Scientists have successfully engineered algae that when starved for nitrogen, put most of their stored energy, into fats. These fats are chemically similar to hydrocarbons and are thus further processed into “biofuel”. However, this processing of fats into biofuel is not a straightforward process. Interestingly, researchers from France also found the solution to the problem from […]

Serbian scientists are leading a research project to develop the commercial production of biofuel from algae. The pioneering project is supported by the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme and is carried out by Belgrade’s Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in cooperation with Manchester University in the United Kingdom and Baylor University in the […]

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology have created a catalyst for biofuel production from algae using sand from Rajasthan, nickel and cobalt that cuts the price of production to half of that of fossil fuel. Many catalysts use expensive rare materials such as Rhodium that push up the price of production. The researchers say […]

Scientists at Imperial College are working to produce biofuels from genetically modified algae. Though the team is experimenting with several genetically modified algae, their research will focus primarily on three types of algae – Cyanothece sp., Synechocystis sp, Chlamydomonas. Their idea is to produce three types of biofuels – Biohydrogen which is a clean transport […]

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 […]

Synthetic Genomics and ExxonMobil have extended their agreement to conduct joint research into advanced algae biofuels after making significant progress in understanding algae genetics, growth characteristics and increasing algae production. Both the companies have been researching and developing oil from algae for use as a renewable alternative to conventional transportation fuel since the launch of […]

Scientists from Michigan State University have engineered Molecular Velcro into cyanobacteria, boosting this microalgae’s biofuel viability as well as its potential for other research. This research may improve the efficiency of harvesting algae as well as improve the artificial microbial communities for sustainable biofuel production. In the study, the team focused on surface proteins of […]

Scientists at Tel Aviv University has developed a new strain of super algae that emits five times more hydrogen than normal. The development could have huge implications for the shift to clean energy, as automotive giants like Hyundai and Toyota release hydrogen-powered vehicles. Algae creates hydrogen with the assistance of the enzyme hydrogenase, which is […]

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) from New York has partnered with Synergy Biogas to explore the environmental benefits of microalgae for wastewater treatment and production of biofuels. RIT is running a three month pilot programme at Synergy Biogas, where microalgae will be grown in a 1000 gallon tank through a process that can be scaled […]

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 […]

Scientists from Swansea University have installed a new seaweed farm in Pembroke Dock to examine the biofuel potential of the seaweed. The project funded by Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council also aims to discover more about the use of seaweed as food. The farm is an original design and its new structure is part […]

Aviation community has signed a memorandum of agreement with Aerospace Malaysia Innovation Centre (AMIC), Airbus Group, University of Malaya, University Malaysia Terengganu, The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, and University of Kebangsaan Malaysia for offshore cultivation of tropical macroalgae for the production of aviation jet fuel. While the universities focus on different technologies of algae […]

National Renewable Energy Laboratory has developed a new biorefinery process to increase the yield of fuel from algae biomass. In traditional process, the algae produce lipids that get converted into fuels. But NREL, in a previous research work used solid-liquid separation process to convert carbohydrates into fermentable sugars which could be converted to ethanol. In […]

Researchers from Iran have conducted an experiment to use starch extracted from microalgae to produce biodiesel. Starch present in microalgae is the basic substance in fermentation process to produce biodiesel. In this process, a new method called gravity based enrichment was followed for screening the microorganisms based on cell density. Various starch and lipid producing […]

Scientists at the University of Melbourne have developed a new method for making biofuel that is inexpensive and eco-friendly. The new method enables the researchers to deliver carbon di oxide to microalgae which can be used to produce biodiesel. The new technique purifies carbon di oxide from the power station flue gases by absorbing it […]

PKN Orlen has planned to grow algae at its production plant in Poland to work on biofuel manufacturing technology.  Orlen will grow algae using carbon di oxide rich gas coming from one of the refiner installations. The oil manufactured from algae will be examined for use as biofuel.  The project will also lead to commercialize […]

Researchers at Arizona State University have received a $1 million grant from the Energy Department for research on enhancing algae cultivation using captured carbon di oxide. Their work focusses on using a special material to capture carbon di oxide from the atmosphere and release into vessels growing algae to enhance algae’s growth. Source

Researchers from Taiwan have developed a synthetic magnetic nanoparticle which helps to extract oil from microalgae. The nanoparticles produced from iron oxide and silicon dioxide could produce biodiesel from the magnetically extracted oil using an alkaline-based catalyst The new method could extract 97.1 percent of fats for the conversion into biodiesel compared to the existing technology. […]

Researchers at University of Washington are conducting an experiment to sequence the complete genetic makeup of a division of algae called haptophytes to be used as a new tool for aquaculture, biofuel production and nutrition. The haptophyte taken for the study is Chrysochromulina tobin which thrives in oceans across the globe. In the experiment, the […]

Scientists from China performed an experiment to characterize pyrolysis products obtained from Desmodesmus sp. cultivated in anaerobic digested effluents (DADE). The results were also compared to those obtained by cultivating Desmodesmus sp. in Blue green medium BG11 (DBG11). The results showed that both species exhibited similar hydrogen, nitrogen and sulphur content. The carbon content of […]

Michigan State University has partnered with ExxonMobil to expand its research on algae based fuels. The project will mainly focus on analyzing the different species of algae which are the most efficient under a range of natural conditions. It will also analyse other characteristic features of such efficient algae, like the genes responsible for their survival in […]

Biofat project, a microalgae-to-biofuel FP7 demonstration project, has confirmed algae as a potential source of biofuel with low greenhouse gas emissions.  The project has focussed mainly on improving and demonstrating sustainability in the process considering both environmental and economic issues. Two 1.5 hectare pilot-scale facilities have been built for this purpose in Italy and Portugal […]

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 […]

Researchers from Michigan State University have built a molecular ‘Swiss Army Knife’ which makes the production of biofuels and other green chemicals from algae more feasible. They created a synthetic protein that improves the assembly of the carbon-fixing factory of blue-green algae. The new protein replaces four gene products yet still supports photosynthesis. By reducing […]

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 […]