Duration: 07/01/2010 to 09/30/2012

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

Statement of Issues and Justification

During a technology roadmap workshop in December 2008 sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), discussions by industry, academic, and national lab partners suggested that development of algal biofuels will require coordination and support of fundamental research, infrastructure development, technology deployment, and information management at various governmental levels. Algae are green micro-factories that produce valuable compounds in sufficient quantities to be economically viable and useful for food, fuel, medicines and chemical production. Interest in algae as a feedstock is driven by the high potential yield per acre, by far the greatest potential of any feedstock for conversion to biofuels, its adaptability to a wide variety of environmental and climatic growth conditions, and its ability to be cultivated on marginal land unsuitable for growing crops or raising livestock. However, production cost estimates (net of capital costs) for growing and converting algae to bioproducts, especially fuel, are significantly higher than for first- and next-generation biofuels.

The primary goal of the proposed Western States Algae Biotechnology and Biofuels Initiative (Initiative) is to develop a new generation of bioproducts, including liquid transportation fuels, using environmentally benign and sustainable technologies for production, harvesting, and processing of algae, through interdisciplinary, collaborative efforts among multiple institutions around the region and the nation.

Related, Current and Previous Work

Objectives

1. Identify and develop appropriate algae strains for bioproducts applications
   
2. Develop and improve technologies for production and processing of algae biomass
   
3. Evaluate and develop environmentally responsible and sustainable production systems
   
4. Focus on considerations of complex public health, safety, and environmental issues
   
5. Evaluate long term environmental, economic and energy benefits of using third generation bioproducts, including biofuels
   

Methods

The Initiative would integrate a broad spectrum of disciplines with a shared objective of rapidly developing a comprehensive strategy for using algae as a new source for food, energy and other valuable chemical entities. This would effectively make algae a new agricultural specialty crop which would not compete with existing human food crops for arable land or an alternative usage of valuable and limited human foodstuffs. Next generation biofuels and bioproducts from feedstocks such as algae provide an opportunity to leverage the diverse climate, lengthy coast line, extensive arid high deserts, and plentiful solar and wind resources, as well as geothermal sources available in the West. The Institute would address significant global environmental concerns. The potential for carbon sequestration and or direct use of atmospheric CO2 to reduce greenhouse gas burden on the earths atmosphere by algae mediated carbon fixation would also be a major focus and contribution of this initiative. Similarly, algae based energy production could generate liquid fuels with a greatly reduced global carbon footprint. The availability of potable water is a major concern to much of the planets population, due in part to insufficient waste water treatment and contamination of surface and sometimes subsurface water supplies. The potential for comparatively low technology concomitant production of biofuels, food or other feedstock chemicals with waste water treatment and remediation by algae would be extremely valuable on a global scale. In addition to research on the production of algae and the engineering of practical systems, the Institute would also focus on detailed considerations of complex public health, safety, and environmental issues. Public outreach and education efforts will be included to ensure the production of algae based products evolves as economically feasible and acceptable. Thus a part of the mission of the Institute will be to develop cutting edge synthetic biology and biotechnology programs to engineer algae in order to create useful new organisms for the sustainable production of a wide variety of organic chemicals useful to humans for a panoply of products, from food to fuels to medicines, in an environmentally responsible and sustainable system.

Measurement of Progress and Results

Outputs

• Identified appropriate algae strains for the West, including higher latitudes
• Improved algae production systems
• Improved algae harvesting technology
• Improved oil extraction
• Co-products developed from algae residue after oil extraction

Outcomes or Projected Impacts

• Moderate technological hurdles for large scale commercialization or making algae biofuels cost effective.
• Develop algae as a source of DHA, a high value nutraceutical
• Provide renewable biofuels and improve water quality by growing algae in flue gases and waste water
• Bioremediation of municipal or agricultural waste water will yield fertilizer, improved water quality, and recover heavy metals
• Develop best management practices to improve water use efficiency and quality.
• Animal and fish feed developed from algae

Milestones

(2011): Several algal strains selected for testing in a variety of Western environments

(2011): Group evaluates production and harvesting procedures

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Outreach Plan

Organization/Governance

To be developed at initiation of project.

Literature Cited

Attachments

Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

ID, OR, WA

Non Land Grant Participating States/Institutions