Sapphire Energy says renewable technology is not just for alternative fuels. The San Diego-based company says it can produce gasoline from sunlight, CO2 and microorganisms, such as algae. Not biodiesel, not ethanol. And no crops or farm land required. Company scientists have built a platform that uses sunlight, CO2, photosynthetic microorganisms and non-arable land to produce carbon-neutral alternatives to petrochemical-based …
DuPont Launches SYNERXIA® Gemstone Yeasts for Ethanol
DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences has launched the SYNERXIA® Gemstone Collection of high-performance yeasts for the U.S. ethanol market. The new collection from the XCELIS® platform includes SYNERXIA® SAPPHIRE and SYNERXIA® RUBY designed for the unique needs of ethanol producers. This marks the first time that DuPont has co-launched two high-yield yeasts. SYNERXIA® SAPPHIRE brings the most powerful combination of yield, …
Advancements in Algal Biofuels: Year in Review
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has released its Advancements in Algal Biofuels: Year in Review. The goal of BETO is to support advanced in the production of algal biofuel – especially those that lower the cost of production. The report highlights several notable R&D breakthrough including: Fast algae-to-bio-crude oil process reduces production costs – DOE’s …
Top Ten Posts From 2013
As we look back over the past year, we thought we would share the Top Ten most viewed/read/visited posts of 2013. Many of the posts were from previous years. We didn’t include them in this Top Ten list, but it is a good example of the longevity of our stories. Do you have a favorite Domestic Fuel post from 2013? …
New Funding to Develop Advanced Biofuels Projects
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the availability of $181 million to develop commercial-scale biorefineries or retrofit existing facilities with appropriate technology to develop advanced biofuels. The Biorefinery Assistance Program was created through the 2008 Farm Bill and is administered by USDA Rural Development. It provides loan guarantees to viable commercial-scale facilities to develop new and emerging technologies for advanced biofuels. …
Transforming Marine Algae into a Biofuel Crop
Are marine algae just as good as fresh water algae in producing biofuels? Yes, according to biologists at University of California San Diego. In a research study published in Algal Research, scientists genetically engineered marine algae to produce five different kinds of industrially important enzymes. The same process, say the researchers, could be used to enhance the yield of petroleum-like …
Elixir Bio-Tech Wins Award
A New Mexico Algae Biotech company, Elixir Bio-Tech Inc. (EBT), has been named one of the top 50 winners of the FundingPost’s 7th annual “Pitching Across America” competition. EBT is attempting to demonstrate accelerated approaches in producing algal biofuels with its Algae Biomass Feedstock project and has a patent pending on its Open and Closed Algae Biomass Systems. FundingPost is …
Algae Biofuels To Reach 61M Gallons by 2020
According to a new report released by Pike Research, algae biofuels production will reach 61 million gallons per year with a corresponding market value of $1.3 billion by 2020. While barely a drop in the bucket for biofuels, this represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 72 percent, roughly on par with early development in the biodiesel industry. The …