The UK Advertising Standards Authority has banned an algae biofuel TV advert by oil giant ExxonMobil because it overstated the technology’s climate change mitigation potential. n the advert, a scientist said that “in using algae to form biofuels, we’re not competing with the food supply, and they absorb CO2, so they help solve the greenhouse […]

This week more than 1200 delegates from several different stakeholders have gathered in Rotterdam for Europe’s largest biofuels conference, the world biofuels markets. Tuesday, one of eight sessions was dedicated to sustainability, certification and so-called indirect land use change (ILUC). Another was dedicated to algae. Bellona’s Brussels office, Bellona Europa was present at both sessions. […]

OriginOil has developed a new method for targeting invading microbes that can kill or damage algae ponds, the algae research company said today. The method, which the Australia-based company plans to offer as a product called Algae Screen, uses low-power electromagnetic pulses to target rotifers, ciliates, and bacteria harmful to algae growth. And the pulses […]

Morrisville, Penn.-based BARD Holdings Inc. recently announced its shift from research and development to the commercialization phase of its algae production technology. Its initial facility, located in Morrisville, is expected to produce approximately 40,000 gallons of algae oil per year. BARD is targeting several markets for its algae products, including the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and biofuel […]

What is the potential of algae as a fuel source and carbon sequestration and how do we address scalability issues? What are the latest technologies in cultivation, harvesting and extraction? Join senior executives from leading algaculture, power generators, biorefineries, biofuel producers, oil and gas companies and technology providers in London on 27th & 28th April […]

Algae.Tec, an advanced biofuels company with a high-yield enclosed algae growth and harvesting system – the McConchie-Stroud System – announced today the opening of the Algae Development & Manufacturing Centre in Atlanta, Georgia where the photo-bioreactors will be assembled for shipping around the world. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/03/16/prweb5173854.DTL#ixzz1HKP5m0VV

Biofuels made from algae can be produced in a way that make this energy source cost-competitive with crude oil by increasing the amount of energy algae stores as fat, according to early research from VG Energy, an alternative energy and agricultural biotech company. The resulting biodiesel and algae-based jet fuels could be produced at a cost […]

Pilot Plant Studies have shown that Algae.Tec could produce energy-rich materials from algae at the equivalent of less than $40 a barrel, a steep drop from current crude oil prices of more than $100 a barrel and comparable to the cheapest price we’ve seen for crude, which bottomed out at $35 a barrel in 2009. […]

So far, biobutanol production is focused on using edible feedstocks such as beets, corn starch, and sugarcane. Now James Liao, a biomolecular engineer at the University of California, Los Angeles, has developed two routes to liberate butanol from its dependence on food crops. Liao, who has a track record for commercializing innovative biofuels processes, has […]

The following press release was given by 1st BiobasedChemAsia Summit-2011 1st BiobasedChemAsia Summit Launches Exclusive White Paper as a Complimentary Download CMT unveils an exclusive white paper on “Biobased Chemicals: Technology, Economics and Markets; produced in collaboration with Dr Bhima Vijayendran, Senior Research Leader & Chief Research Officer at Battelle. To be held on 14-15 […]

Pike Research, a market research and consulting firm, conservatively predicts that by 2020 algae biofuel production will reach 61 million gallons per year, command a market value of $1.3 billion, and sport an annual growth rate of 72 percent. With oil prices reaching $105 a barrel for the first time since 2008, the biofuel industry […]

James Liao, professor of chemical and bimolecular engineering at UCLA has developed a new strategy of using algal proteins as biofuel feedstock instead of lipids. Although the team has already licensed the technology, they plan to continue the work, through possible funding by the licensee, until it is time to hand over the process. For […]

Environment engineer Stephen Bedford Clark is setting up an algae-to-biofuel processing plant at Darke Peak on Eyre Peninsula in a bid to bring down costs of fuel for the agricultural industry. See more http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/09/3159152.htm

Algae-based oils company Solazyme has signed a letter of intent with Dow Chemical to provide variants of its algal oils for use in high-temperature transformer equipment. The two companies signed a letter of intent and a joint development agreement to develop the startup’s algal oils for use in dielectric insulating fluids. For more see http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2032916/algae-biofuel-pioneer-solazyme-inks-major-dow-deal

For US plane manufacturer Boeing, biofuels will be key to achieving the airline’s pledges on carbon-neutral growth. Antonio De Palmas, Boeing’s president for EU and NATO relations said in an interview that Biofuels are highly vital to reach the destination of 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. For the complete interview http://www.euractiv.com/en/transport/boeing-biofuels-vital-airlines-carbon-pledge-interview-502989 Some interesting […]

Solazyme has hired four banks to underwrite its upcoming $100 million Initial Public Offering (IPO). The company launched in in 2003  has raised over $128 million in VC funding Morgan Stanley, Pacific Crest Securities, Goldman Sachs and Lazard Capital Markets will be underwriting the upcoming $100 million IPO of Solazyme, the developer of algae-based biofuels. […]

Solazyme, a San Francisco-based algae fuel startup, is expanding its brand by bringing algae technology into the nutrition and cosmetics industries. This week, the company unveiled Algenist, an anti-aging skincare line that uses microalgae compounds as a main ingredient. Solazyme stumbled upon Alguronic Acid, a compound produced by one microalgae species that protects algae–and human […]

Researchers at the University of California have successfully engineered certain microbes to produce biofuels. The work concentrated on tricking microbes into eating protein and using the resulting energy to generate specific proteins that can be refined into fuel, the researchers explained. This research is the first attempt to utilize protein as a carbon source for […]

Thought I’d drop in a note about CleanTick ( http://www.cleantick.com ), the online cleantech community launched by my company Clixoo. ( This site Oilgae is also run by Clixoo.) CleanTick aspires to be a catalyst for cleantech worldwide. You might ask “How?” The platform provides some useful features for the key cleantech change agents – […]

The U.S. EPA has scheduled an independent peer review meeting for March 14 to review the draft report “Biofuels and the Environment: First Triennial Report to Congress,” it is preparing for Congress which will detail the current and potential future environmental impacts associated with biofuel production. The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act requires the […]

Alltech, the global animal nutrition provider that purchased the recently renovated algae fermentation facility in Winchester, Ky.,  for $14 million, plans to reach the $1 billion revenue threshold by 2015 by this purchase. After $200 million in renovations, the facility is expected to come online sometime in April. Alltech also held a conference focused on […]

Australia seems to be developing fast into a hub of algal biofuels. Algae Biofuels seems to hold the future of Australia, a country that is basically a desert, cut off from the global biomass trade by a tyranny of distance, with a carbon emissions problem. It is moving fast, excitement is high, and there’s a […]

A team of chemical engineers at the University of Arkansas has developed a method for converting common algae into butanol, a renewable fuel that can be used in existing combustible engines. It involves a two-step fermentation process of the dried algal powder which has been treated to extract carbohydrates and convert them to simple sugars. […]

Algenol LLC, the parent company of Algenol Biofuels Inc. , that produces ethanol from algae, has acquired Cyano Biofuels GmbH which has extensive  experience in producing hybrid algae to make ethanol and green chemicals. The acquisition significantly increases Algenol’s research and development capacity and strengthens its valuable access to European expertise in biotechnology and algal […]

Keystone Symposium on Biofuels conference opens at Bernama, Singapore on March 5 where over 30 international experts on biofuels, global scientists and policy makers coverge to share insights and solutions. See more at http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=567721