The U.S. Department of Energy announced an investment of up to $24 million for three research groups to tackle key hurdles in the commercialization of algae-based biofuels.
The selections are meant to support the development of a domestic biofuel-industry while creating cleantech jobs.
The research consortia consist of partners from academia, national laboratories, and private industries that are based across the country. Projects are expected to continue for a period of three years. They include:
- Sustainable Algal Biofuels Consortium (Mesa, AZ) – Led by Arizona State University, this consortium will focus on testing the acceptability of algal biofuels as replacements for petroleum-based fuels. Tasks include investigating biochemical conversion of algae to fuels and products, and analyzing physical chemistry properties of algal fuels and fuel intermediates. (DOE share: up to $6 million)
- Consortium for Algal Biofuels Commercialization (San Diego, CA) – Led by the University of California, San Diego, this consortium will concentrate on developing algae as a robust biofuels feedstock. Tasks include investigating new approaches for algal crop protection, algal nutrient utilization and recycling, and developing genetic tools. (DOE funding: up to $9 million)
- Cellana, LLC Consortium (Kailua-Kona, HI) – Led by Cellana, LLC, this consortium will examine large-scale production of fuels and feed from microalgae grown in seawater. Tasks include integrating new algal harvesting technologies with pilot-scale cultivation test beds, and developing marine microalgae as animal feed for the aquaculture industry. (DOE funding: up to $9 million)
National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap
Despite algae’s potential, many technical and economic challenges must be overcome for algal biofuels to be commercialized. To identify these hurdles and guide research and development activities, DOE convened the National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap Workshop, bringing together more than 200 experts and stakeholders from across the country. The Department synthesized workshop results and released a draft report for public comment in June 2009.
The final National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap released Tuesday reflects the substantive comments received and is intended to guide future work and investments in algal biofuels.
"The United States must find effective ways to hasten the development of technologies for advanced biofuels made from algae and other renewable resources to reduce our need for foreign sources of oil," said Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Cathy Zoi.
Zoi made the announcement while speaking today at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) 2010 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing.
The National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap is available here:
Loading...