Big bucks behind the search for new power
By LISA STIFFLER
206-448-8042 or lisastiffler@seattlepi.com
P-I REPORTER
Monday, October 6, 2008
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/
If Bill Gates and Boeing are right, pond scum could be the salvation for our nation's energy woes.
They've joined the race to find a cost-effective, environmentally friendly way to turn algae into the fuel needed to power cars, trucks, airplanes and boats.
The amount of money being invested in algae-to-fuel research by venture capitalists is skyrocketing. New businesses are snapping up graduate students knowledgeable about the aquatic plants before they've even finished their degrees, and they're hustling to form alliances with algae academics who for years toiled without much notice.
Scott Eklund / P-I
Dr. Rose Ann Cattolico, a University of Washington botanist and algae expert, is growing dozens of different kinds of algae at her UW lab to find the right ones for turning into different kinds of fuels that can power cars, trucks, airplanes and boats.
"Industry is coming to us," said Shulin Chen, a Washington State University biological engineering professor working on algae power.
"We have new ideas in all the areas that we're working on," he said. "They're promising, but we can't say it's economical at this point."
With oil at $100 a barrel or higher and worries about making biofuels out of crops such as corn and soybeans driving up food prices, it's little wonder that there's a rush for algae-based fuels.
"This is an exciting time," said Rose Ann Cattolico, a University of Washington algae expert.
And while research in this field is occurring globally -- scientists in New Zealand are trying to grow the plants on sewage waste; an Israeli company is using power-plant pollution to feed algae -- the West is a hot spot for research.
"A lot of the innovation is happening on the West Coast," said Darrin Morgan, The Boeing Co.'s director of business analysis/environmental strategy. "We have a long history of being early adopters and thinking out of the box."
Morgan is co-chairman of the Algal Biomass Organization, the world's first algae trade group. In October, the organization is hosting the second annual biomass summit in Seattle -- a meeting expected to attract experts and investors from around the world.
"We're not in the algae business, but we are a strong proponent of it," Morgan said. "It really holds great promise -- with some technical breakthroughs needing to be made."
Algae-to-fuel puzzle
Cattolico's lab is a treasure trove of algae.
In one of multiple walk-in refrigerators, you can find algae masquerading as brown cotton balls. There are jars of lacy red plants and bright-green algae that look like tapioca. The plants can be so small they simply fill flasks with a murky brown liquid.
Some of the algae like to grow in warm, bright conditions, while others are happier in cooler, darker waters. They like different foods. They make different kinds of fats -- some better for powering a semi; others more suited to jets.
But many share key traits: They can reproduce and grow fast, produce more fats than other plants and can be grown in all kinds of conditions -- concrete pools, sewage ponds or plastic bags and containers. They don't require fertile farm ground or the clearcutting of forests.
Corn and other plant-derived fuels can require significant amounts of energy and other resources to produce, contributing to global warming. But power plants can feed their carbon dioxide emissions into containers holding algae to boost their growth.
Algae fuel is hailed not only for reducing the use of polluting fossil fuels, but also for helping consume greenhouse gases in its production.
That has many of the scientists tackling the algae riddle excited about its potential to help with climate change.
"It's a big-picture problem," said Michael Huesemann, a staff research engineer working on algae at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's marine sciences lab in Sequim. "It's always fun to work on something that's meaningful."
With all of these benefits and interest, why isn't everyone driving around algae-powered vehicles?
Right now it's too expensive to turn algae into fuel in large volumes at a price that's competitive with petroleum-based fuels. Algae needs to be grown densely to yield enough fuel, but that means expending extra energy to mix the plants so they all get enough sunlight. It's tricky to harvest the algae from the water efficiently. Then the sturdy little cells must be cracked open either through mechanical means such as shaking or by chemically dissolving them in order to remove the fat for fuel.
"People don't think about this stuff. They think, 'We're going to grow some algae,' " Cattolico said. "You can see the complexity of it."
Many estimates predict it could be 10 years until algae fuel can be produced on an affordable, large scale.
Venture capital pours in
Whether the 10-year forecast is too grim or too hopeful depends in large part on investments in the work, either from government or private sources -- and those sums are rising.
In 2007, $32 million in venture capital was pumped into businesses working on algae fuel. So far this year, that number has reached $184 million worldwide, according to Cleantech Network, which tracks environmental industries.
In September, Bill Gates' Cascade Investment and three other companies gave a total of $100 million to Sapphire Energy, a San Diego company producing fuel from algae and other microorganisms.
Boeing announced last week the creation of a coalition of aviation fuel users united to encourage the speedy development of algae fuel. The group is requiring that new aviation fuels be sustainable, meaning they produce less carbon dioxide, require minimal land, water and energy to produce, and don't compete for food production. Some terrestrial plants can meet those criteria, though their potential is more limited.
Cattolico herself was recently recruited to start a business to work on algae-derived fuels. The company, called AXI, is a partnership between the UW and Allied Minds, an investment firm. The scientist was sought by the investors for her 30 years of algae expertise and wide-ranging knowledge of species.
"We are going to be one of the prime suppliers (of plants) to the bio-algae industry," boasted Erick Rabins, a vice president with Allied Minds and general manager of AXI.
Cattolico is more conflicted over teaming up with investors, which restricts her ability to share her findings. But she's grateful for an influx of funding that allowed her to hire three researchers and speed up her work.
Students are aware of the promise of algae fuel and eager to join her lab -- but they don't always stick around. Cattolico lost a talented grad student recently when a business snatched him right off the research bench before he'd finished his degree.
Nicholas Bigelow graduated from the UW with a degree in chemistry last year intent on getting a job in this area and landed in Cattolico's lab.
"Other students ask about it -- friends ask about it. I have friends who are very jealous of my job," Bigelow said. "It's a field that's going to be very large."
For now, Cattolico would like to see the field become more collaborative, with less focus on the economic gains in solving the algae-to-energy puzzle.
"Everybody wants the big golden ring. You have to be in it for another reason," she said. "We need to l
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