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Algae absorb nutrients and produce oxygen—ecosystem services that are vital to the health of impaired water bodies like the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico. Energy Department-funded researchers are investigating how to mimic these natural services, while at the same time, sustainably produce biomass for conversion to renewable biofuels and bioproducts. It’s a double win for the environment!

The beautiful island of Kauai, Hawaii, is known for its pristine beaches and dramatic mountain ranges. But Kauai is not just a vacation spot; it is also the location of one of the largest algae biofuel production facilities in the United States. The entrepreneurs at Global Algae Innovations’ Kauai Algae Farm have been hard at work and making headlines for their groundbreaking advances that are lowering the cost of biofuel made from algae.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and industry partner Lanzatech recently achieved a significant milestone in the production of renewable jet fuel. Funded by the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), the project succeeded in producing five gallons of synthetic paraffinic kerosene from carbon-rich industrial waste gases (e.g., carbon monoxide).

The 53rd R&D 100 Awards ceremony took place at the end of 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Going all the way back to 1963, these prestigious awards have identified and honored significant major technological breakthroughs every year.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory published an article in Scientific Reports on its new method to directly convert biomass-derived ethanol to a hydrocarbon blendstock and is continuing work with Vertimass, LLC. to commercialize it.

ICM Inc. announced successful completion of two 1,000-hour performance runs of its patent-pending Generation 2.0 Co-Located Cellulosic Ethanol process at its cellulosic ethanol pilot plant in St. Joseph, Missouri. This is an important step toward the commercialization of cellulosic ethanol from switchgrass and energy sorghum.

The DuPont cellulosic ethanol facility opened in Nevada, Iowa, last month and is the largest cellulosic ethanol plant in the world. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) Director, Jonathan Male, alongside senior government officials, DuPont leaders and staff, and local farmers attended the grand opening ceremony and plant tour.

An innovative technique developed by a small business in Indiana could be used to improve two seemingly unrelated products: biofuels and barbecue potato chips.  Spero Energy, started by researchers at Purdue University, has created a cost effective process that converts sustainable wood sources into renewable chemicals for the flavor and fragrance industry, including those used in barbecue potato chips and other smoky flavored foods.

Some of our greatest successes at the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy are when the technologies developed with our funding are purchased and put to use by the private sector.

U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) partner Algenol signed an agreement with Protec Fuel to market and distribute commercial ethanol produced from algae for fleets and retail consumption from Algenol’s commercial demonstration module in Fort Myers, Florida. Algenol expects that the first two gas stations offering the fuel will open next year in Tampa and Orlando.

Renewable chemical company Genomatica made significant progress toward increasing the range of feedstocks that can be used to commercially produce high-quality bio-based chemicals, in a project funded by the Energy Department’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO). Genomatica improved the biochemical conversion of cellulosic sugars to 1,4-butanediol (BDO), a chemical used in products such as hard plastics used in computer keyboards, Invista’s Lycra® spandex, and high-performance fabrics.

Algae are a promising source of renewable biofuels and bioproducts, and researchers at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California, are taking a step toward realizing the promise of sustainable, cost-effective algal biofuels for the American public. 

Fossil-fuel derived polyurethane products may not be in demand in the coming years thanks to algae researchers. A joint research and development investment from the Energy Department’s Bioenergy Technology Office to the biotech firm Solazyme and the University of California San Diego’s (UCSD) California Center for Algae Biotechnology has resulted in the world’s first surfboard made from algae byproducts.

Battelle—a nonprofit research and development organization that operates many of the national laboratories—reached an Energy Department project milestone to demonstrate at least 1,000 hours of bio-oil hydrotreatment on a single catalyst charge. Typically, it takes many catalysts to convert a bio-oil intermediate into biofuel, making the conversion process expensive. Battelle’s new process substantially reduces the cost and risk of biofuel production and helps make the process more commercially viable.

A new manufacturing technology for producing malonic acid is now possible as a result of Lygos, Inc.’s breakthrough pilot program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit (ABPDU) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

In 2014, the U.S. Departments of Energy, Navy, and Agriculture announced that Emerald Biofuels, Fulcrum Energy, and Red Rock Biofuels have been awarded contracts to construct biorefineries capable of producing renewable jet diesel for the Department of Defense. 

DOE-funded researchers have shown that a new, highly effective pretreatment process used in the production of biofuel can be executed at a larger scale than ever achieved before.

A microorganism found in heated freshwater pools may hold the key to more efficient, cost-effective biofuel production.

The Sapphire Green Crude Farm is the first algae-to-energy facility. If adopted and commercialized by other refineries, this algae-based crude oil is a viable “green” alternative fuel option.

Breakthrough in algae biology will have a significant impact in the economics of algal biofuel production.

The relaunched Bioenergy KDF supports the development of a sustainable bioenergy industry by providing unique value for researchers, private industry, policymakers, and the public.

EERE's investment aids in the creation of the first commercial-scale biorefineries in the United States.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed a promising technology that can accelerate the pace at which EERE reaches DOE's biofuel production targets.

Scientists at DOE national laboratories successfully demonstrated technical advances required to produce cellulosic ethanol that is cost competitive with petroleum.

Washington State Ferries now uses blended biodiesel to run its ferries, preventing the emission of more than 29,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.