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By Kathleen M. Roberts On December 14, 2017, General Automation Lab Technologies (GALT) announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) a three year $3.5 million grant to improve the growth and efficiency of biofuel-producing algae.  LLNL and GALT will collaborate on the project, which also aims to reduce wasted byproducts of photosynthesis by targeting microbiomes that can more efficiently recycle it back to carbon dioxide...

Environment and Climate Change Canada, “Minister McKenna Releases Framework To Make Canada’s Fuels Cleaner” Goodshipping Program, “DHL And The Goodshipping Program Reduce Ocean Freight’s Carbon Footprint” Co. Design, “The Creators Of This Algae Plastic Want To Start A Maker Revolution” Advanced Science News, “UV Responsive Bio-based Polymer from Broccoli Seed Oil” Popular Science, “Greek Yogurt Creates A Ton Of Wheyst—But...

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. A collaboration between researchers at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Washington State University (WSU) has led to the development of a method for converting hydrothermal liquefaction wastewater into a usable and valuable commodity.  The method utilizes the byproduct wastewater stream from the continuous thermo-chemical process that PNNL researchers developed to produce biocrude from algae.  The...

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On September 26, 2017, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the selection of an additional project for the Bioenergy Technologies Office’s (BETO) Advanced Algal Systems Program funding opportunity announcement (FOA).  DOE is awarding up to $3.5 million to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to more than double the productivity of biofuel precursors from algae.  Researchers aim to improve productivity by increasing algal...

Senator Rounds, “Rounds Asks EPA Administrator for Continued Support of Renewable Fuel Standard” DOE Joint Genome Institute, “2018 DOE JGI Community Science Program Allocations Announced” Brookhaven National Laboratory, “With Extra Sugar, Leaves Get Fat Too -- Scientists Tip Balance of Plant Metabolism to Increase Oil Content in Leaves with Aim of Making Biofuels and Related Useful Chemicals” Cornell Chronicle, “Bioreactors on a Chip Renew Promises for...

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On September 19, 2017, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced 18 projects from the Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources (MARINER) program will receive $22 million in funding through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).  The MARINER projects aim to develop tools to address the technological challenges to growing and harvesting macroalgae efficiently and cost-effectively for use as a feedstock for biofuels and other...

By Kathleen M. Roberts On September 8, 2017, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) selected an additional four Productivity Enhanced Algae and Toolkits (PEAK) projects to receive up to $8.8 million.  The projects aim to develop high-impact tools and techniques that will increase the productivity of algae organisms to reduce the costs of producing algal biofuels and bioproducts.  In total, DOE has awarded over $16 million in funding to the initiative.    The project winners...

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) is investigating whether algae can be used to transform the Salton Sea, one of California’s largest and most polluted lakes, into a productive and profitable resource.  The Salton Sea Biomass Remediation project (SABRE), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), aims to use algae to rid the lake of pollutants while creating a renewable, domestic source of...

Bloomberg, “Trump’s EPA to Reject Icahn-Backed Tweak to Biofuel Program” USDA, “Researchers Tap Papaya-Loving Algae to Make ‘Home-Grown’ Biodiesel for Hawaii” Oak Ridge National Laboratory, “Materials --Cooking Up Biofuel” Treasure Coast Research Park, “The Sweet Smell of Success…and Beets!"

The Hill, “Court Rejects 2015 EPA Biofuels Waivers” Govenors’ Biofuels Coalition, “Action on E15 Bill not Expected Before August Recess” Department of Energy, “EERE Success Story -- New Membrane Technology Will Improve Efficiency of Biofuel Production” PWashington State University, “Algae Cultivation Technique Could Advance Biofuels”

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On July 11, 2017, DOE announced the selection of three projects focused on reducing the costs of producing algal biofuels and bioproducts that will receive up to $8 million in funding.    The projects aim to generate high-impact tools and techniques for increasing the productivity of algae organisms and cultures and biology-focused breakthroughs.  The project winners include: Lumen Bioscience, which will work with the National Renewable Energy...

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On June 19, 2017, Synthetic Genomics Inc. announced a breakthrough in its collaboration with ExxonMobil involving the modification of an algae strain that more than doubled its oil content to 40 percent without significantly inhibiting the strain’s growth.  Synthetic Genomics researchers identified a genetic switch that could be fine-tuned to regulate the conversion of carbon to oil in the algae species, Nannochloropsis gaditana, and established a...

Bloom, “Vivobarefoot Partners with BLOOM to Make the First-Ever Moulded Shoe, Made from Algae” Airbus, “Airbus Demonstrates Regular Customer Delivery Flights with Sustainable Jet Fuel” University of California Santa Barbara, “From Guts to Glory?” Business Insider, “IIT-Kharagpur Develops Technology to Make Pollution-Free Biofuel”

By Lynn L. Bergeson Researchers at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) and Sapphire Energy completed the first EPA-sanctioned outdoor field trial for GE algae, which was focused on understanding how GE algae perform in outdoor cultivation.  The 50-day experiment studied algae (Acutodesmus dimorphus) that was GE with genes for enhanced fatty acid biosynthesis and recombinant green fluorescence protein (GFP) expression under real world conditions in parallel with non-GE...

Wageningen University & Research, “Scientific Report on Facts Related to Biobased and Biodegradable Plastics” Texas A&M, “Dr. Tim Devarenne and Colleagues Publish Genome Sequence of the Fuel-Producing Green Microalga Botryococcus Braunii”  Phys.org, “Fast, Low Energy, and Continuous Biofuel Extraction from Microalgae” GreenBiz, “Levi’s, Method and Berkeley Students on a Safer Chemical Crusade”

DOE, “BETO Launches Interactive Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Projects Map” Renewable Fuels Association, “U.S. Gasoline Contained More than 10% Ethanol in 2016, Shattering the ‘Blend Wall’ Myth Once and For All” American Chemical Society, “Degradable Electronic Components Created from Corn Starch” Kobe University, “Making Oil from Algae – Towards More Efficient Biofuels” Ford Motor Company, “What's Super...

By Kathleen M. Roberts The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is hosting an Algae Cultivation for Carbon Capture and Utilization Workshop on May 23-24, 2017, in Orlando, Florida.  The event will feature facilitated discussions focused on gathering stakeholder input on innovative technologies and business strategies for growing algae on waste carbon dioxide (CO2) resources.  Stakeholders will be encouraged to consider challenges and...

?  International Renewable Energy Agency, “Eliminating Energy-Related Carbon Emissions Possible, New IRENA Study Finds”   ?   Biofuels Association of Australia, “BAA Rejects Productivity Commission Claims”   ?  South China Morning Post, “Woks Away: China’s Plan to Make Jet Fuel from Restaurant Leftovers”   ?  Cornell Chronicle, “Microalgae Could Play Key Role in Relieving Climate Warming” 

?  Fuels America, “America’s Biofuel Advocates Reject Effort to Derail Renewable Fuel Standard”   ?   The Hill, “House GOP to Prioritize Ethanol, Pipeline Legislation”   ? Premier Jay Wetherill, “State Government to Support Legalisation of Industrial Hemp”   ? Oil Price, “Biofuels May be the Future of the Aviation Industry”   ? Princeton University, “Schmidt Fund Awards Go to Projects with...

On February 22, 2017, the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy announced seven recipients of $5.9 million in funding to develop novel ways to use carbon dioxide (CO2) captured from coal-fired power plants.  The projects will focus on converting captured CO2 to useable products.  Recipients of the funding include:   ?  The University of Kentucky Research Foundation will receive nearly $1 million to convert CO2 to bioplastics using microalgae.  In addition to developing a...