UTPA Receives More than $3 Million from the State

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Money from the state tech fund is also going to two South Texas businesses.

Houston-based ScanTech Sciences, which is developing a food sterilization process through electronic pasteurization, was awarded $2 million. Another $1 million is going to Brownsville-based Photon8 Inc., which is working on producing bio-fuel from algae. The grants are to help with the development and commercialization of their research.

Photon8 moved its offices from New Jersey to the University of Texas-Brownsville/Texas Southmost College’s campus last year and is working with the university to develop bio-fuel technology. The company already received $250,000 of its grant, said Brad W. Bartilson, Photon8’s president and chief executive officer.

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Collaboration Formed to Develop Fuels from Algae Oil

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Endicott Biofuels, LLC, a Houston-based, next-generation biodiesel producer, and TransAlgae, Ltd., an algal biotechnology company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of algae as a potential transportation fuel and renewable chemical feedstock source.

TransAlgae’s mission is to develop commercially viable algae strains for a variety of algae biomass growth platforms in order to deliver cost effective transportation fuels as well as other non-energy applications.

For the past year, Endicott has been involved in a fully flexible feedstock development program for the production of biodiesel, which includes algae oil-to-biodiesel commercialization. Among its future development plans are technologies that provide a higher degree of freedom for algae producers in algae strain selection and algae oil extraction for the production of biofuels.

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Solix Produces Biofuel from Algae Oil in Demo Plant

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Fort Collins, Colo.-based Solix Biofuels is producing a steady stream of algae-based biofuel from its six-month old demonstration facility, CEO Doug Henston told the Cleantech Group.

Solix, which developed a process using photo-bioreactors to make algae-based biofuel and chemicals, is sending the biofuel to potential partners for testing, Henston said.

Solix’s Web site says the facility has a peak production capacity of 3,000 gallons per acre, per year of algal oil. Microalgae can be harvested every five to seven days during the peak growth season, according to Solix.

Henston said Solix plans to expand the production of Coyote Gulch if it can access more CO2 and wastewater.

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Algae Biofuel Project in Carlsbad

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The New Mexico Environment Department has reached a settlement with Marathon Oil Corp. under which the Houston company will pay $5.1 million in environmental projects and penalties to resolve air quality violations alleged by the state at Marathon's Indian Basin Gas Plant near Carlsbad.

The environmental projects include $3.75 million to build and maintain new pollution controls to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions and $750,000 for an algae-to-biofuels project in Carlsbad.

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Beckons to Set up Bio-diesel Plant in Punjab

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Punjab-based Beckons Industries is planning to set up a bio-diesel plant using algae as a feedstock at Derabassi (Punjab) at an investment of Rs 600 million. The plant will be the first of its kind in this part of the region. For the purpose, the company has technological collaborative agreement with Austria-based company Energia and also an agreement with Germany-based GTZ for carbon credits.

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Blue Marble Energy Produces Perfume from Brewery Waste

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At Seattle's Blue Marble Energy, chemists are cooking up a perfume made from the waste products of a local organic brewery, including rancid beer grains, green algae and a "sludge" consisting of 50,000 different kinds of bacteria. The grains replace petroleum in the production process making the perfume, called Eos, completely carbon neutral.

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Sapphire Energy Receives $54.5 million Through the Biorefinery Assistance Program

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U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack have announced the selection of 19 integrated bio-refinery projects to receive up to $564 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

California-based Sapphire Energy will receive a non-ARRA loan guarantee for up to $54.5 million through the Biorefinery Assistance Program (BFA) to demonstrate a biorefinery process that will cultivate algae in ponds. The BFA program authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill promotes the development of new technologies for fuel production from non-corn kernel starch biomass sources.

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Algae in China: For CO2 Capture and Food

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Seambiotic, one of the oldest companies in algae, has signed a deal with China Guodian Corp. to build algae farms near power plants in that country.

The first farm, opening in 2010 in Penglai, will cover 12 hectares and cost about $10 million. Seambiotic specializes in open "racetrack" ponds. In these ponds, flue gas from a power plant is circulated into water where multiple strains of algae grow. Add sunlight and time and careful cultivation techniques and in a few weeks you have mounds of slime. Guodian has 100 power plants to the deal could grow. Since 2003, Israel-based Seambiotic has been in the prototyping and pilot stage: this marks a transition toward larger commercial production.

Instead of producing algae for cars, Seambiotic grows it for the nutraceutical and pet food markets: oil for nutraceuticals and protein for pets.

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Foster Wheeler to Help Adapt PetroAlgae Strains to Refineries

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Foster Wheeler will provide engineering services to help PetroAlgae develop commercial solutions that will allow existing oil refineries to convert micro-crop biomass into green fuels, according to a memorandum of understanding signed by the companies.

PetroAlgae believes the partnership will fully advance processes that will transform large quantities of biomass into green diesel, gasoline, jet fuel and specialty chemicals.

“These solutions offer the promise of transforming sunlight into fuels, thereby providing countries around the world with yet another option on the path to sustainable and clean energy independence,” says PetroAlgae chief executive John Scott.

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Second Annual Bioenergy Conference Held

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Truman State University held its 2nd Annual Bioenergy Conference earlier today. The conference addressed production and handling of bio-mass feedstock’s, algae oil production and utilization, as well as developments in bio-energy. Throughout the afternoon, several presentations were going on including hands on bio-energy demonstrations and exhibits at the University Farm.

Dr. David E. Brune was one of eleven featured speakers. Dr. Brune is currently Professor of Bioprocess and Bioenergy at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He gave two presentations on algae production and energy generation systems.

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Biodiesel from Algae Used During United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Conference

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UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced that its Ecofining process technology was used to convert second-generation, renewable feedstocks to green diesel fuel that will power vehicles at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Conference (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

UOP's process technology converted oil from algae provided by Solazyme, a renewable oil company, to green diesel, which will be utilized during the Driving the Future showcase organized by Denmark's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A Mercedes Benz E-Class Sedan, an unmodified, factory-standard diesel vehicle, will be powered by unblended (B100) green diesel for the duration of the event.

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Solazymes Builds Algae Biorefinery at Cherokee

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A San Francisco company's will tap into under-used large vats at Cherokee Pharmaceuticals plant in Riverside to open its first facility to make biodiesel fuel from algae oil. 

"Cherokee has under-utilized vats and our company hopes to use them to execute this grant to produce fuel from algae," said Michael Meehan, of Blue Line Strategic Communications which handles public relations for Solazyme Inc. Solazyme Inc. was awarded a $21.8 million federal grant to build its first integrated biorefinery at Cherokee.

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Washington State Algae Alliance

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The Washington State Algae Alliance, comprised of bioscience firm Targeted Growth, Inc. (TGI), Inventure Chemical (Inventure) and Washington State University (WSU), will benefit from $2 million in funding through WSU as part of the 2010 Senate Energy and Water Development appropriations bill. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) was instrumental in securing funding for the Alliance, which will jointly develop a new system for the production of sustainable and renewable fuels, chemicals, and chemical intermediates, creating jobs and furthering the state’s growing clean technology base.

The Alliance has three objectives: First, to develop an efficient and integrated algae cultivation system for the production of fuel and other products; second, to build first class capabilities; and third, to advance related science and technologies. These objectives align with initiatives identified in the National Algae Fuel Roadmap developed by the US Department of Energy.

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OriginOil in the Hottest Biofuel Company Listing

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OriginOil Inc. of Los Angeles has been listed as one of the 50 hottest biofuel companies in the world. OriginOil was chosen out of a field of more than 1,400 companies worldwide, working in algae, ethanol, renewable diesel and biobutanol.

Biofuels Digest, the most widely read daily biofuels newsletter in the world published the list. The companies on the list were chosen by an international panel of invited selectors and subscribers to the daily newsletter. Jim Lane, the editor of the Biofuels Digest newsletter said, “Thirteen of the top 50 companies are working on micro-crops and algae-based biofuels, including three of the top five. With companies such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and BP investing in algae-based fuels, there could not be clearer signs that algae is now viewed as the most promising of all the emerging biofuel platforms.”

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The National Algae Association's Mid-South Chapter Workshop

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Press Release

The National Algae Association's Mid-South Chapter workshop "Algae: Exploring Open Pond Production Opportunities, "  which brought top experts in open pond production together with catfish pond owners, investors and algaepreneurs to learn from each other and fast-track commercial-scale algae open pond production for energy, animal feedstock, organic fertilizer and many other products, far exceeded all expectations, with comments like "... I believe your approach to getting people together to advance the industry is very valuable for all involved ..." and " keep up the good work - your efforts are helping to form our future!"   The next workshop focusing on open pond production is in the works!
 
Save the Dates:
 
National Algae Association's West Coast Chapter is planning a workshop at the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas on February 24-25, 2010, focusing on the latest innovations in algae growing, harvesting and extraction systems; details to follow.
 
The next Houston conference will be held at the Doubletree Houston on April 29-30, 2010.   Presentations are now being accepted for consideration.  
 
We are pleased to announce that a new NAA algae production certification program will begin the first quarter of 2010.  An intensive 3 day course will be taught in Houston.   If you are interested in signing up for the course, please let us know.

National Algae Association
4747 Research Forest Dr., Suite 180

The Woodlands, Texas 77381

936.321.1125

www.nationalalgaeassociation.com 

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Algae Biofuel Production in Southern Chile

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United States corporation Bio Architecture Lab (BAL) has founded a subsidiary, BAL Chile, through which the company has already begun cultivating 100 hectares of seaweed on the island of Chiloé, with the aim of producing bio-fuel.

BAL developed micro-organisms that trigger a fermentation process in the algae, which in turn produces bio-fuel and by-products that can also be commercialised, such as iodine and feed for the salmon industry.

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SRS' New Algae Extraction Pilot Plant Placed in Operation

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SRS' Pilot Plant for algae oil extraction allows SRS to support clients who do not have their own extraction facilities by offering toll processing of large quantities of algae. SRS also has a benchtop system which allows for screening of small samples to identify the true oil (lipid) content of algae species. Both the Pilot Plant and the bench top system employ new techniques for fractionation of algae which were developed by SRS; providing for the highest recovery of lipids for biofuel production.

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PetroAlgae Collaborates with Indian Oil

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Florida-based PetroAlgae Inc. is collaborating with India’s largest company to develop algae strains and technology to suit Indian conditions. PetroAlgae’s subsidiary PA LLC recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Indian Oil Company Ltd. to build a pilot plant meant to demonstrate the commercial viability of the company’s technology. “A commercial production facility with a capacity of 200,000 tons per year of biodiesel is proposed in the near future,” IOCL said. The process will also produce a high-value protein for animal feed.

Source: Biomass magazine

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Solazyme Taps Michael S. Golembieski as Senior Vice President

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Solazyme, Inc., welcomes Michael S. Golembieski to the management team as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Nutritionals. Golembieski will be responsible for growing Solazyme’s global food and feed ingredient business for renewable oils, purified microalgae, and microalgae extracts.

Golembieski is a recognized growth and development expert in the biotechnology and renewable food industries, most recently leading strategy and business development for the SPLENDA ® Sucralose ingredient business of Tate & Lyle, PLC. He has spent more than 30 years in finance, business and strategy development; successfully initiating and managing acquisitions ranging from $10 to $100 million in total revenue. He brings additional knowledge and skill in intellectual property portfolio management, market development, and manufacturing platform optimization.

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Replenish, A Micro-algae Based Fuel Program Wins Cleantech Business Competition

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The Cleantech Open is a business competition created to find, fund and foster startup clean technology companies. Winnders were announced this week at the annual Cleantech Open Expo and Awards Gala in San Francisco. Dubbed the "Academy Awards of Clean Technology," the event marks the grand finale of the Cleantech Open's yearlong business competition.

2009 Global Cleantech Open Ideas was won by winner Replenish Energy (www.replenishenergy.org) of Puerto Rico. Replenish is a micro-algae based fuel program of Bio-Lipids of Puerto Rico, a private innovation company. Micro-algae are said to be the World's most efficient renewable energy source currently available, capable of delivering 48,000 kilowatts of electricity per million dollars capital invested.

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