The algae industry is getting its long-awaited chance to step into the biofuels batter’s box.
In mid-August, President Obama announced a federal government biofuels initiative that will see the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Navy split the tab on a $510-million investment over the next three years. The White House program is aimed at domestic production of advanced drop-in aviation and marine biofuels to operate military and commercial transportation — and, on a bigger scale, reducing America’s dependency on foreign oil.
While corn-based ethanol has had a significant head start, thanks to former President George W. Bush’s 2005 Energy Policy Act, this is the time for algae to flex its biofuel-producing muscle, say advocates such as Dr. Mark Edwards of Algae Biosciences Incorporated.
“If we replace corn ethanol with algae, we can do the whole thing with a lot less cost, a lot less pollution, and a lot more energy efficiency,” says Dr. Edwards, the Vice-President of Corporate Development and Marketing at AlgaeBio, and a renowned global expert on algae’s potential.
AlgaeBio, which announced in mid-August a $5-million, first-phase expansion of its production facilities near Holbrook, Ariz., will focus initially on producing omega-3 fatty acid oils for international nutraceutical and food additive markets. However, AlgaeBio is acutely aware of fuel-based opportunities with macroalgae — and is currently engaged in targeted research in the biofuels arena.
With an RFP to be issued soon, the White House’s biofuels initiative will see private industry investments matched on a one-to-one basis.
The USDA will address feedstocks, the DOE will oversee technological considerations, and the Navy is expected to be the main consumer of new fuels, to begin with. Government officials expect the creation of a national biofuels industry will also create construction and refinery jobs, as well as economic opportunity in rural America.
The controversial U.S. corn-based ethanol industry has its fair share of detractors, including scientists, economists, food policy experts, and environmental groups. And while algae has not yet been conclusively proven as a drop-in biofuel option, proponents believe this is algae’s golden opportunity.
“Algae can be grown on non-arable land, using non-potable water, and produce many times the amount of fermentable sugars that corn can,” notes AlgaeBio founder and Chief Executive Officer Andy Ayers. “It’s amazing how much more productive macroalgae is for biofuels, compared to corn.
“And because the product is not a human or animal food in any way, we can use saline aquifers that contain heavy metals, and still produce biofuel from that without any problem,” adds Ayers. “So instead of hundreds of thousands of acres available for this, there are literally millions of acres available that can’t be used for anything else.”
Algae for biofuel can be grown in waste, grey, saline, or reused water. It improves air quality, by producing oxygen rather than greenhouse gases. Producing biofuel with algae boasts a net energy yield, and a small water, land, and environmental footprint, including a minimal use of fertilizers. And if algae for biofuel is grown in contaminant-free water, it also yields high-protein human and animal food, once the oil has been removed for fuel.
-30-
ABOUT ALGAE BIOSCIENCES INCORPORATED: AlgaeBio is an Arizona biotechnology company that researches, develops, and manufactures ultra-pure products from micro and macro algae such as nutraceuticals, food additives, and pharmaceuticals. With access to near-perfect algae growing conditions, exclusive aquaculture access to a pristine brine water supply, and advanced proprietary technology, AlgaeBio produces superior human and animal consumable products, as well as offering advanced algae-based products and technologies for distribution into the agribusiness, biofuel, and aquaculture markets. AlgaeBio owns and operates large-scale production facilities near Holbrook, Ariz., and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Algae Biosciences Corporation.