A trail of new methods of harvesting seaweeds is expected to begin in Connemara in few weeks. Two boats are being brought for this purpose from Canada by the company Ascidian Sea Plants in order to show the harvesting methods used in Nova Scotia. The trial will be conducted in ArramaraTeoranta seaweed industry, which has […]

Researchers from China performed an experiment to analyse the mechanism of alkaline flocculation harvesting process and the difference between the two strains of algae Chaetoceros muelleri (marine diatom) and Scenedesmus quadricauda (freshwater algae). Alkaline flocculation of C. muelleri resulted in increase in particle size with increasing pH, increase in absolute value of zeta potential and […]

Maryland based start-up Manta Biofuel has received USD 150,000 of investment from Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund to develop next-generation prototype of its portable, solar-powered floating algae harvester. The company’s harvester autonomously navigates through water and collects algae which is converted into crude oil through a process called hydrothermal liquefaction.  It is expected that Manta […]

Researchers from USA conducted an experiment to harvest microalgae using phase separation of thermoresponsive polymers and copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide and allylamine.  Chlorella protothecoides was taken as an experimental model to perform the experiment. The results showed that Chlorella protothecoides cells were separated from the solution containing mixture of algae and polymers when it was heated […]

University of Toledo is getting a grant of $ 199,997 for an algae biomass research project. The grant has been awarded by the National Science Foundation to advance research and develop possible commercial applications of hydrogel, a low-cost product that would ease the process of growth and harvesting of algae and also make it more […]

Aurora Algae is expanding its south Texas testing facility with four one-acre algae cultivation ponds and a harvesting system for potential commercial production. The company chose this location due to its arid climate, prime for algae agriculture. “We have successfully tested our algae cultivation system in countries around the world, including Australia, India, Italy, Mexico and […]

If you are in the algae fuel industry the Oilgae comprehensive report comprising of the processes, technologies, challenges persisting in the algae fuels industry is a must read guide for you. The Super Formula to Fight Aging – Its Name is Astaxanthin -Know more Oilgae comprehensive report has been designed for entrepreneurs and investors keen […]

One of the biggest problems in algae biofuels commercialization lies in the process of algae harvesting and extraction which requires large external energy inputs. Some of the attributes of algae which makes algae harvesting and extraction difficult include: 1. Algae cells are very small in size (about 2 to about 20 nm) 2. Algae oil […]

OriginOil and Algasol Renewables, two major companies in the algae energy industry have entered into an agreement for developing an integrated algae growth and harvesting system. Algasol, which is already working with NASA and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories plans to bundle its offerings with OriginOil’s Algae Appliance, developed by the company wit the aim of reducing the […]

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed a technology based on microbubbles, to improve the way of algae cultivation, which eventually will make the algae harvesting cheaper and easier. Professor Will Zimmerman and his team have devised an inexpensive way of producing microbubbles that can float algae particles to the surface of the water. […]

A new algae harvesting system called Algae Appliance by OriginOil Inc. This appliance would process at a low cost in addition to minimal use of chemicals. OriginOil has slated 2012 for the commercial release of Algae Appliance. The system is slated to remove up to 90% of the initial water volume. The system is designed […]

Harvesting microalgae is difficult as well as energy intensive. This is mainly because the most rapidly growing algal species are frequently very small and often motile unicells which are the most difficult to harvest. Moreover, the conventional harvesting methods used for harvesting microalgae – such as centrifuges, filtration and flotation equipments – are energy-intensive. A […]

Biodiesel using genetically engineered algae has been tested from some years but so far has not proven to be practical on an industrial scale. The Joule Unlimited process uses another cyanobacterium that it claims to be able to manufacture 15,000 gallons of diesel fuel per acre at about $30 a barrel, using very little biomass […]

Diversified Technologies, Inc. has introduced a low-cost process for the pre-treatment of algae using pulsed electric field, or PEF, technology to streamline the extraction of oils from algal cells early in the biorefining process. The Diversified Technologies’ PEF Pre-Treatment of Algae for Oil Extraction Process applies 10-30 kV/cm electric pulses for 2 to 20 microseconds […]

Algae fuels commercialization faces challenges in every part of the value chain. Starting from strain selection to product extraction there are biological  and engineering breakthroughs which are required to make algae fuels a reality. With respect to harvesting, the main issue is the energy required to remove the algae cells from the liquid media. A company by […]

You are at: Oilgae Blog. Dr. John Benemann, one of the authors of a seminal U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory report from 1998 on biofuel from algae and an internationally-recognized bioenergy expert said he thinks LiveFuels is “in as good of shape as anybody” to make its R&D happen. Morgenthaler-Jones said LiveFuels has been taking […]

You are at: Oilgae Blog. Recently two interesting pilot programs seems to improve the commercial viability of algae bio-fuel :The first was the grant from the California Energy Commission to use the nano-metals as catalysts for generating bio-fuel from algae. The company called QuantumSphere will be developing a nanocatalyst-based bio-gasification process for taking wet algae […]

You are at: Oilgae Blog. The breakthrough technology in algae harvesting, dewatering,and drying is a model of nature’s liquid moving strategies in organisms. No biological system has anything even remotely close to a functioning centrifuge. A centrifuge moves the entire mass of water and its contents in order to separate into fractions. This was also […]

You are at: Oilgae Blog. Stellarwind said the process of harvesting algae involves feeding the material into a processor, which extracts the oils. Residual bio-mass can then be converted into one of several valuable resources including methane, industrial grade charcoal, fertilizer and/or synthesis gas. “Our goal is to produce a continuously renewable energy source that […]

You are at: Oilgae Blog. One can grow algae but it doesn’t mean its free.Although algae is believed to be one of the chief feedstocks for biodiesel, growing large amounts of algae and then converting the single-celled creatures remains expensive. Algae biofuel startup Solix, for instance, can produce biofuel from algae right now, but it […]

You are at: Oilgae Blog. Here’s an opinion on AlgoDyne’s idea of harvesting algae in the wild. “AlgoDyne’s concept of harvesting algae from the wild is not exactly new. Many similar ideas have been proposed in the past, most notably those of harvesting sea-weeds such as kelp on a large scale to utilize the biomass […]

You are at: Oilgae Blog. Came across an interesting tidbit here about a membrane harvesting experiment for microalgae in 1978 “Professor Harry Gregor at Columbia University was funded for 2 years to develop membrane systems for cross-flow filtration harvesting of microalgae. However, the membranes available at the time, the pressure drops required, and the fouling […]

You are at: Oilgae Blog. One of the questions regarding algae fuel is the best method to harvest algae. It should be noted that algae harvesting could form a significant part of the total cost of producing algae fuel. A number of methods are discussed – sedimentation, filtering, centrifugation, coagulation / flocculation & froth flotation. […]

You are at: Oilgae Blog. Most algae-to-energy company’s research focus on creating biofuels for cars or jets. Instead of liquid fuel, Blue Marble wants to convert algae into natural gas and biochemicals.Along with private investment, Blue Marble has a contract with the Washington Department of Ecology to collect sea lettuce at two bays in Puget […]

You are at: Oilgae Blog. Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation said it was offering up to 60m new shares at 50c each. It was seeking to raise $20m but reserved the right to accept over-subscriptions of up to $10m.Aquaflow said it had developed and was operating a commercial scale prototype harvesting plant on a wastewater plant in […]