Press Release

Nexant Examines Algae Production as Sustainable Source for Biofuels

This news item was posted on Dec 18, 2009

White Plains, NY---December 18, 2009---

A newly published Nexant study, Algae: Emerging Options for Sustainable Biofuels, examines the entire range of leading algae technology and participants around the world.  It covers a range of technical approaches for utilizing algae, from open ponds to closed reactors, and based on either CO₂ photosynthesis or sugar feedstocks.  Fuel products evaluated include biodiesel, ethanol, and methane, as well as other co-products or services such as foods, feeds, nutraceuticals, fertilizers, CO₂ recycling to fuels, and water treatment.  The study analyzes the multiple challenges and economics of the most promising of these variations.

Various types of algae production for fuels and other purposes have been under scientific and engineering study for decades, but many technical and practical difficulties are apparent.  In this study Nexant examines and assesses the following types of algal systems and issues:

• Biotechnology developments for microalgae, including bio-prospecting and trans-genomic research focused on either lipid or hydrocarbon fuel accumulation in cells, or for producing ethanol
• Algae growing systems, including open ponds and closed systems (photobioreactors, or PBRs), and sugar-fed growth of algae in non-photosynthetic closed systems (fermentation)
• Integration with generators of concentrated CO2 (e.g., power plants, cement plants, petrochemicals, hydrocarbon reformers and gasifiers, fermentations, and other such large industrial sources)
•  Harvesting oils by various means—using oil-release algae, dewatering algae/extracting oils (with solvents, ultrasonics, etc.), integration with aquaculture (e.g., fish or shrimp eat algae and are harvested for fat extraction with protein meal co-products)
• Uses for biomass residuals—cell mass as feedstock to ethanol fermentation or biogas production, other fermentations, food/feed, pyrolysis of residues, etc.
• Specialty chemicals co-production from lipids (oleochemicals) or other biomass components
• The quality of fuel products made from algal oil—diesel, jet fuel, alcohols, other

The study also examines drivers for development and government policies and programs impacting algae systems development.  Nexant identifies and profiles the leading private and public entities and initiatives in this field and assesses their current status, progress, and prospects.