Algenol

Last updated
Algenol Biotech, LLC
Company type Private
Industry Biofuels
FounderPaul Woods, Craig Smith, Ed Legere, Alejandro Gonzalez
Headquarters
Fort Myers, Florida
Revenue US$ 3.1 million [1]
Number of employees
127
Website www.algenol.com

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 (ethanol, gasoline, jet, and diesel fuel) using a proprietary process involving algae, sunlight, carbon dioxide and salt water.

Contents

History

In 2008 the company announced it would begin commercial production of Ethanol by 2009 in the Sonoran Desert in northwest Mexico. This seems not to have happened though and as of 2015 they are still not in commercial production. [2] In October 2015 Paul Woods, the founder, resigned and the company announced they were laying off 25% of the staff and changing to a “water treatment and carbon capture now, and maybe fuels later” focus. [3] In 2016, Algenol celebrated its 10th anniversary and added algae-based sustainable products to its portfolio. Their name changed to Algenol Biotech LLC, and they are focusing on algae-based product development and manufacturing.

Research

Algenol’s biofuel technology potentially allows production of the four most important fuels (ethanol, gasoline, jet, and diesel fuel) for around $1.27 per gallon each at production levels of 8,000 total gallons of liquid fuel per acre per year, but to date has not been successfully implemented in commercial production. Potentially the fuel would be produced with a 60% reduction in carbon footprint and could offer customers savings of 75 cents a gallon. The technology could produce high yields and relies on patented photobioreactors and proprietary downstream techniques for low-cost fuel production. These low-cost techniques consume carbon dioxide from industrial sources, do not use farmland or food crops, and provide fresh water. [4]

Their biofuel technology uses sunlight, algae, non-arable land and carbon dioxide to produce ethanol and the leftover spent algae that can be converted into other biofuels. The technology uses blue-green algae (or cyanobacteria) to change CO2 and seawater into sugars and then into ethanol and biomass. [5] Algenol’s algae are non-invasive in natural habitats and the company has tested the algae repeatedly to ensure it is non-toxic, non-invasive, and are not plant pests [6]

Locations

Algenol's newest facility is located in Southwest Florida, just north of Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, and opened in October 2010. The new commercial development facility is working to create a commercially viable fuel from algae. [7] The site features research labs including engineering facilities, advanced molecular biology, CO2 management, separations, and green chemistry advanced labs and an outdoor process development production unit on 40 acres. [8] It is to cover 43,000sqft and to include 40 acres (160,000 m2) of photobioreactors [9] In October 2011, Algenol began construction on a pilot-scale Integrated Biorefinery, allowing the company to work with algae from a single strain in the lab all the way to commercial-scale production. The Integrated Biorefinery, completed in 2012, demonstrates the commercial viability of the technology. [10]

Algenol also has subsidiaries located in Berlin, Germany and Zug, Switzerland. [10]

Projects

Algenol licenses the DIRECT TO ETHANOL® technology. [11] One of these licenses is with BioFields S.A.P.I. de C.V. in Mexico. BioFields has access to over 42,000 acres of non-arable land in the Sonoran desert in Mexico. [12] [13] The area is close to waters for transportation and growing ethanol markets in South America. [14] Another large partner of Algenol's is Reliance Industries Ltd. based in Mumbai India. Finally, Algenol has stated that they are discussing commercial "Direct to Ethanol" projects with several partners in the United States, South America, Israel, and Africa. [14]

Partnerships

Algenol has a number of partners. Partners include the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, BioFields, Membrane Technology and Research, and Reliance Holdings USA, Inc. Algenol also is partnered with Lee County, Florida and the U.S. Department of Energy along with Universities including Florida Gulf Coast University, Georgia Tech, and Humboldt University of Berlin. [15]

Grants awarded

In December 2009, Algenol received a $25 million United States Department of Energy grant to help build the Integrated Biorefinery Direct to Ethanol project in Lee County, Florida. [16] Algenol also received a $10M grant from Lee County to employ people in Lee County and also build the Integrated Biorefinery Direct to Ethanol project. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biofuel</span> Type of biological fuel produced from biomass from which energy is derived

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. However, the use of biofuel has been controversial because of the several disadvantages associated with the use of it. These include for example : the "food vs fuel" debate, biofuel production methods being sustainable or not, leading to deforestation and loss of biodiversity or not.

<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">Iogen Corporation</span>

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

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.

Renewable Fuels are fuels produced from renewable resources. Examples include: biofuels, Hydrogen fuel, and fully synthetic fuel produced from ambient carbon dioxide and water. This is in contrast to non-renewable fuels such as natural gas, LPG (propane), petroleum and other fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Renewable fuels can include fuels that are synthesized from renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. Renewable fuels have gained in popularity due to their sustainability, low contributions to the carbon cycle, and in some cases lower amounts of greenhouse gases. The geo-political ramifications of these fuels are also of interest, particularly to industrialized economies which desire independence from Middle Eastern oil.

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.

<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.

<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.

Sapphire Energy was a San Diego-based American energy company that aimed to produce crude oil with algae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviation biofuel</span> Sustainable fuel used to power aircraft

An aviation biofuel is a biofuel used to power aircraft and is said to be a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The International Air Transport Association (IATA) considers it a key element to reducing the carbon footprint within the environmental impact of aviation. Aviation biofuel could help decarbonize medium- and long-haul air travel generating most emissions, and could extend the life of older aircraft types by lowering their carbon footprint. The jargon synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK) refers to any non-petroleum-based fuel designed to replace kerosene jet fuel, which are often, but not always, made from biomass.

There are various social, economic, environmental and technical issues with biofuel production and use, which have been discussed in the popular media and scientific journals. These include: the effect of moderating oil prices, the "food vs fuel" debate, poverty reduction potential, carbon emissions levels, sustainable biofuel production, deforestation and soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, effect on water resources, the possible modifications necessary to run the engine on biofuel, as well as energy balance and efficiency. The International Resource Panel, which provides independent scientific assessments and expert advice on a variety of resource-related themes, assessed the issues relating to biofuel use in its first report Towards sustainable production and use of resources: Assessing Biofuels. In it, it outlined the wider and interrelated factors that need to be considered when deciding on the relative merits of pursuing one biofuel over another. It concluded that not all biofuels perform equally in terms of their effect on climate, energy security and ecosystems, and suggested that environmental and social effects need to be assessed throughout the entire life-cycle.

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

BioFields is a Mexican industrial group that produces biofuels from blue-green algae (cyanobacteria).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joule Unlimited</span>

Joule Unlimited, formerly known as Joule Biotechnologies, was a producer of alternative energy technologies based in Bedford, Massachusetts. The company developed a process to generate hydrocarbon-based fuel by combining non-fresh water, nutrients, cyanobacteria, carbon dioxide, and sunlight. After ten years of operation and building a demonstration plant in New Mexico, the company shut down in August 2017. The company shut down after management was unable to raise money.

United States policy in regard to biofuels, such as ethanol fuel and biodiesel, began in the early 1990s as the government began looking more intensely at biofuels as a way to reduce dependence on foreign oil and increase the nation's overall sustainability. Since then, biofuel policies have been refined, focused on getting the most efficient fuels commercially available, creating fuels that can compete with petroleum-based fuels, and ensuring that the agricultural industry can support and sustain the use of biofuels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of microalgae in hatcheries</span>

Microalgae or microscopic algae grow in either marine or freshwater systems. They are primary producers in the oceans that convert water and carbon dioxide to biomass and oxygen in the presence of sunlight.

Culture Biosystems, originally known as Culture Fuels, Inc., is a privately owned renewable energy company in the United States. Its technology provides a cultivation platform for large-scale production of algae for conversion into diesel and aviation fuel. Its products provide a hybrid algae cultivation system alternative to open ponds and closed photobioreactors.

References

  1. ↑ "Algenol Biofuels Inc. | Company profile from Hoover's". Hoovers.com. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  2. ↑ Sandru, Ovidiu (14 February 2013). "Algenol Mexico Factory to Produce Ethanol from Algae by 2009". The Green Optimistic. Romania. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  3. ↑ "Algenol CEO exits; staff cut by 25%, investors re-up for two years, new direction tipped : Biofuels Digest".
  4. ↑ Archived January 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "Direct to Ethanol | Algenol Biofuels". Archived from the original on 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2014-04-14.
  6. ↑ "Environmental Benefits | Algenol Biofuels". Archived from the original on 2014-03-29. Retrieved 2014-04-18.
  7. ↑ "Algenol to change SW Fla., the world".[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ "Impending verdict on Algenol's biofuel production utility". Biofuels International, February 2, 2010. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Algenol Partners With Lee County as Commission Votes to Approve Incentive Funding for Florida-Based". PR-CANADA.net. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  10. 1 2 "Facilities/Locations | Algenol Biofuels". Archived from the original on 2013-09-18. Retrieved 2014-04-18.
  11. ↑ "Project Development Activities | Algenol Biofuels". Archived from the original on 2014-05-05. Retrieved 2014-04-18.
  12. ↑ "Algae farm in Mexico to produce ethanol in '09".
  13. ↑ "Algenol Enters The Algae Biofuel Race With Process Economics Advantage".
  14. 1 2 "Commercialization | Algenol Biofuels". Archived from the original on 2014-02-07. Retrieved 2014-04-18.
  15. ↑ "Our Supporters | Algenol Biofuels". Archived from the original on 2013-09-18. Retrieved 2014-04-18.
  16. ↑ "Federal money set to flow to renewable fuel projects". 5 December 2009.
  17. ↑ "US Names Biofuel Projects". CNN.[ permanent dead link ]
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