ExxonMobil and Synthetic Genomics have announced that they have achieved a breakthrough where it is possible to maximize lipid content and also increase the growth of algae under nutrient deprived conditions. Nannochloropsis gaditana is used industrially for the production of oil. It is possible to increase the lipid content of the microalgae by starving it […]

Scientists from US have discovered a way to make algae better oil producers without sacrificing growth. They identified a mutation in the green alga Chlamydomonas which substantially removes a constraint that is widely observed in micro-algae where the highest yields of oil can only be obtained from starving cultures. They found that there was a […]

Production of biodiesel from microalgae still have constraints owing to high cost and energy consumption of biomass cultivation and lipid extraction. Now scientists have performed an experiment to produce cost effective biodiesel from microalgae using protic ionic liquids. The use of protic ionic liquids was assessed for lipid extraction using Scenedesmus obliquus and compared to […]

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 […]

Duke University has been awarded $5.2 million grant to explore more on algae’s alternative benefits. The new Duke University-led Marine Algae Industrialization Consortium, or MAGIC will spend the next three years to analyse the best species of algae with high amount of oil and protein and also the different ways of extracting them. For this […]

Scientists from Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) have identified two new ocean based algal strains that can be used as a source of biofuels for vehicles and aircraft. The two new strains Nannochloropsis oceanica and Chlorella vulgaris have dry-weight oil content of more than 50 percent that makes them as ideal sources of biofuel for vehicles and […]

Scientists at PNNL have created a new process for the production of biocrude oil from algae in a few minutes. The process uses heat and pressure to change the algae to biocrude oil by chemical and physical reactions. The biocrude can later be converted to aviation fuel, gasoline and diesel by using conventional refining technology. […]

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 […]

Research Group in Polymer Processing and Pyrolysis at the University of Alicante have designed and developed a  photobioreactor which  has attracted the interest of both Spanish and foreign firms in the sector of biotechnology. The novelty of this photobioreactor compared to those existing is that it allows mass production, less cleaning and maintenance operations, better […]

After a considerable interval time there’s an interesting news from Synthetic Genomics! In a recent Press Release synthetic biology expert Craig Venter’s company Synthetic Genomics Inc. (SGI) has announced that the company has  purchased 81 acre site for scale up and testing of newly identified and engineered algal strains. The newly purchased site is located in […]

Researchers at the Tyndall Air Force Base see algae biofuels as a promising alternative energy feedstock, as they are working on a multi-million dollar project with the goal of reducing the reliance on foreign fossil fuel supplies. They started working on it three years back, and they are trying to figure out the ways of […]

Kengo Suzuki, who is the Head of R & D of the algae fuel start-up by the name Euglena, located in the premises of Tokyo University, is working on the microalgae Euglena, to check the possibility of using it as a  key source of fuel for powering jet planes in future. He has also made […]

Research team under Johannes A. Lercher of Technische Universität München has introduced a new catalytic process that allows the effective conversion of biopetroleum from microalgae into diesel fuels. Traditional methods for refining oil from microalgae suffer from various disadvantages. The resulting fuel either has too high an oxygen content and poor flow at low temperatures, […]

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 […]

Came across an interesting page  at the Algae Fuels Community @ CleanTick which discusses the challenges in each part of the algae biofuel value chain. “Deriving fuel from algae is at research stage, and there are some daunting challenges in each part of the fuel production value chain. Energy efficient technologies, easy scalability, maximum utilization […]

Attractive Algae Extraction Technologies – An Overview by Biofuels Digest Popular biofuels magazine Biofuels Digest has made an analysis on algae extraction technologies of various companies and listed 10 attractive ones. As extraction cost is one of the barriers towards commercialization, this analysis would be of useful in identifying viable algae extraction technologies. Here is […]

I came across this interesting invention when I was researching on novel ideas in algae-to-fuel technology. Streamline Automation LLC, USA has invented a technology of using ionic liquids for the extraction of fuel products from algae culture. According to the invention, an active ionic liquid is used to dissolve and/or lyse the algal cell walls, […]

In Massachusetts, Diversified Technologies’ announced that they have introduced low-cost process (patent pending) for the pre-treatment of algae using pulsed electric field (PEF) technology to streamline the extraction of oils from algal cells early in the biorefining process. The PEF applies 10-30 kV/cm electric pulses for 2 to 20 microseconds to an algal slurry which […]

Origin Oil ,  the developer of  a  Quantam Fracturing technology had announced his first potential customer – MBD energy in 2010 has now   announced that they will be focusing  on embedding its technology into industrial algae systems. Essentially, OriginOil will work with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to integrate its extraction technology into their branded systems. The OEM category includes  manufacturers, […]

Prof S. Elumalai has been a serious researcher on algae from bio fuel. It is heartening to note that my city Chennai is now getting big time in the oil from algae map. Prof S Elumalai went to Durban University in SA and signed a MOU  to firm up academic and scientific collaboration between the Presidency […]

Oilgae has released the latest update of its Comprehensive Oilgae Report and I thought I’d provide you with details of the report and the key takeaways from the report for your reference. As you might already know, the Comprehensive Oilgae Report is the most detailed report covering all the critical aspects of algae biofuels –strain […]

As you might be aware that extraction of algal biomass directly i.e. avoiding the steps such as dewatering and drying which are energy intensive will help a great deal in reducing the cost of biodiesel obtained from algae.The researchers at the University of Michigan have published the feasibility of a two-step process to produce biodiesel […]

The Department of Energy(DOE)  comprises of many national laboratories and technology centers and many such national labs are working on algae projects. Three national labs of the DOE have now been awarded the R&D 100 awards, for their innovative technologies. A brief description of their technology and the advantages of each of those techniques have […]

The Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) successfully developed a new method to extract biofuel from algae. The new method eliminates the need for the dewatering process by using liquefied dimethyl ether (DME), which mixes easily with oil. This leads to a reduction in energy consumption for oil extraction by more than 50%. […]

Catilin Inc. announced a three-year, $5.3 million project as part of a $44 million U.S. DOE award made to Catilin’s consortium, National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts. Catilin and its partner, Iowa State University-Center for Catalysis, will provide key extraction, sequestration and conversion technologies. Catilin and ISU-CCAT will use mesoporous nanoparticles to selectively extract […]