Chevron Backs Solazyme to Develop Algal Biodiesel Technology
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 02. 2.08
The number 2 oil producer in the USA, Chevron, has signed an agreement with San Francisco based startup Solazyme to develop and test an industrial process for deriving biodiesel from algae. The Solazyme process is reported to solve one of the major obstacles to industrial production of biodiesel from algae. Algae usually rely on photosynthesis for energy to consume CO2 and produce oils. Biodiesel can be harvested from the algae, which can be composed of up to 50% oily matter. But getting sunlight to the algae in industrial-scale processes is difficult. So how does Solazyme solve the problem?
By growing a special strain of algae in the dark. Harrison Dillon, President and CEO of Solazyme, claims that algae are 1000 times more efficient at producing oils from sugar compared to growth by sunlight. Gas 2.0 questions whether using sugar to produce biodiesel makes sense. Why not just produce ethanol-based fuels directly from the sugars? The inconclusive conclusion: Solazyme will combine cellulosic-ethanol processing, which uses sugars that are not part of the human food supply, with their algal process. This avoids the use of fuels required for conversion and distillation of alcohol-based fuel. Inconclusive, because details on the efficiencies of the process are not disclosed. But in theory, Solazyme's claim may have merit. Distillation is an energy-intensive process.
Solazyme demonstrated their "Soladiesel" fuel at Sundance 2008, tooling around Park City, Utah in a Soladiesel-powered Mercedes Benz C320 Diesel, allegedly an off-the-floor model (Mercedes did not participate in the gimmick). The stunt coincided with the premier of Josh Tickell's film Fields of Fuel, a documentary about renewable fuel.
Solazyme joins the likes of Algae Biofuels, Oil Fox, and GreenFuel in the quest for a better biodiesel.
Via ::cleantech
Image via ::londoncommons
yes! let's modify and enslave living creatures to serve our relentless quest for efficiency and power!
Algae unite. Let's overthrow the oppression and rise up against the human plague.
now really, liam, "enslaving" algae? i think it is exactly because of this kind of exaggerated, unreasonable opinions that so many people are hostile to environmental movements and ideas. are potatoes and cabbages enslaved too by the greedy humans who it them? let's try not to blow it out of proportion. generally, i am not really enthusiastic about biodiesel, but frankly, there are so many other much more serious things you can criticize about it than the heartless enslaving of some of the most primitive forms of life.
Yes, loop-job, we shall enslave all single celled algae and protozoa to service our every whim. At the slightest sign of dissent, we shall execute 100 randomly picked individuals to quell any potential uprising. Cookoo cookoo cookoo. :D
@liam...
You eaten anything from the produce section of your grocery market lately?
Interesting technology. I'd be with liam if it required live rats, perhaps even worms or insects. Algae's pretty far down there! Since I'm not mounting any crusades to free lawns, or halt the mass consumption of salads, I'd find it hard to see the issues is growing algae for conversion into fuel.
I think Liam is one of those people that thinks that vegans don't eat yeast.
Yes he's stupid - for generation after generation, millenia after millenia, our ancestors have needed an abundant source of fuel for their cars. We must do anything we can, no matter the consequence, to keep this tradition going.
****QUOTE**** Gas 2.0 questions whether using sugar to produce biodiesel makes sense. Why not just produce ethanol-based fuels directly from the sugars?****QUOTE****
The answer to this is yes it makes sense because diesel-powered cars get so much better fuel mileage than an ethanol powered one would.
"Why not just produce ethanol-based fuels directly from the sugars?"
Civilizations do not downgrade to energy sources with less energy density. Ethanol has less energy density than biodiesel, which has somewhat better energy density than gasoline but not normal diesel. Biodiesel is at least compatible with conventional diesel engines which support our civilization; ethanol is not.
Algal SVO as a fuel needs some tinkering but it is promising in that it has a higher high energy density, and is compatible with slightly modified diesel engines. Primary challenges are the same as any other SVOs, flocking under pressure and gelling in the cold.
The only other mobile energy sources which sound promising and represent higher energy density are, rather not-green powdered metals (which is bizarre IMO); and improved batteries/capacitors at unheard of levels which may still come to pass; and maybe liquid-sugar based fuel cells.
I'd go out on a limb and say that Chevron wouldn't enlist Solazyme's technology without seriously considering other options.
Chevron, like all western oil majors, are increasingly being blocked out of easy oil by NOCs. They are desperate and need to come up with a solution to remain competitive. No joke. No conspiracy theory. They NEED a way to become renewable.
The Solazyme process will be highly viable IF, and its a big if, it can use sugar from high cellulose sources (e.g. miscanthus). Ionic liquids could be used to partially digest the cellulose so that genetically modified algae could "have at" the sugar.
Personally, I'd rather see a company like Chevron use their money to build batteries. At $0.50/W, we could build 10kw/h batteries for 100,000,000 cars for the measly sum of $500,000,000,000. That's less than we've spent in Iraq, and less than the ~$689,850,000,000 we spend on oil annually (21mbpd @$90/b 365d/y). Chevron and their brethren could own the batteries and "lease" them to the consumer further perputating their monopoly over American mobility.
If the batteries were the fast charge/high cycle life type....well, Chevron would probably make even more money than they do now.... with less of a headache. Oil fields are a serious headache. They might be $machines but their complicated PITA $machines.
to contrast my clearly bitter, previous comment, i'm definitely not opposed to this technology ( i've argued in favour of an ecosystem-powered vehicle. In trying to keep with my belief that all life is valuable, i think this requires more thought than people will usually lend out. it's a very Suzuki-esque thought: an interesting characteristic of human survival is our dependence on other life.
The horror! Algae enslaved... in the dark.
Will the insanity never end?
I'm a changed man. I shall immediately go free the lettuce from the cold, dark dungeon that is my frig.
*handcuffs himself to a rutabaga in a Safeway produce dept.
1000 times more efficient?
Surely they do not mean 1000 times higher conversion efficiency in the normal sense of the word. That would mean perpetuum mobile ...