Algenol
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Biofuels |
| Founder | Paul Woods, Craig Smith, Ed Legere, Alejandro Gonzalez |
| Headquarters | |
| Revenue | US$3.1 million[1] |
Number of employees | 127 |
| Website | www.algenol.com |
 | This article needs to beupdated.(October 2024) |
Algenolis an industrial biotechnology company that is commercializing patented algae technology for production ofethanoland other fuels. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered inFort Myers, Florida.The company uses proprietary technologies to produce various products, including personal care products, food supplements, and industrial products, from a patented strain ofcyanobacteriaand a proprietaryphotobioreactorsystem.
History
[edit]Algenol was founded in 2006 by Paul Woods, Craig Smith, and Ed Legere.[2]In 2008 the company announced it would begin commercial production of ethanol by 2009 in theSonoran Desertin northwest Mexico.[3]However, the company was still not in commercial production by 2015. In October 2015, founder Paul Woods resigned and the company announced they were laying off 25% of the staff and changing focus to “water treatment and carbon capture" and possibly return to fuels in the future.[4]
In 2016, their name changed to Algenol Biotech LLC and the company added other algae-based sustainable products to its portfolio.[citation needed]
Locations
[edit]Algenol has a large facility inSouthwest Florida,just north ofFlorida Gulf Coast UniversityinFort Myerswhich opened in October 2010. The aim of the facility is to produce commercially viable fuel from algae.[5]The site features research labs including engineering facilities, advanced molecular biology, CO2management, separations, and green chemistry advanced labs and an outdoor process development production unit on 40 acres.[6]In October 2011, Algenol began construction on a pilot-scale Integrated Biorefinery, allowing the company to work with algae from a single strain in the lab all the way to commercial-scale production.[7]
Algenol also has subsidiaries located inBerlin,GermanyandZug,Switzerland.[8]
Research and projects
[edit]One of Algenol's primary research goals has been to produce four fuels—ethanol,gasoline,jet,anddiesel fuel—at commercial scale from marine cyanobacteria using patentedbioreactors.[2]They received $22 million dollars of funding from theU.S. Department of Energyfrom 2010 through 2013 for a project to prove viability of algal-produced ethanol at commercial scales using carbon dioxide captured from industrial sourceswould consume carbon dioxide from industrial sources.[7]From this project, they built a 2-acre system with over 6,000 photobioreactors and they were able to operate 4,000 of these for over 500 days. While this project made signifcant progress towards large-scale algal biofuel production, the 2015 report from the Department of Energy notes that it is "unclear whether closed photobioreactors will ever be a viable commercial option".[7]
Algenol licenses the DIRECT TO ETHANOL® technology.[9]One of these licenses is with BioFields SAPI de CV in Mexico, which has access to over 42,000 acres of non-arable land in theSonoran desertinMexico.[10][11]Algenol has stated that they are discussing commercial "Direct to Ethanol" projects with several partners in the United States, South America, Israel, and Africa.[12]
A 2017 report from Biofuelwatch has criticized Algenol as a case-study of many failed algae biofuel ventures.[2]
Partnerships and funding
[edit]Algenol has a number of partners including theUnited States National Renewable Energy Laboratory,BioFieldsin Mexico,Reliance IndustriesLtd. in Mumbai, India, and Membrane Technology and Research. Algenol also is partnered withLee County, Florida,theU.S. Department of Energy,and multiple universities includingFlorida Gulf Coast University,Georgia Tech,andHumboldt University of Berlin.[13][14]
In December 2009, Algenol received a $25 millionUnited States Department of Energygrant to help build the Integrated Biorefinery Direct to Ethanol project inLee County, Florida.[15]Algenol also received a $10M grant from Lee County to employ people in Lee County and also build the Integrated Biorefinery Direct to Ethanol project.[citation needed]In 2016, theOffice of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy(part of the U.S. Department of Energy) announced another $15 million grant to be split between Algenol and two other companies to continue research on commercial-scale biofuel production.[16]
References
[edit]- ^"Algenol Biofuels Inc. | Company profile from Hoover's".Hoovers.com.Retrieved2010-08-24.
- ^abcAlgenol: Case study of an unsuccessful algae biofuels venture(PDF),Biofuel Watch, 2017-03-01,retrieved2024-10-10
- ^Sandru, Ovidiu (14 February 2013)."Algenol Mexico Factory to Produce Ethanol from Algae by 2009".The Green Optimistic.Romania.Retrieved13 September2023.
- ^"Algenol CEO exits; staff cut by 25%, investors re-up for two years, new direction tipped: Biofuels Digest".
- ^Logan, Casey (2015-09-19)."Algenol on mission to change world".News-Press.Retrieved2024-10-10.
- ^"Impending verdict on Algenol's biofuel production utility".Biofuels International, February 2, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon March 5, 2014.RetrievedFebruary 8,2010.
- ^abc2015 Peer Review Report(PDF)(Report). U.S. Department of Energy. 2016-03-01.Retrieved2024-10-10.
- ^"Facilities/Locations | Algenol Biofuels".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-09-18.Retrieved2014-04-18.
- ^"Project Development Activities | Algenol Biofuels".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-05-05.Retrieved2014-04-18.
- ^"Algae farm in Mexico to produce ethanol in '09".
- ^"Algenol Enters The Algae Biofuel Race With Process Economics Advantage".
- ^"Commercialization | Algenol Biofuels".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-02-07.Retrieved2014-04-18.
- ^"Our Supporters | Algenol Biofuels".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-09-18.Retrieved2014-04-18.
- ^Lane, Jim (2012-10-25)."Algae's Secret Investor".Biofuels Digest.
- ^"Federal money set to flow to renewable fuel projects".5 December 2009.
- ^"Energy Department Announces $15 Million to Advance Algae-based Biofuels and Bioproducts".Energy.gov.Retrieved2024-10-10.