Sea6 Energy

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Sea6 Energy Private Ltd.
Company type Private
Industry Biofuel
Founded Chennai, India, July 2010 (2010-07) [1]
FounderNelson Vadassery
Sowmya Balendiran
Sailaja Nori
Shrikumar Suryanarayan Sayash Kumar
Headquarters
Bangalore [2]
,
India
ProductsBioplastics, Biostimulants, Food ingredients and Biofuel
Website www.sea6energy.com

Sea6 Energy is a seaweed company based in Bangalore, India [2] that focuses on cultivating and processing tropical seaweed species. [3] The company has developed a proprietary cultivation mechanism called the SeaCombine, which can simultaneously harvest and replant seaweed in deep ocean waters, enabling cost-competitive production at scale. The company has also developed proprietary technologies to convert fresh seaweed into environmentally friendly products for a range of industries including agriculture, animal health, food ingredients, bioplastics and renewable chemicals. [3] In 2012, Sea6 Energy was given the title of "Emerging Company of the Year" by the Government of Karnataka. [4]

Contents

Company history

As students at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) in 2008, the company's four founders—Nelson Vadassery, Sailaja Nori, Sowmya Balendiran, and Sayash Kumar—sought out the help of their professor, Shrikumar Suryanarayan, to aid in entering the iGEM competition hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. [5] Suryanarayan, now the chairman of Sea6 Energy, helped the students enter their project in the competition and spurred their interest in the biofuel industry. [5] Suryanarayan had also previously worked at the Indian biotechnology company, Biocon, where his own interest in studying seaweed as a biofuel was piqued. [6]

The company was founded in July 2010 with funding from a few IIT Madras alumni, Suryanarayan, the Indian Department of Biotechnology, and other investors. [6] The company began operation in Chennai, using laboratories and equipment provided by IIT Madras. [1] The company would later move to their current location in Bangalore to take advantage of facilities and instrumentation at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), [7] a company co-founded by Shrikumar Suryanarayan. [8]

On 31 January 2012, Sea6 Energy signed a deal with Danish biotech company, Novozymes. [9] The goal of the partnership is to facilitate the conversion of seaweed carbohydrates into sugars that can be used to produce ethanol. [10]

Research and development

Traditionally, algal-based biofuels have been derived from microalgae that grow in fresh water sources. [5] Shrikumar Suryanarayan and the 4 co-founders sought to research the viability of macroalgae (seaweed) as a fuel source. [1] To do this, they needed a way to efficiently farm the seaweed, which led to the creation of a farming system built from a marine plastics polymer. [1] Sea6 Energy successfully applied for a patent for their aquatic farming structure in 2012 (one of their two patents that has been published). [11]

Sea6 Energy has successfully converted red seaweed into ethanol [6] and natural gas [2] in their labs. They believe that seaweed can replace fossil fuels and other types of green fuels in a way that is both sustainable and good for the environment. [6] The current goal of Sea6 Energy (along with their partner, Novozymes) is to find an enzyme that breaks down red seaweed carbohydrate into monosaccharides more efficiently. [1] These monosaccharides must undergo fermentation in order to be converted into ethanol. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biofuel</span> Type of biological fuel

Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels such as oil. Biofuel can be produced from plants or from agricultural, domestic or industrial biowaste. Biofuels are mostly used for transportation, but can also be used for heating and electricity. Biofuels are regarded as a renewable energy source. The use of biofuel has been subject to criticism regarding the "food vs fuel" debate, varied assessments of their sustainability, and possible deforestation and biodiversity loss as a result of biofuel production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethanol fuel</span> Type of biofuel

Ethanol fuel is fuel containing ethyl alcohol, the same type of alcohol as found in alcoholic beverages. It is most often used as a motor fuel, mainly as a biofuel additive for gasoline.

Cellulosic ethanol is ethanol produced from cellulose rather than from the plant's seeds or fruit. It can be produced from grasses, wood, algae, or other plants. It is generally discussed for use as a biofuel. The carbon dioxide that plants absorb as they grow offsets some of the carbon dioxide emitted when ethanol made from them is burned, so cellulosic ethanol fuel has the potential to have a lower carbon footprint than fossil fuels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biorefinery</span> Refinery that converts biomass to energy and other beneficial byproducts

A biorefinery is a refinery that converts biomass to energy and other beneficial byproducts. The International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 42 defined biorefining as "the sustainable processing of biomass into a spectrum of bio-based products and bioenergy ". As refineries, biorefineries can provide multiple chemicals by fractioning an initial raw material (biomass) into multiple intermediates that can be further converted into value-added products. Each refining phase is also referred to as a "cascading phase". The use of biomass as feedstock can provide a benefit by reducing the impacts on the environment, as lower pollutants emissions and reduction in the emissions of hazard products. In addition, biorefineries are intended to achieve the following goals:

  1. Supply the current fuels and chemical building blocks
  2. Supply new building blocks for the production of novel materials with disruptive characteristics
  3. Creation of new jobs, including rural areas
  4. Valorization of waste
  5. Achieve the ultimate goal of reducing GHG emissions
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iogen Corporation</span>

Iogen Corporation is a Canadian company based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and was founded by Patrick Foody Sr. in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jatropha biodiesel in India</span>

Biofuel development in India centres mainly around the cultivation and processing of Jatropha plant seeds, which are very rich in oil, ranging from 27 to 40%, and averaging 34.4%. The drivers for this are historic, functional, economic, environmental, moral and political.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lignocellulosic biomass</span> Plant dry matter

Lignocellulose refers to plant dry matter (biomass), so called lignocellulosic biomass. It is the most abundantly available raw material on the Earth for the production of biofuels. It is composed of two kinds of carbohydrate polymers, cellulose and hemicellulose, and an aromatic-rich polymer called lignin. Any biomass rich in cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin are commonly referred to as lignocellulosic biomass. Each component has a distinct chemical behavior. Being a composite of three very different components makes the processing of lignocellulose challenging. The evolved resistance to degradation or even separation is referred to as recalcitrance. Overcoming this recalcitrance to produce useful, high value products requires a combination of heat, chemicals, enzymes, and microorganisms. These carbohydrate-containing polymers contain different sugar monomers and they are covalently bound to lignin.

The United States produces mainly biodiesel and ethanol fuel, which uses corn as the main feedstock. The US is the world's largest producer of ethanol, having produced nearly 16 billion gallons in 2017 alone. The United States, together with Brazil accounted for 85 percent of all ethanol production, with total world production of 27.05 billion gallons. Biodiesel is commercially available in most oilseed-producing states. As of 2005, it was somewhat more expensive than fossil diesel, though it is still commonly produced in relatively small quantities, in comparison to petroleum products and ethanol fuel.

GreenFuel Technologies Corporation (GFT) was a startup that developed a process of growing algae using emissions from fossil fuels to produce biofuel from algae.

Second-generation biofuels, also known as advanced biofuels, are fuels that can be manufactured from various types of non-food biomass. Biomass in this context means plant materials and animal waste used especially as a source of fuel.

γ-Valerolactone Chemical compound

γ-Valerolactone (GVL) or gamma-valerolactone is an organic compound with the formula C5H8O2. This colourless liquid is one of the more common lactones. GVL is chiral but is usually used as the racemate. It is readily obtained from cellulosic biomass and is a potential fuel and green solvent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Algae fuel</span> Use of algae as a source of energy-rich oils

Algae fuel, algal biofuel, or algal oil is an alternative to liquid fossil fuels that uses algae as its source of energy-rich oils. Also, algae fuels are an alternative to commonly known biofuel sources, such as corn and sugarcane. When made from seaweed (macroalgae) it can be known as seaweed fuel or seaweed oil.

Biogasoline is a type of gasoline produced from biomass such as algae. Like traditionally produced gasoline, it is made up of hydrocarbons with 6 (hexane) to 12 (dodecane) carbon atoms per molecule and can be used in internal combustion engines. However, unlike traditional gasoline/petroleum based fuels, which are mainly composed from oil, biogasolines are made from plants such as beets and sugarcane or cellulosic biomass- substances normally referred to as plant waste.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food vs. fuel</span> Debate concerning diversion of food supply for biofuels production

Food versus fuel is the dilemma regarding the risk of diverting farmland or crops for biofuels production to the detriment of the food supply. The biofuel and food price debate involves wide-ranging views and is a long-standing, controversial one in the literature. There is disagreement about the significance of the issue, what is causing it, and what can or should be done to remedy the situation. This complexity and uncertainty are due to the large number of impacts and feedback loops that can positively or negatively affect the price system. Moreover, the relative strengths of these positive and negative impacts vary in the short and long terms, and involve delayed effects. The academic side of the debate is also blurred by the use of different economic models and competing forms of statistical analysis.

Coskata, Inc. was a Warrenville, Illinois–based energy company incorporated in 2006 by serial entrepreneur Andrew Perlman's GreatPoint Ventures group. The company was developing processes for the production of cellulosic ethanol from woodchips. Coskata's process combines both biological and thermochemical processing. The estimated cost of production via this technology was reported as under $1 per gallon, as opposed to corn-based ethanol costing approximately $1.40 per gallon

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable biofuel</span> Non-fossil-based sustainable production

Sustainable biofuel is biofuel produced in a sustainable manner. It is not based on petroleum or other fossil fuels. It includes not using plants that are used for food stuff to produce the fuel thus disrupting the world's food supply.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biofuels by region</span> Use of biofuel as energy source across the world

The use of biofuels varies by region. The world leaders in biofuel development and use are Brazil, United States, France, Sweden and Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mascoma Corporation</span>

Mascoma Corporation was a U.S. biofuel company founded to produce cellulosic ethanol made from wood and switchgrass. Headquartered in Lebanon, New Hampshire, the company was founded in 2005 by Robert Johnsen (CEO), Lee Lynd and Charles Wyman, two professors from Dartmouth College. The company was named after Mascoma Lake, which is near Lebanon. In November 2014, the yeast-related business assets including the Mascoma name were purchased by Lallemand, Inc. of Montreal, Canada. The R&D facility in Lebanon, NH was renamed Mascoma LLC which is now a subsidiary of Lallemand. The remaining business assets of the former Mascoma Corp. including the thermophilic bacteria technology, pilot plant in Rome, NY, and former headquarters in Waltham, MA were renamed Enchi Corporation.

Algenol, founded in 2009, headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, Algenol is an industrial biotechnology company that is commercializing patented algae technology for production of ethanol and other fuels. The technology enables production four of the most important fuels using a proprietary process involving algae, sunlight, carbon dioxide and salt water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steen Riisgaard</span>

Steen Riisgaard is the former president and CEO of the Denmark-based biotech company Novozymes, the world’s largest producer of industrial enzymes. He held this position from when Novozymes was founded in a demerger from Novo Nordisk in 2000 until he left the company in 2013 when Peder Holk Nielsen became CEO.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Singh, Nandita; Vipul Murarka (22 March 2012). "Tapping the ocean to meet fuel demand". BioSpectrum. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Abrar, Peerzada (31 January 2014). "How lifesciences startups are turning futuristic ideas into successful business ventures". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 17 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  3. 1 2 Livemint (21 July 2021). "Ocean farming startup Sea6 Energy raises $9 million in funding". mint. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  4. ↑ Vaidya, Manasi; Saptarshi Chaudhuri; Uma Kelath; Vipul Merarka (8 March 2012). "Minds meet to fuel India's bioeconomy". BioSpectrum. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Pulakkat, Hari (28 July 2011). "How Chennai startup is using seaweed to drive India's biofuel thrust". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 17 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Mukherji, Biman (1 October 2012). "The Power of Seaweed". India Realtime via The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Incubation at C-CAMP". www.ccamp.res.in. C-CAMP. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  8. ↑ Gunashekar, Raj (14 February 2014). "We are not a risk-loving country". BioSpectrum. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  9. ↑ Singh, Seema (31 January 2012). "Bold and Beautiful: Turning Seaweed into Biofuels". Forbes India . Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  10. ↑ Babu, Vikash; Ashish Thapliyal; Girijesh Kumar Patel (2013). Biofuels Production (1 ed.). Wiley-Scrivener. ISBN   978-1118634509.
  11. ↑ "Sea6 Energy". www.google.com. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
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