Algae Color The Future Green eBook Available at Amazon.com

The ebook Algae Color the Future Green of Drs. John Kyndt and Aecio D’Silva is intended for scientists, entrepreneurs, students, engineers, algae growers and investors that are interested in the potential algae have for fuel production, as well as, manufacture of high value chemicals, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Algae Color The Future Green - Introduction

Algae Color the Future Green

Although algae have been thought of as a potential fuel source in the past, it wasn’t until the skyrocketing fossil fuel prices in 2008 that this miniscule source of power was taken seriously.

Previously mainly known as “pond scum” and a plague for pool owners and fish farms, algae are now being seen as a promising and emerging investment for future energy sources. In the last two years there have been several announcements of million dollar investments from both private and government sources into the algae for fuel concept.

Think for example of the Exxon-Mobile announcement of a $600 million investment in algae biofuels, and the recent $45 million DOE funding of the National Alliance on Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB) to perform algae-derived fuel research.

With all these million dollar investments and with even the world’s largest airplane maker, Boeing, turning its eyes on algae, it is clear that the race to develop the next generation fuel from algae is on.

The concept of using algae for fuel is remarkably simple. The fuel is essentially derived from algae that have captured energy through the photosynthesis of sunlight while growing in nutrient-rich water sources such as sewage ponds.

The algae use the energy to create biomass, while capturing carbon dioxide. Algae need in average 2.8 tons of CO2, 0.95 ton of nutrients, light and water to produce 1 ton of dry matter. The resulting biomass can be used for fuel production by a few possible pathways.

Depending on the biomass composition, it can be used to produce biodiesel (through transesterification), biojetfuel (through hydrocracking), or bioethanol (through fermentation). The biomass composition is dependent on the algae species grown. Some species have a high preference for lipids as storage material (40-70 % of the dry weight) and others become rich in carbohydrates (starch and sugars).

The lipid-rich algae are an excellent source for biodiesel and petrol production, while the high-starch species are ideal candidates for the production of bioethanol. By controlling the supply of certain environmental factors, algae can be tuned to produce unusually high quantities of lipids or starch.

Algae Color The Future Green – Doubling their ass in about 3-4 hours during Optimal Growth

Compared with terrestrial crops, microalgae are inherently more efficient solar collectors, use less land, and can double their mass in about 3-4 hours during optimal growth, which is significantly faster than the doubling time for other plants that are used for bioethanol or biodiesel production (e.g. corn and switchgrass for ethanol and palm oil).

One other advantage is that algae are lacking lignin which simplifies the biomass to liquid fuel conversion.

It is clear that our society in its current form is strongly dependent on crude oil and a new sustainable resource should be able to supply not only the transportation fuel need, but also feed into the chemical industry.

Today, as much as 10% of all crude oil is used for the production of industrial chemicals. Overall, these chemicals are significantly more economically valuable than transportation fuels.

As we will discuss, this does not only create an opportunity to produce high value chemicals from algae, but it is a necessity to integrate this into an economically viable, algae-based biorefinery.

Although the concept is very promising and the stakes are high, there are still major challenges to overcome, hence the need for million dollar investments and consorted research efforts.

One challenge is the fact that the slower growing algae species make the higher concentrations of lipids and/or carbohydrates, while the faster growing species do not. Another is the lack of economically viable harvesting technologies for large scale algae production.

Current efforts are being focused to create algae with improved traits and to develop innovative harvesting technologies. State-of-the-art proteomics and cutting-edge genetic engineering are being utilized to tackle these issues because we sincerely believe that biofuel from microalgae is a renewable biofuel that has the potential to displace petroleum-derived transport fuels without adversely affecting supply of food and other crop products.

Major emerging opportunities lie in the use of algae as “production factories” for cosmetics, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. Each of these are billion dollar industries that are constantly lurking for new innovative, marketable products and production lines that will give them a competitive advantage.

As we will discuss, both the use of algae as natural products or as genetically optimized production factories have strong potential to become the next big breakthrough in beauty and therapeutic products.

Although it is unclear which one of the discussed emerging technologies might prevail, what is certain is that algae do have the potential to color our future bright green.

The authors of Algae Color the Future Green introduced algae for biofuel research to the Mike Cusanovich’ Lab at the University of Arizona. Mike was very supportive of the concept and as a consequence, his lab was one of the driving forces to create the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB).

Algae Color The Future Green  Dedicated To Mike Cusanovich

Algae Color the Future Green Dedicated to Mike-Cusanovich-1942-2010

Algae Color The Future Green eBook is dedicated to our friend and colleague Mike Cusanovich (Michael Anthony Cusanovich), 1942 – 2010, a great man, superb scientist, inspiring leader and passionate mentor. You will be missed, but your legacy lives on in the work of the many students, like us, that you inspired in science.

AlgaeForBiofuels - Algae Green-Chemicals and Biofuels Business Intelligent Solutions

Bioplastics – By: Dr. Aecio D’Silva, CEO, Moura Technologies and Dr. John Kyndt (Head Scientist of the Renewable Energy Program at MT – Advanced Energy Creations Lab).

Bioplastics - Adipic Acid - Crystalline White Powder

Bioplastics - Can we produce widely used chemicals like plastics and nylon using biological raw material and thereby freeing us from dependence on fossil oil?

By using renewable plant or algal feedstocks we can possibly generate a sustainable source of bioplastics and bionylon.

As we have shown in past posts, syngas is the result of gasification, pyrolysis or plasma-lysis of biomass at high temperatures.

In the plasma process, biomass, waste of all kinds and any other product, including radioactive, are gasified directly into their basic molecular components of carbon and hydrogen.

In other words, turning them into a gas called syngas or synthetic gas. And all this with virtually zero emissions.

The true innovation is that in the presence of microbial or chemical catalysts, the syngas can then be converted into a vast array of chemicals (Bioplastics) and fuels.

Our group and several other research companies and private laboratories have concentrated their efforts on developing biochemical or microbial methods to generate valuable industrial chemicals such as 1, 4-butanediol (BDO) and adipic acid.

These are the building blocks that are consequently converted to bioplastics and bionylon. If one wants to produce these in a sustainable manner, you need renewable feedstocks of adipic acid and BDO.

Another alternative method, besides the syngas approach, is to genetically engineer certain metabolic pathways in microorganisms (yeast, bacteria) to create novel strains that can produce these chemicals in a cost effective manner directly from a biological feedstock.

The feedstock could be from any plant or algae that contain oils e.g. fatty acids that can be broken down into BDO or adipic acid. Even more cost effective is to use waste streams from e.g. vegetable oil or from cellulosic feedstocks.

Some of this engineering has been performed on a lab scale and early investors are currently funding the scale up to a pilot scales.  These genetically modified microorganisms represents a major advance in the provision of industrial chemicals that were previously only produced from crude oil.

 Bioplastics – 1,4-Butanediol (BDO)

 1,4-butanediol (BDO) is an organic compound with the formula HOCH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂OH. This colorless, viscous butane gas is derived from the placement of alcohol groups at each end of the C4 chain. It is one of four stable isomers of butanediol.

BDO is used industrially as a solvent and is used in the manufacturing of some types of automotive plastics, elastic fibers, tennis and polyurethanes. Around 200 ° C, in the presence of soluble ruthenium catalysts, BDO undergoes dehydrogenation to form butyrolactone.

The world production of BDO is about one million tons per year thereby moving around a market of 3.0 billion dollars. Nearly half of BDO is dehydrated in tetrahydrofuran to make fibers such as Spandex. The largest producer is BASF.

 Bioplastics – Adipic Acid

(Adipic Acid – Crystalline Powder White)

Adipic acid is the organic compound with the formula (CH₂) ₄ (COOH) ₂. From an industrial point of view, it is the most important dicarboxylic acid. About 2.5 million tonnes of white crystalline powder are produced annually, mainly as a precursor for the production of nylon.

Adipic acid is a basic raw material for the production chains of polyamides, polyurethanes based ester plasticizers and chemical intermediates.

It has applications in polyurethane systems, organic synthesis, polymers and polyamide fibers, lubricants, plasticizers, adhesives, paints and resins, flexible and rigid foams, food and detergent applications. Basically 95% of your household materials may have an adipic acid origin.

Adipic acid reacts to hexamethylenediamine (HMD) forming the hexamethylenediamine adipate, also called nylon salt, a white crystalline salt and the first step of nylon manufacture.

Adipic acid rarely occurs in nature and currently has a market estimated at more than $ 5.2 billion dollars.

Bioplastics – High Value Chemical Intermediates

 BDO and adipic acid are known as high-value “chemical intermediates” because they are the precursor chemicals needed to make other products and, thus far, both have been made on a commercial scale only in petrochemical refineries from fossil crude oil or natural gas.

Recently, companies have re-engineered (genetically modified) microorganisms to use (consume) the syngas as raw material to produce BDO and adipic acid in a sustainable way and out of dependence on oil.

As we saw earlier, the syngas can be produced using virtually any available biomass, litter, sanitary waste, forestry, sugar cane bagasse and other recyclable products such as used tires.

What is most important and significant is that the syngas is generally less expensive than other forms of renewable raw materials, and can be produced from a wide variety of raw materials, including biomass or municipal solid waste garbage.

That is, the industrial use of sustainable technology provides platforms for chemical and biological production of chemicals and other high value on the market and a much lower cost.

The challenge is to move from experiments in laboratories to pilot plants to install and achieve large-scale production. We hope that very soon we can have not only adipic acid and BDO but also many other chemicals that are currently based on oil, being produced by a microbial sustainable path.

Source: BioPlásticos: Syngas como Matéria-Prima na Produção Sustentável de BioNylon

AlgaeForBiofuels - Algae Green-Chemicals and Biofuels Business Intelligent Solutions

Growing Algae - By: Dr. John Kyndt ( Head Scientist of the Renewable Energy Program at Advanced Energy Creations Lab) and Dr. Aecio D’Silva.

Growing Algae

Growing algae is easy, right? Just let your swimming pool or pond sit for a couple of days with enough sunlight and some algae will start appearing. You will probably even get a decent amount of biomass out (more than what you want if you need to clean it out).

However, maintaining a healthy algal culture at its maximum productivity is not as straightforward as one initially expects. From a biochemical standpoint you actually do need a long list of chemicals (nutrients) to be optimized to keep your culture ‘happy’.

Besides having enough light and optimal temperature and pH, growing algae require carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, and a long list of trace amounts of minerals in the water.

The three main nutrients for growing algae are essentially carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorous (P).  For the most part there are enough of the other minerals present in the water that there is not much need for supplementation when the culture is started.

However once the culture is growing healthy and ‘blooming’ these other mineral metals need to be closely monitored and optimized as well.

Growing Algae:  Less Input = Lower Cost

We generally have a gross idea of how much of the nutrients are required for growing algae, however if you ask most people in the field if they optimized their media for cost input versus biomass output you will find that most of them have not put forward the time and investment to fully analyze this.

Nevertheless this is a very important factor and can save a significant amount on fertilizer inputs on a large scale. Most people have analyzed the cost of their carbon input (e.g. from CO₂), but there is for example an optimal N to P ratio that is species dependent which is often not considered.

Growing Algae: Recycle N and P: Necessity, not a Choice

When growing algae for oil production there is one important factor about nutrients to consider. The carbon is really what ends up in your product. The lipids are essentially composed of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms.

The N and P are used in the synthesis of the machinery (proteins and DNA) that allows the algae to grow and synthesize the lipids, but they end up as part of the “left-over” biomass after extracting the lipids. Basically N and P can be seen as catalysts that can be recovered from the lipid extracted algae (LEA).

Theoretical calculations show that there is simply not enough fertilizer to grow algae (or other biofuel crops) as a fossil oil replacement if one doesn’t recycle the N and P. The recycling or reuse of the N and P has been promoted as a ‘natural’ part of the process of large scale algal cultivation by several groups, however it is often overlooked, underestimated or unknown that this will come with a certain cost.

Depending on your extraction process it is important to understand what chemical form your N and P end up in, and if this is a form that can be directly reused by the algae, or is there need for a ‘conversion’ step.

Wastewater is a good source of free nutrients for algae cultivation that can significantly reduce the operation cost of growing algae systems.  One caution with wastewater is the presence of organic substrates which could lead to higher risk of contamination of the algae by heterotrophic bacteria.

As we posted before, depending on the wastewater source, there may also be a need for an alternative primary cleanup step, which will need to feed into the overall life cycle analysis.

Growing Algae: Lessons from Nature

Nutrient recycling is not a new concept. In natural ecosystems all nutrients are essentially recycled in what is known as a biogeochemical cycle. The chemicals are recycled, although in some cycles there may be places (called reservoirs) where they may reside for years before they are reused. Often this is the time it takes for a natural conversion to a usable chemical form.

The key factor in these processes is time. The algae biofuels industry needs to come up with clever, green, sustainable ways speed up this recycling process.

One way, is to use Aquafuelsponics systems to apply what we’ve learned from nature and optimize the nutrient recycling process in an intelligent design that makes it biochemically feasible to reuse the N and P directly in the algae cultivation systems.

AquaFuelsPonics = Aquaculture + Biofuels + Hydroponics

Systems AquaFuelsPonics or just FuelsPonics allows you grow healthy food and biofuels feedstock. It is the synergetic integration of the production of fish (normally tilapia), bio-fertilizer, hydroponic plants (vegetables and other produce), biogas and algae for biofuels (large-scale systems) in a controlled environment where the water is continuously recycled and re-circulated.

This is an approach that could help algae for biofuels growers look at the overall picture and think outside the box for a sustainable solution.  However, some refining and test pilot work needs to be done before utilizing these and other current approaches on a massive scale.

Related Links:

• Genetic Engineering: The Potential of Green Algae
• Genetic Engineering: A Brief Overview
• Algae GMO’s: The Next Big Challenge in Algae for Biofuels?
• Engenharia Genética Revolucionado o Mundo que Vivemos

AlgaeForBiofuels - Algae Green-Chemicals and Biofuels Business Intelligent Solutions

Microorganisms - By: Dr. John Kyndt ( Head Scientist of the Renewable Energy Program at Advanced Energy Creations Lab) and Dr. Aecio D’Silva.

All of us have been plagued at some point in time with the little critters, whether it’s getting sick with a bacterial cold, hard-to-kill mold, or a pool covered with slimy algae scum. We generally refer to these as pests or germs of whatever bad name comes to mind. Are they Heroes or Villains?

Microorganisms - Heroes or Villains?

We tend to forget that there are millions of microorganisms that are not harmful to us at all, but in a lot of cases are beneficial to our existence.

Think for example of gut bacteria such as E. coli present in humans and bacteria in the rumen of cows that are crucial to digestion.

In a broader sense, microorganisms like bacteria, yeast and algae have the capability to make carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids to high amounts with minimal inputs. Often all is needed is water, air and sunlight. Try surviving on just that with our human bodies.

The human genome is full of very efficient enzymes and traits that are tuned to break down these biomasses into biological energy, but we’re not equipped to perform these basic assimilatory tasks.

Over the years, scientists have found clever ways to take advantage of these critters and their superior capabilities. We are currently using fermentation with microorganisms on a large industrial scale for higher value chemicals and products: e.g. fermentation of hops into beers or corn mash into ethanol.

Not only are we using the naturally occurring organisms, in the last decade there have been an explosion of industrial use for genetically engineered organisms. We have recently posted articles on the history of genetic engineering and using GE for algal biofuel production. However the list of ongoing experiments and development of novel GMO’s is growing constantly.

Microorganisms - Social Microbes

What we can learn from microorganisms like algae is not only limited to the specific traits they have or what we can develop them to have. In the last couple of years there has been an increasing interest in how bacterial and algal communities can communicate.

Even though these organisms are all individual cells, they have developed clever ways to signal to each other, which in the end benefits the whole group. Scientists are interested in how these critters can collectively gather information about their environment and find an optimal path to growth.

The communication between organisms occurs through chemical and mechanical means. Most microorganisms are capable of “chemosensing” where they can detect certain chemicals in the environment and determine whether or not it is beneficial for growth to stay in that environment or to swarm away to a different area.

The interaction will increase when the cells find themselves in less favorable environments, which signals to the entire group to swarm to a new area.

Often these organisms are capable of forming so called “biofilms”, where the group as a whole can colonize a certain surface area. This provides a protective mechanism for the entire community.

If you find some resemblance in this to animal and human behavior, you’re not the only one. Scientists are now further analyzing such basic forms of communal behavior in the hopes that it can be applied to artificial intelligence and group behavior of robots.

 Microorganisms - GE microbes: the cheapest labor for your business

No doubt that we can learn more from these little critters, both on a social and biochemical level. We will certainly continue to use these organisms in the coming decades for production of our everyday chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Especially with novel technologies that are designing more “tailor-made” synthetic genomes we are sure that many more microbial-based innovations are on the horizon.

Interesting is that when these organisms are being used in new and existing industrial processes, they are often at the core of the business model. We are depending on these tiny ‘production machines’, which are often fed only minimal inputs to reduce costs, worked until they are exhausted and then extracted for all their products. And they do it all without complaining or asking for a raise.

Next time you think about bugs you might be a bit more thankful.

Related Links:

• Genetic Engineering: A Brief Overview
• Algae GMO’s: The Next Big Challenge in Algae for Biofuels?
• Engenharia Genética Revolucionado o Mundo que Vivemos

AlgaeForBiofuels - Algae Green-Chemicals and Biofuels Business Intelligent Solutions

Synthesis Gas – By: Dr. Aecio D’Silva, CEO, Moura Technologies and Dr. John Kyndt (Head Scientist of the Renewable Energy Program at MT – Advanced Energy Creations Lab).

Some of the technologies described in our previous blogs focus on producing ethanol through synthesis gas (syngas). In addition to municipal solid waste, forestry and construction waste can be transformed into energy that way.

Synthesis Gas - Plasma Generation of SynGas from Municipal Solid Waste

As it is well know, our planet earth has now more than 7 billion residents, and we produce a lot of trash.

In the U.S. alone, each person produces 4.6 pounds  of trash each day, and 132 million tons  of municipal solid waste (MSW) were discarded in landfills in 2009

There are modules that process 120,000 tons of forest residues and / or urban municipal solid producing 42.5 million liters of ethanol and methanol annually.

These systems are designed to process waste and garbage autonomously or could operate integrated with AquaFuelsPonics systems that consist of modulus which generate 1500 metric tons of fish and up to 3500 tons of vegetables annually.

In addition such integrated system will also generate biofuels as synthesis gas and green chemicals produced from aquaculture and hydroponics solid waste.

The modularity of these systems allows sustainable growth simply by duplicating the current facilities without the need to initiate new projects. Each module can work with individual autonomy or coupled in series during scale up.

The independent biorefineries that use this cutting edge technology in their waste to fuel production will have valuable tools to reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfills, known to cause serious environmental challenges. It’s a green investment that will give them a competitive edge and increase their environmental stewardship.

Synthesis Gas – Solution to the Problem of Accumulation of Waste in Big Cities

Imagine the advantages synthesis gas production systems like these can offer as treatment to the problem of accumulation of waste in big cities. For example, currently, the city of São Paulo, Brazil collects more than 15,000 metric tons of garbage per day.

This volume is currently transported to existing landfills which in a few years will be filled to capacity, if nothing is done in the short term. All this could be producing energy in its various forms rather than being polluting our soil, air and water resources and causing constant headache for municipalities.

Transforming our everyday municipal, forestry and construction waste into fuels and green chemicals is an important step to have a cleaner environment and at the same time provides another instrument in the struggle for independence from fossil oil. In other words, producing clean energy from garbage that has been produced using fossil oil is a first step in the right direction.

Who knows in the near future if algae, as well city garbage, hospital waste and cellulose may be fueling your car, the bus that takes you to work and the jet that takes you far away.

Related links:

• Municipal Waste: Fueling Our Cars?
• Municipal Waste: Producing Everything That is Currently Produced by Oil
• Flue Gas for Algae Cultivation: Curse or Blessing?
• Algae For Waste Water Treatment And BioFuel Production: A Double Winner 
• Need For New Chemical Catalysts for the Conversion Of Syngas To Green Fuels 
• Developing GE Thermophilic Bacteria for Syngas to Fuel Conversion 
• Algae after Lipids: Plasma Arc Based Gasification to Green Fuels 
• Energia Renovável: Gaseificação dos Resíduos Domésticos
  

AlgaeForBiofuels - Algae Green-Chemicals and Biofuels Business Intelligent Solutions

Municipal Waste - By: Dr. Aecio D’Silva, CEO, Moura Technologies and Dr. John Kyndt (Head Scientist of the Renewable Energy Program at MT – Advanced Energy Creations Lab).

Municipal Waste - Garbage Landfill

In past posts we have talked about algae for biofuels extensively. In this article we will show the importance of a technology that processes municipal waste or municipal solid waste or city waste as a source of feedstock for the production of biofuels and green chemicals.

With urban expansion, the volume of municipal waste is growing exponentially each year. It is time for us to rethink our strategy of dealing with this growth and invest in systems that provide a sustainable solution.

These systems represent the most environmentally friendly way of dealing with this great challenge of our well-known municipal waste – our everyday garbage.

Consequently, the technology of production and purification of synthesis gas (syngas) has received great attention from our group and other researchers and industries in recent years.

When produced in a conscious and clean process, syngas can provide a sustainable source of energy. It can be converted either chemically or biologically into liquid fuels.

The development of this technology represents a major effort toward a more efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly management of waste and garbage of all kinds.

The worldwide decline of fossil fuel sources – oil, natural gas, coal – and the need for clean energy and alternative motives become major drivers worldwide for sustainable energy development.

Municipal Waste – Source of Renewable Fuels

The power supply in the world today still depends heavily on fossil fuel combustion for stationary systems, household, and transportation vehicles.

Alternative and renewable fuels are needed to fill the gap, resulting from the declining supply of fossil fuels, which will continue to grow.

In essence, we have been recycling waste for many years either by dumping it in landfills and waiting for nature to break it down into useful nutrients or by actively recycling (e.g. plastics and paper) in more recent years.

As our society expands exponentially it is time to improve this process and recycle the waste into useful products, like energy and fuel, which are necessary to sustain this exponential growth.

In this sense, the transformation of various forms of urban waste and municipal waste into clean renewable fuels is one of the options available to face the great health and ecological challenges that society faces.

Related links:

• Municipal Waste: Producing Everything That is Currently Produced by Oil
• Flue Gas for Algae Cultivation: Curse or Blessing?
• Algae For Waste Water Treatment And BioFuel Production: A Double Winner 
• Need For New Chemical Catalysts for the Conversion Of Syngas To Green Fuels 
• Developing GE Thermophilic Bacteria for Syngas to Fuel Conversion 
• Algae after Lipids: Plasma Arc Based Gasification to Green Fuels 
• Energia Renovável: Gaseificação dos Resíduos Domésticos
  

AlgaeForBiofuels - Algae Green-Chemicals and Biofuels Business Intelligent Solutions

Municipal Waste - By: Dr. Aecio D’Silva, CEO, Moura Technologies and Dr. John Kyndt (Head Scientist of the Renewable Energy Program at MT – Advanced Energy Creations Lab).

Municipal Waste - Source of Green Chemicals

Today we have clean and sustainable technologies to produce everything that we currently derive from crude petroleum (both fuels and petrochemicals) from a much more renewable source: solid municipal waste.

“This green energy source can be as close to us as the nearest garbage dumps and landfills, as related companies are developing viable and sustainable technologies to make fuel from municipal waste in our city every day”.

These systems should be envisioned as decentralized production and biorefineries that are situated nearby the feedstock production site.

Think about the millions of metric tons of waste we are producing per day in the US alone and all the chemicals and energy it took to produce these materials. With the right technology, we can recover these chemicals and reuse them in high value products again.

These cutting-edge technologies are turning renewable energy residues such as waste tires, used electricity poles, hospital and municipal solid urban waste and so on, into methanol, acetate, ethanol and synthesis gas. These can either be used as fuels themselves or further converted into higher value products.

For example acetate is one of the world’s most important chemicals and is used in a wide variety of industrial applications. It is a building block for many commodity chemicals used in daily life, like coatings, adhesives inks and cosmetics and PET plastics.

Municipal Waste – Syngas Production

Recyclables that are present in the waste stream are separated from municipal waste, collected and the remaining material is dried in rotary tubular systems and heated up to 500-600 degrees Celsius to break down into their basic components and emitting a synthesis gas rich in hydrogen.

Syngas can then be converted into ethanol by using chemical catalysts. Challenges are the economical scalability and lifetime of the catalysts.

Still at an R&D level, but with high potential to become cheaper and more scalable is the use of microorganisms to convert the syngas into higher value chemicals.

The heat generated during the process can be used in a cogeneration system for electricity, heat water and / or feed the system.

In essence these technologies that recover and reuse the basic chemical components over and over again (from waste to chemicals to waste again) have the potential of becoming the truly renewable source of our daily life products.

Related links:

• Flue Gas for Algae Cultivation: Curse or Blessing?
• Algae For Waste Water Treatment And BioFuel Production: A Double Winner
• Need For New Chemical Catalysts for the Conversion Of Syngas To Green Fuels
• Developing GE Thermophilic Bacteria for Syngas to Fuel Conversion
• Algae after Lipids: Plasma Arc Based Gasification to Green Fuels
• Energia Renovável: Gaseificação dos Resíduos Domésticos

AlgaeForBiofuels - Algae Green-Chemicals and Biofuels Business Intelligent Solutions

Genetic Engineering - By: Dr. John Kyndt ( Head Scientist of the Renewable Energy Program at Advanced Energy Creations Lab) and Dr. Aecio D’Silva.

Genetic Engineering - Green Algae

Green algae possess several unique features that are important for biofuel production. For example the ability to accumulate large amounts of TAGs (triacylglycerol lipids) for biodiesel production or hydrocarbons for biojetfuel. Other species are able to produce ample storage starch that can be used for bioethanol production.

The problem we are facing is that the algal species that are growing very fast and produce a lot of biomass are not the species that produce most the lipids or starch. Species from all over the world are being screened to find high oil or sugar production. It is however very unlikely that one algal species will have all the characteristics required for biofuel production.

One approach is to increase a certain species ability to produce more lipids or sugars by using genetic engineering (GE). In simple terms, GE is the introduction of DNA from one organism into another organism to enhance certain features of the host organism.

For example, in theory we are able to take genes from algal species that produce a lot of lipids and engineer them into a fast growing algal species and get ‘the best of both worlds’.

Genetic Engineering of Green Algae – Challenges We are Facing

Two challenges that researchers face are 1) finding which genes that need to be transferred, and 2) developing the tools to modify a certain algal species.

As the interest in the algae for biofuels topic has grown exponentially in the last couple of years, significant progress is being made to overcome these challenges. Many improvements have been realized, includingincreased lipid and carbohydrate production, improved H₂ yields,and the diversion of metabolic intermediates into fungiblebiofuels.

However, genetically modified algae (or GMO algae) are still confined to a handful private sector labs and a few academic institutions and a widely distributed superior GMO algae is likely to be a while away.

On a research and development scale, genetic approaches can aid in understanding the regulation of algal lipid metabolism and carbon partitioning under different growth conditions. Lessons learn from that will aid in modifying the accumulation of lipids, alcohols,hydrocarbons, sugars, and other energy storage compounds, which in the end will be crucial to render the algae for biofuel concept economically viable.

Even when a species is created that has increased biofuel features there are potential drawbacks on genetic engineering of algae. It is expected to weaken its ecological fitness. When used in scaled up systems it is critical that the GE organism is kept healthy and dominant.

By clever engineering we can design species that only have the advantage under a controlled system. This approach is a similar to the use of E. coli, which is a natural human intestinal bacterium that is now widely used for research and commercial industrial applications.

This is the reason why in our research we try to focus on non-GMO technologies for manipulating algae and at the same time design attenuated algae that cannot grow outside a cultivated environment.

 As mentioned in our blog earlier there are definitely challenges beyond the technical hurdles (Algae GMO’s: The Next Big Challenge in Algae for Biofuels?) . In the long run, a lot of regulatory and political challenges will arise with the use of GMO algae on a larger commercial scale.

It is therefore important to use the genetic tools described above to engineer the selected algae in such a manner that the competitive advantage of the new species is maintained under controlled conditions.

Every day we and other researchers are getting closer to unraveling the details of these algal systems and are developing engineering strategies. In the end, a combination of innovative genetic engineering and non-GMO technologies will be necessary to take algae for biofuels to the next level.

Related Links:

• Genetic Engineering: A Brief Overview
• Algae GMO’s: The Next Big Challenge in Algae for Biofuels?
• Engenharia Genética Revolucionado o Mundo que Vivemos

AlgaeForBiofuels - Algae Green-Chemicals and Biofuels Business Intelligent Solutions

Genetic Engineering - By: Dr. John Kyndt ( Head Scientist of the Renewable Energy Program at Advanced Energy Creations Lab) and Dr. Aecio D’Silva.

Genetic Engineering - Depending on whom you ask the definition of genetic engineering (GE) can vary quite a bit. Some define it as changing an organism’s DNA to make it incorporate certain traits, however in a broader sense, genetic engineering has been going on for a very long time in the form of selective breeding.

Most current articles on the topic you’ll find actually define GE as going into a cell and changing its genome by inserting or removing DNA, which is a very new technology.

Genetic Engineering – The safety of GE Crops for Human Consumption

Modern genetic engineering began in 1973 when Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen used enzymes to cut a bacteria plasmid and insert another strand of DNA in the gap.

Genetic Engineering - Has Been Revolutionized around the Globe

Since those experiments the concept of genetic engineering has been revolutionized around the globe.

The debate about the safety of genetic engineered crops for human consumption is still a heated one and although in 1992 the FDA already declared that genetically engineered foods are “not inherently dangerous” and do not require special regulation, many other countries in the world are taking a more skeptical approach.

In 1986, the first field tests of genetically engineered plants (tobacco) were conducted in Belgium, but it wasn’t until 1994 that the European Union’s first genetically engineered crop, tobacco, was approved in France.

Monsanto BT corn is another prime example of how GE provided farmers with higher yields by reducing loss from insect damage; improving grain quality by reducing contamination from mycotoxins; and supplying farmers with an efficient, easy-to-implement pest management option.

Although in public opinion, the motivations for its use are still controversial, recent studies show that Bt corn has saved Midwest farmers in the US billions of dollars.

The public controversy of using GE appears to be limited to food crops or large scale outdoor cultivation. However, using GE for research and development of novel therapeutics or industrial production of chemicals is generally seen as innovative and better accepted by the public.

For example, we have been able to make bacteria that produce human insulin for diabetics (which previously had to be isolated from livestock). In 1982, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first genetically engineered drug, Genentech’s Humulin, a form of human insulin produced by bacteria. This was the first consumer product developed through modern bioengineering.

However when the concept is taken one step further one can imagine the concept of human genetic engineering, which is the alteration of an individual’s genotype to select the phenotype (=characteristic trait) of a newborn or changing the existing phenotype of a child or adult.

Although this technology is still very premature and generally considered science fiction, the concept is very promising to cure diseases with a genetic origin. Needless to say that there are numerous ethical issues that come up with this concept.

Genetic Engineering – The Use of GE for Enhanced Biofuel Production from Biomass

Less futuristic and more relevant to AEC-L is the use of GE for enhanced biofuel production from biomass. Current research by groups active in this field is focused on using the power of GE to improve the biofuel yield of a specific crops (e.g. algae or jatropha) or incorporating the ability to produce biofuels to high level in easy to grow target species (e.g. bacteria or yeast that produce and tolerate high levels of EtOH butanol, or lipids).

This is done by manipulating genes in specific pathways and/or incorporating specific DNA fragments into target species. In a lot of cases we are still at the point of developing the tools to manipulate the target species, but recent breakthroughs are showing a lot of promise on a lab to pilot scale.

For example E. coli has been manipulated to tolerate higher levels of alcohols and produce simple alkanes (lipids). Algae have been engineered to excrete the lipids or EtOH they produce to allow for easier extraction.

However, in pretty much all of these cases we still have to overcome challenges with economic scalability and further optimization through GE is necessary and expected. In addition, even when for example a ‘superalgae’ can be engineered, we have already cautioned for the public perceptions and potential hazards that could arise when using these on a large scale (Algae GMO’s: The Next Big Challenge in Algae for Biofuels?)

As usual we believe at AEC-Laboratories that innovation is the key to pushing the renewable energy solutions forward. The power of GE will play a crucial role in developing solutions that are truly economically and environmentally sustainable.

Related Links:

• Algae GMO’s: The Next Big Challenge in Algae for Biofuels?
• Engenharia Genética Revolucionado o Mundo que Vivemos

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Optogenetics: Regulating Certain Target Genes with Light

Optogenetics is the combination of genetic and optical methods to control specific events in targeted cells of living tissue.

Optogenetics Experiment in Mouse (Source: MIT)

As we know, light is the source of our very existence. All of the energy and food used on our planet can be traced back to energy from sunlight at some point.

From photosynthesis that generate biological energy for plants, algae and bacteria to grow, to modern developments of direct sunlight capture for energy generation (like PV panels, CSP and large scale solar plants ).

At the very basis of this light sensing and energy capture in nature are photosensors.

They capture the light energy and turn it into a biological signal. These processes go beyond ‘simply’ generating energy, but also include regulating seed germination and flowering in plants, allowing you to see in color, and control ‘biological clocks’ in plants, animals and humans.

If you wonder what your biological clock is, think about the time you were waking up just before your alarm clock was about to go off, or the jet-lag you experienced on your last international trip.

Although we have long known about these photosensors, it hasn’t been until more recently that we have a better understanding of what these proteins are and how they send signals through cells.

Most of the research had therefore been limited to fundamental studies, but recent breakthroughs that unveil how these photosensors work, and the increasing ability to genetically engineer and manipulate them, is opening a bright new world of applications.

Optogenetics - Light Activated Gene Control For Therapeutics

With mainly algae, yeast and bacteria as model systems we and other scientists are developing systems to regulate certain target genes with light. A process called optogenetics.

This is done by engineering photosensors to be ‘turned on’ by a certain color of light, after which they interact with DNA and turn certain target genes on or off. Imagine the power this has if these genes are important targets in cancer development, or diabetes or heart disease. Recent focus is also on the use of optogenetics to control neurological processes in the brain.

In the simple model systems we can now already make cells move, grow and divide or produce therapeutics with a simple light command.

Current uses of optogenetics are limited to research labs and small scale bench experiments. It is mainly used as a tool to turn genes on or off and we are currently in a proof-of-concept stage.

Nevertheless it is imaginable that this type of ‘non-invasive’ gene regulation will change the way patient treatment is done. Imagine how a drug being released at a specific organ or tissue by simply shining light on it, would severely diminish side effects.

For example, mice have been bioengineered with neurons sensitive to light. Optical fibers are implanted into their skulls, and blue light is flashed on a specific neural pathway in the amygdala, a brain region involved in processing emotions.

Anxious mice, which normally keep to the sides of their enclosure, lose their inhibition and scamper freely.

Applications of photosensors go beyond conventional therapeutics, and research is being done to use them to generate artificial vision in blind patients and to generate biological computer chips that have the potential to be a hundred to one thousand fold faster than current electronic chips.

The Future is Bright

We realize this all sounds like science fiction and lot of challenges need to be overcome before we can cure people with light therapy.

Not the least is moving beyond the small model systems into larger organisms (plants, animals and eventually humans), but keep in mind that we all have photosensors that we are already using just about every minute of the day, and it may not be such a major leap to start targeting those to increase our health.

At the Advanced Energy Creations Lab we are always searching for innovative ways to change and improve the world and we believe that the future for optogenetics is bright.

By: Dr.  John Kyndt (Head Scientist of the Renewable Energy Program at Advanced Energy Creations Lab) and Dr. Aecio D’Silva, CEO Moura Technologies

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