In South Korea, the joint research team of POSTECH and Seoul National University developed a new microorganism, which they named as Vibrio sp. dhg that they have successfully demonstrated can be a promising microbial platform for the biorefinery of brown macroalgae which can replace starch-crop biomass. Continuing efforts on studying utilization of non-edible biomass have […]
In the Philippines, researchers from University of the Philippines and Hiroshima University in Japan conducted a study that focused on ethanol production from macroalgae using only enzymatic treatment for saccharification of algal biomass. This involved the isolation and identification of cellulase and laminarinase-producing microorganisms from mangrove area in the Philippines and production of partially purified […]
In Colorado, Colorado State University project to grow and harvest ocean macroalgae for biofuel production has received support from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). ARPA-E has poured over $22 million into their Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources (MARINER) program, with the aim of establishing the U.S. as a leader in […]
Yes, ARPA-E has unveiled its latest moonshot and is investing $22M in Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources — also known as MARINER. The projects that comprise ARPA-E’s Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources (MARINER) program seek to develop the critical tools to allow the United States to grow into a world leader in the […]
In the UK, a study to research biodiesel production from macroalgae has been put on hold due to a lack of algae. The project was developed to manage a problem that has apparently disappeared. Dunbar Shore and Harbour Neighbourhood Group (DSHNG), Dr Alastair Sutherland, of Glasgow Caledonian University, and Dunbar Marine Resources Ltd were planning […]
Bio-Refinery Begins Operations Turning Co-Cropping into Fuels, Chemicals Deep in the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam a small bio-refinery is converting seaweed into protein, fuel-blendable alcohol, and a bacterial soil product. It is part of a bio-economy demonstration that is also enhancing shrimp quality and yield by co-cropping naturally-occurring aquatic plants as a bio-chemical feedstock. […]
In Chile earlier this month, Bio Architecture Lab broke ground on an experimental pilot facility producing ethanol from Macrocystis pyrifera (macro algae). Macroalgae: that’s seaweed, and more about why macro algae is really, really important, in a moment. The Pilot Facility The facility, expected to be operational in 2012 will allow the company to demonstrate […]
In Chile, BAL Chile SA has begun farming algae on the island of Chiloé with plans to produce biofuels for industrial use. The company hopes to produce algae at commercial scale in the next five years. BAL has established strategic alliances with DuPont and Statoil for this initiative and has secured financial support from several […]
In Illinois, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have modified the expression of three genes of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is used in the fermenation process to break down sugars to ethanol, in order to improve the way seaweed sugars can be converted to ethanol. Yong-Su Jin, one of the study’s authors […]
Macro-algae attracts greater investment for sugar-based Advanced Biofuels, Drop-In Fuels and Chemicals by Will Thurmond, Market Trends Columnist, Biofuels Digest An emerging rise in investment in from petrochemical majors and governments in Asia, Europe and the Americas aims at extracting sugars from seaweed for ethanol, advanced biofuels, drop-in fuels, biochemicals and biopolymers. For more than […]
