Finding the appropriate feedstock for biofuel production which is free of the food-fuel controversy is a daunting task. While companies are turning to non-food and waste alternatives for feedstock, there is no single alternative which satisfies all the criteria.  However, Joule Unlimited—a biotechnologies company engineering solutions to the biofuel feedstock problem has come up with […]

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 […]

Algae could change the way European animal feed manufacturers think about their industry in the near future, it has been claimed. Commercially-grown algae is widely expected to see an increase in demand as an alternative food source, because of its high nutritional value as a ratio of production volume. A conference held this weekend in […]

Algaetech  Group , a Malaysian based  algae  research company that works on algae biofuels and high -value end products  is conducting a microalgae training program/ workshop between the 21st and 23rd March, 2011 at Technology Park Malaysia. This workshop aims to expose the participants to  the theoretical and practical aspects of algae cultivation with a […]

In Kentucky, Alltech Algae cut the ribbon on its new $200 million plant in Winchester, Kentucky.  The plant was acquired in 2010 from Martek Bioscience Corporation for approximately $14 million and has been renovated in the past few months to begin in April as what Alltech calls one of the largest algae production sites in […]

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 […]

Algae.Tec is the first company in the world to move towards commercialisation of algae-driven carbon capture and alternative energy production and is also first to market in employing patented technology in a modular system. Shares in Algae.Tec listed on the ASX on January 21 and are currently fetching 42c compared to the 20c IPO price. […]

In Texas, Digest columnist Will Thurmond released Algae 2020, Vol. 2  highlighting why some algae companies will be winners and some will be losers bringing their product from pilot to commercial scale from 2011-2020. The report concluded that less than one dozen algae production companies will graduate into pre-commercial, deployment-stage algae ventures using pond, photo-bioreactor […]

Researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology have found a novel way to produce biodiesel, one that doesn’t require massive amounts of equipment or labor to harvest. Used by wastewater treatment plants to get rid of ammonia, nitrates and phosphates, algae have long been a cost-effective way to keep systems running smoothly. This prompted researchers […]

Researchers at ExxonMobil’s La Jolla greenhouse facility  are spending more than $600 million  in a partnership with Synthetic Genomics, Inc. in the algae biofuels sector. They believe that biofuels from photosynthetic algae have the following advantages: First, algae can be grown using land and water unsuitable for plant or food production, and algae use photosynthesis, […]

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 […]

Sukh Sidhu, sustainable environmental technologies group leader in the University of Dayton Research Institute’s energy and environmental engineering division, recently discussed the possibility of algae as an alternative fuel source with SOCHE Talks. Sidhu is part of a team at the University of Dayton Research Institute working on a a two-year, $980,000 Air Force pollution-reduction […]

Atlantic Green Technology, a company focused on  research and product development in biofuel and pharmaceutical fields. has developed algae varieties that can be grown in a wide range of environments and weather conditions, making them versatile enough to be grown around the world. The company was affliliated to the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette […]

Aurora Algae, which uses algae to create food and biofuel, has struck a deal to move its headquarters and laboratories from Alameda to Hayward, the company said Tuesday.The company moved into its new offices Tuesday. The company had recently diversified its product range and changed name from Aurora Biofuels to Aurora Algae to signify this. […]

Microalgae grown in wastewater has shown promise as a potential source of bio-diesel. It could be the cheapest and the greenest source ever. The end result — clean wastewater and material for a promising bio-fuel. Algae have a lot of advantages. They are cheaper and faster to grow than conventional crops. See more at http://www.sify.com/news/algae-seen-as-cheapest-greenest-bio-diesel-source-news-international-lcsvuhibbai.html

The Congressional Commission on Science Technology and Engineering (COMSTE) is supporting the expansion of research and development (R&D) into the use of algae as a biofuel by backing the Philippine entry into the 2011 Algae competition. COMSTE reports that initial experiments in the country demonstrate that the use of algae as a biofuel has high […]

Algae.Tec Limited (ASX: AEB) an advanced biofuels company with a high-yield enclosed algae growth and harvesting system has been accepted to list on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FWB). Algae.Tec was founded in 2008 and has offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Perth, Western Australia. Algae.Tec has conducted hundreds of laboratory, bench-scale tests and product trials to-date; […]

Researchers  from Montana State’s Algal Biofuels Group theorized that baking soda added at precise stage can double the amount of oil produced from algae. Baking soda boosts metabolism, but only if added at just the right moment. In doing so, the researchers found their algae producing two to three times the oil in half the […]

Algae is not nearly ready for prime-time as a biofuel, according to a new study, and until  the industry seizes upon non-fuel applications that could help make it cost-effective.The Energy Bioscience Institute (EBI) at UC Berkeley came to this conclusion after a detailed techno-economic analysis of algal biofuels production. The report found that even under […]

Green Plains Renewable Energy and CLARCOR have announced that their joint venture, BioProcess Algae, has now completed construction of Phase II of its commercial scale Grower Harvester bioreactors in Shenandoah, Iowa. The focus is on efficiently and effectively growing and harvesting algae with little to no manual intervention, all while utilizing the carbon dioxide from the ethanol […]

In New York, Rochester Institute of Technology researchers are working on using wastewater to grow algae for biodiesel.  The process cleans wastewater by consuming nitrates and phosphates while reducing both bacteria and toxins in the water.  The end result: clean wastewater and stock for a promising biofuel.The algae can then be used to produce biodiesel. […]

The International Biomass Conference and Expo will be held from May 2-5, 2011 at America’s Center, St. Louis, Missouri. It is the biomass industry’s largest, fastest-growing event. In 2010, the event was attended by 1,700 industry professionals from 49 states and 25 nations representing nearly every geographical region and sector of the world’s interconnected biomass […]

The National Algae Association has announced speakers for its Algae Commercialization, Research and Business Networking Workshop on March 28, 2011. The workshop, which is being held at Goodwin Proctor’s offices in Manhattan, will highlight updates in the quest to commercialize algae production. With the recent admissions that most of the algae research hurdles have been […]

From the low points like the closure of the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Aquatic Species Program to highs like 2009′s “Summer of Algae”, aquatic organisms from cyanobacteria to macroalgae have maintained a hold over the imagination of a large cheering section of the biofuels industry, and indeed, the world. If 2009 was the high […]

OriginOil, Inc. (OOIL) has agreed to participate in a pilot scale algae project to be funded by the Mexican government. The project will demonstrate industrial algae production, paving the way for substantial investment by the Mexican government in large-scale jet fuels production. Mexico’s ‘Manhattan Project’ is directed towards producing 1% of the nation’s jet fuel […]