On June 8, a Diamond Aircraft DA42 New Generation plane powered by 100 percent algae biofuel took part in the flying demonstration, marking the first time that the technology has been used to power a flight.

The success of the test is likely to further encourage the research and development efforts of engineers keen to exploit biofuels to reduce the environmental impact of flying.

Certain types of algae contain high amounts of extractable oil which Airbus-owner EADS says provides a higher energy content than traditional jet fuel, with the advantage that they can be grown on poor quality land or polluted water.

Exhaust gas quality measurements indicated that the biofuel from algae contained eight times less hydrocarbons than traditional kerosene derived from crude oil.

As stated in my previous article, this is the first time that an aircraft has been powered 100% by an algae fuel. Up until this point, test flights have only been partially powered with algae fuel derivatives, with the petroleum-based aviation fuel making up the remaining portion.

A group of Finnish companies has started to grow algae for use as biological fuel. Companies involved in the experimental project have invested 150,000 euros a plant in Kouvola, where they hope to produce natural gas.

Jari Järvinen of the regional development company Cursor sees the project as very cost-effective.

One factor in the project is the possibility to utilise sludge from industrial waste and household sewage. The sludge is a growth material from the algae, and biological fuel is the end result of a complicated process – that is, if everything goes according to plan.

The best part is, the aircraft will fly on 100% algae fuel at the airshow, the largest percentage any aircraft has used to fly that I have heard of.

European aerospace giant EADS is poised to unveil a “hybrid” helicopter that runs on algae fuel, a world first, its technical director said on Friday.

The firm will present the machine at the Berlin air show (ILA) that runs from June 9 to 13, Jean Botti told the Die Welt daily.

“At the ILA, we are going to fly for the first time a craft with biofuel that has been made 100 percent from algae. That is a world premiere,” Botti said.

“We need a paradigm shift in the aviation industry. We soon need an alternative to kerosine,” he said, adding: “If 10 percent of our fleet is flying with biofuel in 2040, I would be extremely happy.”

I am very curious to see who provided the algae biofuel that will fuel the aircraft and what the production costs were. If EADS, or whoever supplied EADS, has developed an algae biofuel production method that produces aviation fuel on par with traditional petroleum based fuels, the world may be closer to seeing commercialized algae fuels than most people think. However, I feel that probably isn’t the case.

Nevertheless, if the flight is successful, this could lead to a renewed push in algae biofuel development, especially in the airline industry.

UPDATE (6/10/10): It seems my earlier statement that it would be a helicopter that would run on 100% algae-based fuels were wrong. It is actually an aircraft and the post now reflects that.

3rd generation biofuel: more efficiency and less CO2
EADS sees algae as a promising source of sustainable jet fuel. Biofuels from algae offer the potential of sufficient life-cycle carbon-dioxide reductions to eventually replace petroleum-based jet fuel. In the long term, microalgae can be produced in sufficiently large quantities in closed bioreactors without competing with food production for land and water. Biofuel based on algae is expected to be more efficient than fuel from fossil sources. It is free from NOX nitrogen and sulphur and as algae needs CO2 for growth, it reduces the carbon footprint of air transport.

EADS research shows that all necessary technologies to develop the production of biofuel from algae are known, but to achieve economies of scale in the production of algae fuel industrial requires further development. EADS is working with partners on a pilot project to develop the necessary industrial infrastructure.

EADS Innovation Works showcases biofuel made from algae by exhibiting a containerized photo-bioreactor made by IGV GmbH as an example for advanced algae cultivation system. Another exhibit explains the process chain from live algae fed with carbon dioxide through harvesting, drying, oil extraction and refining to the biofuel used by future aircraft.

EIJING – The United States and China launched a research venture Wednesday to develop biofuels for use by Chinese airlines based on algae or oily nuts and said an inaugural flight could come as early as this year.

The announcement of a series of research partnerships follows a pledge this week by the governments at a high-level meeting to cooperate closely in renewable energy, which both said was essential to fight climate changeand could spur new industries.

“Renewable energy development is central to our cooperation with China,” David Sandalow, a U.S. assistant secretary of energy, said at a conference on renewable fuel.

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The first flight in China using biofuels could happen this year, and the fuel could be in use in commercial aviation in three to five years, said Al Bryant, Boeing’s vice president for research and technology in China. He said four test flights using biofuels have been flown successfully in the United States.

“Today we’ve proven it can be flown,” Bryant said. “It’s a matter of scaling it up so it can be commercialized.”

However, U.S. based OriginOil recently announced that they will be selling some of their algae products to an Australian energy company, representing their first sale of algae products to an algae producing customer.

In a recent press release by OriginOil, they stated that MBD Energy Limitedplans to purchase OriginOil’s Quantum Fracturing and Single-Step Extraction systems. These two systems will be coupled with MBD’s own proprietary algae growth system called the “Algae Synthesizer”.

MBD has already partnered with three of Australia’s largest coal power generators to build algae production test facilities that will harness the coal-fired power plant’s CO2 for algae growth. The goal of these facilities is to achieve Bio-CCS or Carbon, Capture and Storage from a biological source. OriginOil’s technology will help algae growth as well as oil extraction when production is initiated.

If each of the three coal-fired power stations installs an 80-hectare algae production plant, they could produce a combined 33 million liters (8.7 million gallons) of algal oil that could be used to create fuel or plastics as well as 75,000 tonnes (82,650 tons) of animal feed a year.

Before that can happen, OriginOil and MBD will have to complete phase one of their partnership, which involves equipping an MBD funded facility at James Cook University with OriginOil’s products and begin integrations between the two companies’ technologies. After this phase is completed, they will move on to a two-acre test site at a coal-fired power plant.

After this, their goal is to build a one-hectare algae pilot plant at the South Eastern  (one of the three power plants MBD is partnered with) where they hope to capture 700 tonnes of CO2 a year. Finally, if that is successful, they hope to expand the algae plant to the levels explained above.

“There are exciting developments beyond this,” OriginOil CEO Riggs Eckelberry explained, “but this already represents the most aggressive implementation of large-scale real-world algae production that we know of in the world today.”

Mr. Eckelberry also explained that while OriginOil originally developed their system for wastewater treatment and biodiesel refining, the Bio-CSS abilities of algae are attracting mining companies and their customers (like coal-fired power plants) who “are on a mission to do something about their CO2 emissions right NOW.”

The good news is that this sale will help propel OriginOil into the spotlight with regards to algae production and while their first sale may have been overseas, there are many commercial opportunities in the United States that they are looking to pursue in the future.

This post originally published on Celsias.com.

OriginOil Announces Its First Customer

Industry leader MBD Energy intends to purchase algae feeding and extraction systems

Los Angeles, CA May 10, 2010 – OriginOil, Inc. (OOIL), the developer of a breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, today announced that industry leader MBD Energy Limited has become the company’s first algae-producing customer. Anglo American, one of the world’s largest mining companies, is a cornerstone investor in MBD Energy.

The parties recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a multi-phase commercialization program under which OriginOil will supply MBD Energy, an Australia-based company, with its Quantum Fracturing™ and Single-Step Extraction™ systems. Andrew Lawson, Managing Director of MBD Energy, said: “We are delighted to become OriginOil’s first major customer and we look forward to working with the OriginOil team to forge a comprehensive commercial relationship with game-changing potential in the exciting third-generation biofuels space.”

Three of Australia’s largest coal fired power generators have committed to building test facilities adjacent to their power stations using MBD’s proprietary growth system, the Algae Synthesizer, where smoke-stack CO2 emissions are captured and used to grow oil-rich algae in solar bioreactors. This process effectively achieves BIO-CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage). In the full production systems, OriginOil’s technology will be integrated into the MBD system to enhance algae growth and perform oil extraction.

In the initial phase, OriginOil will equip MBD Energy’s research and development facility at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia, where testing will take place. The two companies agreed that, subject to the success of the initial test phase, MBD will purchase significantly larger feeding and OriginOil extraction units to serve facilities planned for its three Algal Synthesiser power station projects in Australia: Tarong Energy (Queensland), Loy Yang A (Victoria) and Eraring Energy (New South Wales).

Riggs Eckelberry, OriginOil CEO said: “We have been looking for a partner with the resources and scaling capabilities to rapidly industrialize algae production with a focus on the long-term development of our industry. We are delighted to have found this partner in MBD Energy.” Eckelberry added, “Many thanks go to MBD’s Larry Sirmans and Enrico Bombardieri, and our own Dr. Pattarkine, for their vision and persistence in making this partnership possible.”

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh officially opened MBD’s expanded R&D facility in November 2009. Premier Bligh said: “The revolutionary algal carbon capture and storage (BIO-CCS) technology is already proving successful in trials and will soon be rolled out at three coal fired power stations, including Tarong Power Station near Kingaroy. This technology has the potential to revolutionize carbon capture in Queensland and around the world.” She added: “As our state continues to grow and coal remains a key export, it is essential that we devise new ways to manage the impact of that growth on our environment.”

The Queensland Premier also announced that MBD would shortly commence construction of a one-hectare pilot plant at South Eastern Queensland’s Tarong Power Station. The trial aims to capture 700 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and, if successful, could expand over the next 5 to 10 years to consume more than half of Tarong’s problem flue-gas emissions.

MBD’s Andrew Lawson said that each of the three current MBD power station projects has the potential to then grow to 80-hectare commercial plants, each capable of producing 11 million liters of oil for plastics and transport fuel, and 25,000 tonnes of drought proof animal feed annually. He said that the projects will eventually consume more than half of each of the power station’s problem flue-gas emissions.

OriginOil’s Quantum Fracturing System breaks down nutrients such as CO2 into micro-particles that stay suspended in water longer, allowing algae to feed more efficiently. The Single-Step Extraction system is the first commercial “wet” extraction system, able to separate algae oil from its biomass without costly and energy-intensive dewatering operations.

For those of you wondering, 11 million liters is equivalent to roughly 3 million gallons and 25,000 tonnes is about 27,500 tons.  These numbers are very impressive and it will be interesting to see how well the implementation goes over the next 5 to 10 years.

BLENHEIM, NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand-based Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation announced today that it will collaborate, as a co-funding partner, with the United States Gas Technology Institute (GTI) on an advanced biomass conversion technology programme worth US$3.1million that will be part funded by the US Department of Energy.

In March, the company announced it would be working with Honeywell’s UOP on another algal technology project funded by the US Department of Energy. http://www.aquaflowgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/media_release_3_3_20101.pdf

“We have reached another major milestone in expanding our US-based partnerships and project involvement and we are delighted to be working with GTI in this space,” comments Aquaflow director Nick Gerritsen.

Aquaflow will focus on expanding the algae biomass processing options it has available to deliver user-ready biofuels. The project’s initial phase will last 14 months.

“Both US projects demonstrate the breadth of the Aquaflow technology platform and its ability to work with partners to target and develop specific solutions in a complimentary fashion. The US Department of Energy is to be congratulated for its ongoing support. Without doubt this work will herald in the next generation of renewable fuels and chemicals from fresh algae biomass,” comments Gerritsen.

He adds that Aquaflow will continue to develop its own biomass conversion technology in parallel with the US project as this provides yet another conversion option.

“This project will demonstrate the conversion of algae biomass directly to gasoline and diesel fuel using integrated hydropyrolysis and hydroconversion technology,” says Terry Marker, Bioenergy Initiatives manager at Illinois-based GTI. “At GTI we believe the key to future algae utilization is developing economical processes for converting algae to hydrocarbon fuels.”

Jack Lewnard, GTI’s chief technology officer, adds, “We are pleased to have Aquaflow as a partner, given their pioneering role in developing cost-effective algae production and utilization processes.”

GTI is a leading not-for-profit research, development and training organization that has been addressing the US’ energy and environmental challenges by developing technology-based solutions for consumers, industry, and government for more than 65 years. To date, GTI programs have resulted in nearly 500 products, 750 licenses, and more than 1,200 associated patents.

2nd Algae World Europe is meeting in Brussels on May 31- June 1, and Algae stakeholders from over 30 countries have already confirmed their participation for the conference.

Big Oil and Chemical companies including Exxon Mobil, Shell, Eni, PTT Public Co, Solvay, Braskem, Evonik Degussa, Kao Chemicals, Glaconchemie and Power Producers Electrabel, GDF Suez, along with other key players and end-users like Roquette, Neste Oil, Unilever, Toyota, Philips Lighting, Cemex are among the many influential companies sending representatives to the conference.

The Algae industry is also hailing 2nd Algae World Europe as Europe’s algae industry networking meet, due to the diverse range of participants spanning all essential Algal industry profiles. According to recently released conference attendee figures:

- 25% of Algae Producers & Algae Production Equipment Companies
- 20% of Oil, Power and Chemical company representatives
- 20% of Researchers from Top R&D institutions
- 10% of Biofuels company representatives
- 10% of Financiers, Investors & Bank representatives
- 10% of Algae end-users (Aquaculture, Nutraceuticals, Pharmaceuticals)
- 5% of Transportation industry representatives

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Conference panelists include representatives of the European Commission, Cyanotech (USA), Seambiotic (Israel), Solix Biofuels (USA), IngrePro B.V. (Netherlands), Alpha Biotech (France), SBAE Industries (Belgium), Proviron (Belgium), and many others. Conference participants also have the option to participate in a site visit to SBAE Industries’ Algae production plant.

PetroAlgae has signed a memorandum of understanding with Asesorias e Inversiones Quilicura (AIQ) that will allow development in Chile of a micro-crop technology system for large-scale production of green gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

Financial terms were not released.

Under the agreement, AIQ has acquired an option to purchase from PetroAlgae a standard license to build a full micro-crop technology system for commercially producing biofuels and high-value protein.

Micro-crops include algae, diatoms, micro-angiosperms and cyanobacteria, among others.

PetroAlgae says micro-crops produce yields 25 to 100 times more productive than macro-crops such as corn, soybeans and sugar cane, which are used as feedstocks for ethanol and biodiesel. Harvesting takes place every few hours in open ponds reactors.

Looks promising. Check out PetroAlgae’s website for their full press release.