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Conference - algal biofuels

I am in Singapore the next 2 days, at the "Biofuel 2012 - alternative aviation fuel in Asia conference and Asean algae biofuel initiative conference."

Khor Reports notes and comment:

Why are we attending? Every senior scientist we've met (from lipid technologists to energy specialists) is excited about the prospect of algal oils - microalgae are the most productive 'plants' on earth (oil yield potential could be 5 x that of palm oil on a per hectare basis), a wide range of metabolites, and its genetic engineering possibilities.

Right now, we're seated with microbiologists and transport energy consultants. We are hearing about:
o R. opacus is high in palmitic and oleic acids and there are odd chain fatty acids.
o A 2.5ha demonstration plot with USD80 million investment at Kona, Hawaii with photobioreactors.

How does this touch on palm oil? First, a positive. There's a potential use for POME in the cultivation process. Second, a competitive concern: the likes of global giant Unilever says it hopes to replace palm oil in its Dove soap and some other skin care products with algal oils, with a target date 2017.

There are significant scientific and engineering challenges to overcome. They include the selection and optimizing the best strains (development of GM strains), choice of feedstock for sugars (issues in availability and performance) for fermentation, and extraction (the cost of drying the algae or wet extraction - the separation of oil from an aqueous solution), and large scale cultivation technology issues (biological contaminants, lipid enhancement - optimization to enhance productivity and yield, Co2 sources).

How about the economics of production? The demonstration plot at Kona shows that it's not commercially viable for biofuels - capex and opex is too high for lipid output alone (28% of the algae biomass). There is need for production of co-products - protein and carbohydrate and omega-3 fatty acids (PUFAs). With all products, revenue USd4818/MT and production cost USD1389/MT, and gross margin USD2792. From this study, the biofuel is a co-product! But costs could be lower in Asia versus this demonstration plot feasibility study (Hawaii has high costs).

GM crops in 2011

GM crops around the world in 2011 – map; New data from the annual report by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotic Applications shows where farmers are growing GM crops around the world; http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/graphic/2012/feb/09/gm-crops-world-2011-map?intcmp=122.




Khor Reports comment: Note the large acreage with GM soybean in US, Brazil, Argentina and South Africa; indicated as second to maize.

Palm oil biodiesel fails?

"....new data comes from a leak obtained by EurActiv from the European Commission. The EC is considering what level of carbon emissions each type of biofuel causes once burned, after everything - including "indirect land-use change" - is taken into account.... The EU's scheme for certifying biofuels as sustainable requires them to emit 35% less CO2 than regular fuel, increasing to 60% by 2018, making palm oil, soy bean, rapeseed and sunflower looking all but dead.... Palm oil biodiesel also received another blow on Friday, with the US Environmental Protection Agency suggesting it fails to meet the US requirement of emitting at least 20% less carbon than diesel from crude oil....The European Union's target for 10% of all transport fuels to be biofuels by 2020 has been described as "unethical" because the production of some types violates human rights and damages the environment. But the same researchers described do nothing to find alternative to the fossil fuels that currently power transport as "immoral".... So the difficult task of distinguishing good and bad biofuels remains essential, as does the research of even more promising technologies, such as algae and seaweed."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2012/jan/27/biofuels-biodiesel-ethanol-palm-oil

Other news, Amazon rainforest mapped, http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jan/27/amazon-rainforest-map-biodiversity-detail.

Older news, UK firm's failed biofuel dream wrecks lives of Tanzania villagers; The collapse of Sun Biofuels has left hundreds of Tanzanians landless, jobless, and in despair for the future
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/30/africa-poor-west-biofuel-betrayal.

Khor Reports comment: The inclusion of indirect land-use change seems to throw out many feedstocks for biofuels - palm oil, soybean oil and rapeseed oil. Palm oil with methane capture is only so much better than crude oil, it seems. Sugar cane passes muster, and so does maize. In tighter and more troubled economic times in Europe, one has to wonder at commitment to subsidies on biofuels?

Conservation news links - on algae and REDD

GM microbe breakthrough paves way for large-scale seaweed farming for biofuels; Scientists have created a genetically engineered microbe that turns the algae into low-carbon biofuel, but must make the technique commercially viable; http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jan/19/gm-microbe-seaweed-biofuels; "...using 3% of the world's coastal waters to grow seaweed would produce 60bn gallons of ethanol..."

Conserving biodiversity hotspots 'could bring world's poor $500bn a year'; Study puts economic value on the indirect ecosystem services provided by the world's poorest people; http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jan/20/conserving-biodiversity-poor-economic-value?intcmp=122

Khor Reports comments:
a) Algal oils are a hoped for alternative source for biofuels and also for consumer product usage. Unilever is hoping to replace palm oil with algal oils in some of its Dove Soap products and others within 5 years or so.
b) Who pays for conservation? REDD+ programs seem to be at early pilot test stages. Norway has the USD 1 billion deforestation moratorium deal with Indonesia. Ecuador is offering not to develop a rainforest area if it gets paid 1/2 of the potential revenue from extracting the hydrocarbons there.