Biocatalysis

Every idea needs to be presented in a compelling way if it is to catch on. According to Jeremy Shere, “What we need more of, to my mind, are stories about energy on a human scale, stories that give the average person a sense of what’s at stake and why he or she should care.” More here.

With all the talk about corn and crop lands being diverted away from food production and toward the production of biofuels, everyone has been expecting shortages of food and higher food prices. With this as background, I was surprised to read this morning that the EPA is now predicting a period of food abundance due to the rapid pace of innovation in productivity. Crop yields have risen dramatically along with biofuel yields from corn and soybean, and newer technologies are being developed that will replace corn with cellulose or switchgrass, or even algae.

The result is a predicted food glut, with more food available in the future than there will be a market for. Get the full story here.

A great article by Jim Lane on what he calls the “infinite loop” of renewable fuels financing. Shari Lewis could not have described the situation any better.

For another take on the impact of Craig Venter’s accomplishment in creating a designed organism

With so much press (and hype) surrounding the biofuels industry, and so many new developments, understanding what is hot and what is not can be challenging. Ecofriend has tried to cut through the fog, listing their picks as the 10 Most Transformative Technologies of 2010. Follow the link for details. I’ll comment on some of these in upcoming posts.

I will make one observation now: Craig Venter’s creation of the first synthetic cell is not on the list–a gross oversight in my humble opinion.

Craig Venter, together with scientist from his company Synthetic Genomics, recently announced a scientific breakthrough: creation of the first synthetic cell. Here is the brief summary of what was accomplished: a cell had its DNA removed and replaced by DNA designed on a computer and synthesized in the lab, and the cell with the lab-synthesized DNA was able to reproduce. Voila–a new life form was made according to the designed DNA. The future implication are that soon Venter and Co. will be able to design and create a “super bug” ideally designed to churn out larger quantities of fuel compounds that was heretofore possible, and do so from precursors as inexpensive and readily available a carbon dioxide. I cannot predict the timeline, but Venter’s work is the first step in what will likely be a series of scientific accomplishments culminating in a wide range of highly efficient bioprocesses.

Novozymes, the largest and IMHO best enzyme maker on the planet, has just introduced another innovation. It is called GH-61, which tells you nothing about what it really is. Novozymes calls it an “enzyme booster” that turbocharges the enzymatic degradation of cellulose. Imagine: an additive that boosts the performance of Novozyme’s already high-performing cellulases. Accelerating the conversion of waste cellulosic raw materials–things like corn cobs, straw, corn stalks, sugar cane bagasse (the stalks left over after the sugar has been crushed out), and the like– into sugars that can be fermented to produce biofuels is step forward on the path toward more plentiful and less expensive biofuels.

Commercialization has just been initiated, and sales are only beginning. But CEO Steen Riisgard says: “We are a real company, and when we say we are ready, we mean we are ready.”

I believe him.

POET, the largest US-based ethanol producer recently outlined its plans for expanding to 3.5 billion gallons per year of cellulosic ethanol production. According to CEO Jeff Broin, success is contingent on loan guarantees by the US government, and the company has submitted its application for the guarantees.

Not one person in a million can recognize hyperbole! But Jim Lane is in the 0.0001% with a great article in today’s Biofuels Digest on hype in the biofuels industry. He describes parallels between the recent announcement about the potential for gribbles, a ship-rot-inducing worm, to be used for biofuels production, and he also finds similarities to the well-known Star Trek episode “The Trouble with Tribbles.”

I have previously poked fun at the tendency for overstatement in the biofuels industry as well.

Ethanol, and to a lesser extent biodiesel, have been the only biofuels products of note to be offered thus far. Why? For the simple reason that the technology already existed to make these products at a cost that allowed for commercialization without too large a subsidy. But, if one thinks about the ideal biofuel process, there is a much more attractive option being pursued at a number of early-stage biofuels developers.

Imagine a process that converts carbon dioxide–a greenhouse gas!–into a biofuel while growing in a pond or in sea water. This would be biofuels nirvana, and it may not be too far from becoming a reality.

Here are a few companies to watch.

Aurora Biofuels is using a genetically modified algae developed at the University of California at Berkeley to efficiently produce biodiesel using CO2 as the feedstock. The Aurora claims the technology can create biodiesel fuel competitive with $50 per barrel oil.

Synthetic Genomics approach does not use algae, but rather, specially created micro-organisms that are built by redesigning the genome almost form scratch. The ultimate goal is the conversion of carbon dioxide into fuels or commodity chemicals using energy from the sun to drive the process. Craig Venter, of genome-sequencing fame, leads this effort with up to $300 million in funding form Exxon Mobil. That kind of financial support gives Synthetic Genomics a good shot at success.

Solazyme was named the Biofuels Digest “Company of the Year,” ranking number one on their list of the 50 Hottest Biofuels Companies. Solazyme has also announced a near-term focus on launching food products produced by algae, with a food oil similar to olive oil as a lead product. This probably stands a better chance of  near-term commercialization since the prices are about 25 times higher than for a fuel. The hope appears to be that cash flow from a large-volume food product will help fund even larger-volume fuel production.

Sapphire Energy is developing a product the company calls Green Crude. The product is green because it is produced by algae from sunlight and carbon dioxide. If successful, Sapphire’s crude product will be refineable into the three most important fuels in use today: gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. With more than 100 employees and blue chip venture capital support, Sapphire bears watching.

Compared to bio-ethanol companies, algae companies have been lurking in the shadows, but they may be about ready to pounce.