Biofuels from Algae

The United States, as well as numerous other countries throughout the world, is seeing a rapid rise in the amount of power and fuel required to maintain the current and future life‐ styles of its citizens. With the rapid increase in global consumerism and travel seen over the recent decades due to improvements in technology and the increase in international interac‐ tions, the demand for fuel is rapidly growing, as can be seen in Figure 1. Due to the world‐ wide demand for fuel, which currently is primarily fossil-derived, supplies are being strained and costs are rapidly rising. In order to satiate this rapid increase in demand and stem the shrinking supply, new alternative sources of fuel must be brought to the market that can be used to replace standard petroleum based fuels.

• Microalgae are microscopic aquatic plants that carry out the same process and mechanism of photosynthesis as higher plants.
• What are the Inputs: -Land -Sunlight -Water -Carbon Dioxide -Nutrients • Process: Microalgae convert sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into biomass and oxygen. Biomass contains lipid oils/TAGs. • Some Strains Highly Productive: Reported yields of Botryococcus Braunii: -65% Gasoline -15% Aviation Fuel -18% Diesel Fuel -2% Residual Oil • Problem with B. Braunii: Grows very slowly. Doubles every 3 days vs. 3 hours for fast growing microalgae. "So we can have fat algae or we can have fast algae, but fat fast algae, now there is a challenge" (J. Benemann).  CA (Nov. 15, 2007).

Algae for Energy
Microalgae -Part of the Solution?
High Oil Prices: -Current biofuel use displaces approximately 3% of fossil fuel use world-wide, and we are already feeling constraints in the form of food prices, land, and high-cost biofuel feedstocks due to their relative scarcity. -Microalgae's rapid growth rates when compared to terrestrial feedstocks and lipid oil content on a cellular level serves as a potential high-impact, high-volume substitute.
-High oil prices begin to make certain feedstocks such as algal oil attractive.
-Expanding feedstock diversity acts as a hedge against crude and other petroleum-based products by incrementally reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

Microalgae -Part of the Solution?
Climate Change -CO2 Emissions: -CO2 is Primary Input. CO2 is a primary input required by microalgae to grow. Microalgae takes a waste (CO 2 ) and converts it into a high-density liquid form of energy (lipid oil for biodiesel; starch/polysaccharides for ethanol). -CO2 Utilization. During the Aquatic Species Program, tests proved that "outdoor ponds could be run with extremely high efficiency of CO 2 utilization. Careful control of pH and other physical conditions for introducing CO 2 into the ponds allowed greater than 90% utilization of injected CO 2 ." -CO2 Requirements for 60 BGY Biodiesel via Microalgae: • 10 g/m2/day @ 15%

Microalgae -Part of the Solution?
Water Resources: -Use Far Less Water. Microalgae systems use far less water than traditional oilseed crops.
• Wastewater nutrients support highly productive algal cultures • 25,000 acres of wastewater ponds just in California • 5,100 wastewater treatment facilities nationwide

Microalgae -Part of the Solution?
Energy Security: -Microalgae can grow in one form or another in temperatures from below freezing (Antarctica -not ideal) to approximately 70°C (geysers in Yellowstone Nat'l Park). -No country has a monopoly on Photobioreactors; U.S. has ample suitable land.
-Diversification of energy portfolio. Microalgae can be "home grown".

Food Prices:
-Microalgae is a non-food resource and is not currently used in agricultural feed products. -One coproduct of microalgae production is high-protein agricultural feed that can supplement the feed markets and potentially reduce prices. -Microalgae such as spirulina is used as nutritional supplements; however, it does not occupy a central place in the human food chain such as corn, soy or other oil seed crops, whether for human consumption or agricultural use.

Algae for Energy
Microalgae -Part of the Solution?
Land Resources/Limits Deforestation: -Microalgae growing operations will likely not occur in areas used currently for crop production or in forested areas.

A Brief History: Pre-ASP
• Over a century ago, pond scum (Anabaena cylindrica, a cyanobacterium) collected from a Massachusetts reservoir was found to produce almost pure hydrogen gas (Jackson and Ellms, 1896). Microalgae biofuels R&D mainly focused on H 2 production until recently.
• Approximately a century ago, blooms of the hydrocarbon producing green alga Botryococcus brauni were collected on the beaches of Australia and used as fuel.
• In 1948, Paul Cook engaged in some of the first research on algae mass culture and cultivation with Stanford Research Institute (SRI International) • In 1953, microalgae biofuels were mentioned in conjunction with an algae pilot plant operated on a rooftop at MIT (Burlew, 1953).
• In the 1950s, algae biomass production for wastewater treatment and conversion to methane was studied at U.C. Berkeley (Oswald & Golueke, 1960).
• In the 1980s, the Soviets undertook experiments using large photobioreactors to grow Chlorella for the production of animal feed.
-OPEC Oil Crisis -Examined the use of aquatic plants as sources of energy, particularly hydrogen and transportation fuels.
• Primary Focus of the ASP: Produce biodiesel from high lipid-content algae grown in open raceway-style ponds and utilizing waste CO 2 from coal fired power plants.
• Pilot Plant: During the ASP, 1,000m 2 pond systems were built in Roswell, NM.
-Productivity: Up to 50 grams of algae per square meter per day (max theoretical is 100 grams per square meter per day -J. Weissman).

Algae for Energy
Brief History: Aquatic Species Program (Cont.) • Algal Strain Library: Hosted a collection containing over 3,000 strains of organisms. This collection was studied and eventually "winnowed down" to 300 species. • Preliminary Economic Analyses: At least three reports focused on the techno-economic analyses of microalgae biodiesel production (e.g., Benemann, J.R. and W.J. Oswald, Systems and economic analysis of microalgae ponds for conversion of CO2 to biomass, Final Report (1996)). • Shutdown: The ASP was shut down in 1995 under pressure to reduce budgets and during a time of low oil prices. • Close-Out Report: Provides a summary of the research activities carried out from 1980 to 1996 with an emphasis on algae for biodiesel production. Considered the "Bible" for the current algae-for-energy movement.

Microalgae Biofixation Network
• Formed under the auspices of the International Energy Agency's Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme • Members: U.S. DOE, Eni (Italian utility), National Energy Technology Laboratory, Eletrobras (Brazil), TERI (India), SRI International, Pacific Northwest National Lab • Current Chair: Blaine Metting of Pacific Northwest National Labs (Tri-Cities) currently serves as its chair. • Report: Produced a report entitled: Microalgae Biofixation Process: Applications and Potential Contributions to Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options. • Report's Focus: Report analyzes, on a global scale, technology that may be available in the near-to mid-term (2010 to 2020) for practical applications of microalgae in biofuels production. • Conclusion: "The most plausible immediate applications are in conjunction with advanced wastewater treatment processes..." scientists, policymakers, entrepreneurs and services providers dedicated to pursuing the use of algae as an energy feedstock.
• Over 350 attendees from many states and countries -United States -Canada -Israel -New Zealand -The Netherlands -Chile -United Kingdom -Philippines -Switzerland -Japan -Spain -France -Italy -Finland -Thailand -India -Germany -Australia

Algae for Energy
• Federal Recognition in Energy Independence and Security Act (P.L. 110-140, Dec. 19, 2007) -Section 201: Adds "algae" to the list of feedstocks qualifying as renewable biomass, which also qualifies as advanced biofuel for purposes of meeting the dramatically expanded Federal Renewable Fuel Standard.
• RFS Mandate: 36 bgpy of renewable fuel, advanced biofuel, cellulosic biofuel, and biomass-based diesel must be blended into transportation fuel sold or introduced into commerce in the contiguous 48 states. -Section 228 -Report: Secretary of Energy must submit a report on progress of the R&D being conducted on the use of algae as a feeedstock for the production of biofuels. Report is to address: • R&D challenges • Regulatory or other barriers that hinder the use of this resource • Recommendations on how to encourage and develop this source as a viable transportation fuel. • Report due within 90 days of enactment.

Algae for Energy
Other Noteworthy Developments • Solazyme/Imperium Agreement -On June 6, 2007, Seattle-based Imperium Renewables and South San Francisco-based Solazyme entered into an agreement. -Solazyme will grow its proprietary strains of microalgae, extract the oil, and deliver it to Imperium. -Imperium will convert the algal oil into biodiesel at its Seattle facility.

Algae for Energy
Other Noteworthy Developments

Algae for Energy
Other Noteworthy Developments

Current Activities and Developments
• What: Microalgal lipid-to-biofuels workshop • Who Was Invited: 30-40 experts, primarily from academia and the National Laboratory System • Objectives: -Elucidate various scientific approaches and tools needed for controlling and/or augmenting algal lipid biosynthesis; -Identify specific problems/barriers that prevent achievement of goals; -Develop a basic science research "roadmap" from which recommendations can be made to overcome barriers.