Biofuels versus Fossil Fuels (Biotechnology and Society 2016)

Biofuels versus Fossil Fuels (Biotechnology and Society 2016)

Everyone: Algal biofuels

Algal biofuels

Required Reading/Viewing

• ExxonMobil Bets $600 Million on Algae Kate Howell Scientific American July 14, 2009.
• Exxon Takes Algae Fuel Back to the Drawing Board Kevin Bullis MIT Technology Review May 20, 2013.
• Is There Still a Role for Oil Companies in Renewables? Matthew Morton Greentech Media March 12, 2015
• Can we save the algae biofuel industry? The Conversation May 9, 2015
  Watch the 3-minute ALGAE.TEC video embedded in the page.
• Jet Fuel from Algae? Nanowerk Jan 29, 2015
  Be sure to zoom in on the infographic by clicking on it.
• Company/industry group webpages useful for answering questions: Solazyme | ALGAE.TEC | All about algae.com | Sapphire Energy

Additional information

• DOE Algal Biofuels including ENERGY 101: ALGAE-TO-FUEL video
• UTEX Culture Collection of Algae at UT Austin
• Radakovits R, Jinkerson RE, Darzins A, Posewitz MC (2010) Genetic engineering of algae for enhanced biofuel production. Eukaryot Cell 9:486–501.
• Scott SA et al. (2010) Biodiesel from algae: Challenges and prospects. Curr Opin Biotechnol 21:277–286.
• Energy from floating algae ponds Jonathan Trent TEDGlobal Talk June 2012.
  This is a more speculative vision of algal biofuels.

1. Cellulosic Ethanol

Extra Links for the Policy Czar

1. [1] An overview of second generation biofuel technologies 19963372

// Review of technology and issues related to cellulosic ethanol. Skim the article for key details.

1. [2] DOE Cellulosic Ethanol – also click around the other ethanol links
2. [3] For Cellulosic Ethanol Makers, The Road Ahead Is Still Uphill

• Bioenergy at DOE. Especially, check out the From Biomass to Cellulosic Ethanol Placemat
• Dupont Cellulosic Ethanol

2. Deep Water Horizon Bioremediation

Extra Links for the Policy Czar

1. [4] Slick Solution: How Microbes Will Clean Up the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
2. [5] How Microbes Helped Clean BP's Oil Spill – watch the video and read the captions in the slide show.
3. [6] MicrobeWiki – Microbial Response to Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

3. Frackibacter

Extra Links for the Policy Czar

1. [7] New genus of bacteria found living inside hydraulic fracturing wells.
2. [8] Microbial metabolisms in a 2.5-km-deep ecosystem created by hydraulic fracturing in shales