Algae biofuel is an alternative to fossil fuel that uses algae as its source. Several companies and government agencies are funding efforts to reduce capital and operating costs and make algae fuel production commercially viable. Taking an approach similar to that used for discovering new therapeutic drugs, chemists at the University of California, Davis, have (more…)

A U.S. company this week began pumping a mix of an algae-based biofuel and gasoline at gas stations in California, a pilot project the company hopes will be a first step in providing a large-scale alternative to fossil fuels.

The fuel, known as Biodiesel B20, contains 80 percent petroleum and 20 percent algae grown by (more…)

Following up on the last blog post about AirBus’s vision of a sustainable future for aviation, we hear that German airline Lufthansa has entered a partnership with Algae.Tec to build a large-scale algae-based jet fuel production facility in Europe.

The agreement is the first step in a long-term cooperation to produce aviation kerosene from crude algae on an industrial scale. (more…)

When it comes to navigating the advanced biofuels’ winding pathway to commercialization, no company is faring better than Solazyme. Whether delivering biojet fuel for commercial flights or producing hundreds of thousands of gallons of advanced fuels to help the U.S. Navy launch its Green Strike Force in 2016, Solazyme has been on a marketing tear. (more…)

NASA has developed a system capable of growing large amounts of algae for biofuel production within a network of floating plastic bags, an innovation its developers say could ultimately produce a new fuel source.

By pumping wastewater and carbon dioxide into four nine-meter plastic bags at a demonstration plant in (more…)

A U.S. startup says it has raised enough funding to significantly expand what it calls the world’s first commercial-scale algae biofuel farm, a 300-acre project its developers say could produce 1.5 million gallons of algae-based crude oil by 2014.

Sapphire Energy, which so far has received more (more…)

The Algal Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the U.S. algae industry, announced the recipients of the second annual Algae Industry Leadership awards.

The annual Algae Industry Leadership Awards recognize those that demonstrate outstanding leadership in helping increase the awareness of, (more…)

Facing an uncertain future with biofuels policy under scrutiny, the advanced biofuels industry convened for a three day conference in San Francisco earlier this month. Jointly organized by Green Power Conferences and Biofuels Digest, the Advanced Biofuels Markets conference is one of the few (more…)

One of the most promising types of raw materials to produce biofuel being researched is algae. Today the technology reaches new heights with United Airlines’ Flight 1403 between Houston and Chicago, The historic flight departs Bush International Airport at 10:25 am CT from terminal C, and lands at Chicago O’Hare at (more…)

Already languishing in the current deficit/debt landscape and facing mounting criticism in the wake of the Solyndra bankruptcy, the much-maligned DOE Section 1705 loan guarantee program came to a close last week with a flurry of activity. Despite frustration with the program in the biofuels industry, centering on delays (more…)