonstrated the fuel’s superior cold-weather properties when compared to commercially-available biodiesel.

Former Director of Central Intelligence and Under-Secretary of the Navy R. James Woolsey tested the fuel himself by driving to the Worldwide Energy Conference & Trade Show in an unmodified 2008 Ford F450 fueled by 100% algal biodiesel.

Solazyme is a synthetic biology company using novel methods to produce algae biodiesel. I reported on the company back in January, when they made head turns with their algal-powered Mercedes at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. While the Mercedes was only powered by B20 (20% biodiesel), Solazyme was already highlighting the cold-weather benefits of their fuel. It looks like Wolfson was also impressed:

“The DoD’s requested testing of the Soladiesel fuel showed superior performance especially in terms of its cold temperature properties,” said Wolfson. “Greater performance in cold temperatures means our biodiesel and other algae-based fuels could help the military in remote northern locations like Alaska and North Dakota, as well as in hot climates, while reducing dependence on petroleum. We look forward to continuing to work with the DoD on Soladiesel and other algal based fuels, and are pleased to be presenting at the DESC conference.”

Solazyme has already been working with Chevron, after their “biodiesel feedstock development and testing agreement” was established in January. What isn’t apparent is when Solazyme’s algal biodiesel will be commercially available, and how it compares to other production methods (like the algae biodiesel facility that went online April 1st in Texas) in terms of energy balance, greenhouse gas emissions, etc.

Solazyme’s novel method grows algae in the absence of light. Since algae need light to make sugar to then make oil—which is how the organisms store energy—Solazyme just feeds them sugar, skipping the entire photosynthetic process.

While this achieves a 1000-fold increase in productivity, it has two obvious problems: no carbon is sequestered in the growing process, and it requires a source of sugar. That source is currently sugarcane, but Solazyme says cellulosic feedstocks could also be used at some future date.

I’m in contact with Solazyme now, and if more information becomes available I’ll be adding it in another post. See Solazyme’s press release here.

For more on Solazyme’s algae biodiesel production, see:

Algae Could Be Major Hydrogen Fuel Source

Clayton B. Cornell — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:57:08 +0000

While the first algae-to-biofuels facility went online today, scientists at Argonne National Labs are manipulating the photosynthetic super-organism for another use: creating hydrogen.

Algae grows prolifically in adverse conditions, and can store large amounts of oils or starches useful for making biodiesel or ethanol. But some strains also use an enzyme called hydrogenase to produce small amounts of hydrogen gas. Scientists think this is the organism’s way of getting rid of excess energy under high-light conditions.

But the hydrogen isn’t really linked to photosynthesis in a way that’s useful to the plant (or us). So researchers are now trying to combine the activity of the hydrogenase enzyme with photosynthesis, to produce a sun-powered hydrogen-generation pathway.

The only problem: efficiency. Biological pathways will only convert about 5-10% of the sun’s energy into hydrogen. The scientists at Argonne hope to create a synthetic pathway that steps up the conversion, by extracting the hydrogenase enzyme and placing it in a synthetic protein framework.

Admittedly, this research is in the early stages, but it could someday offer major advances in renewable-fuel production. Is there anything algae can’t do?

I guess if this doesn’t work out, we can always fall back on algae biodiesel being used in biodiesel fuel cells…

Author’s note: this isn’t an April Fool’s joke. The April Fool’s joke can be found here: Ford’s Coal-to-Liquids Concept Vehicle: Release in 2010

Source: Science Daily (Apr. 1, 2008): Algae Could One Day Be Major Hydrogen Fuel Source

First Algae Biodiesel Plant Goes Online: April 1, 2008

Clayton B. Cornell — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:28:24 +0000

PetroSun has announced it will begin operation of its commercial algae-to-biofuels facility on April 1st, 2008.

The facility, located in Rio Hondo Texas, will produce an estimated 4.4 million gallons of algal oil and 110 million lbs. of biomass per year off a series of saltwater ponds spanning 1,100 acres. Twenty of those acres will be reserved for the experimental production of a renewable JP8 jet-fuel.

Gordon LeBlanc, Jr., CEO of PetroSun, had this to say:

“Our business model has been focused on proving the commercial feasibility of the firms’ algae-to-biofuels technology during the past eighteen months. Whether we have arrived at this point in time by a superior technological approach, sheer luck or a redneck can-do attitude, the fact remains that microalgae can outperform the current feedstocks utilized for conversion to biodiesel and ethanol, yet do not impact the consumable food markets or fresh water resources.”

Microalgae have garnered considerable attention, since acre-by-acre microalgae can produce 30-100 times the oil yield of soybeans on marginal land and in brackish water. The biomass left-over from oil-pressing can either be fed to cattle as a protein supplement, or fermented into ethanol.

The big problem has been figuring out how to collect and press the algae, and in the case of open ponds, to prevent contamination by invasive species. PetroSun seems to have figured it out, and this may be the first algae biofuel plant to get off the ground.

PetroSun won’t be making fuel immediately, but plans on either building or acquiring ethanol and biodiesel production plants. They’ve conveniently located themselves in an area accessible by barge, which should make fuel distribution a snap.

An aerial view (Google maps) of the algae farms can be seen here.

This is NOT an April Fool’s joke! See the press release here.

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