News Coverage
Driving into the future with biofuels
Suzanne Bohan , San Jose Mercury NewsIn the end, biofuels researchers say many of the various strategies for producing biofuels are likely to find a market.
Optimistic algae-based fuel industry asking Hill for a hand
Katie Howell, New York TimesOne of the nascent industry’s biggest and most well-heeled players, Sapphire Energy, announced last week that it would be producing 1 million gallons of diesel and jet fuel a year by 2011, double its initial estimates.
“Drop in” fuel replacement ready by 2011 says Sapphire Energy
Giles Clark , Biofuel Review, April 28, 2009 15:09 PSTWithin two years Sapphire Energy claims it will be producing 1 million gallons of diesel and jet fuel per year. The new timeline for deployment of the company’s “drop-in” replacement transportations fuels was unveilled earlier this month at the Military Energy and Fuels Conference in Virginia.
Regional partnership to develop algal biofuels gets backing of San Diego leaders
Kim McDonald, GEN: Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology news“San Diego has a unique combination of life science research institutions, biotechnology companies and venture capital support to lead the nation in the development of this environmentally friendly source of transportation fuel,” said Mayor Sanders. “As the algal biofuel industry develops, we are confident that San Diego will become a major center for renewable energy development.”
Sapphire Energy Hikes Green Crude Production Estimates
Bruce V. Bigelow, xconomyCiting a breakthrough, San Diego’s Sapphire Energy, a startup developing algae-to-fuel technology, today doubled its estimated production for 2011, saying that by then the company will be capable of producing 1 million gallons of diesel and jet fuel annually.
The next green fuel source: algae
Eilene Zimmerman, CNN Money.comSapphire Energy has $100 million riding on its bet that we’ll soon be filling up our tanks with algae oil.
Sustaining Sustainability
Business WorldThe renewable energy industry is built on dreams. One of the fondest of these dreams is to produce a renewable hydrocarbon fuel, so that we can continue driving our cars without feeling any guilt. It is a dream that fuels several hundred companies globally, a large number of them in the US. Industry observers consider Sapphire Energy, a 2007 start-up based in San Diego in California, as one of the hottest of these biofuel companies. Sapphire has apparently developed a process to produce hydrocarbons — petrol, diesel and aviation fuel — directly from algae using sunlight, and they are chemically identical to those derived from crude oil.
Biofuel plant funds secured
Argen Duncan, Portales News-TribuneFisher has no specific schedule for when the algae biofuel plant will be built. He said finding out how to use resources around the state and how to benefit Sapphire and New Mexico would take much more legwork.
Algenol and Sapphire Energy Pursue Algae as Fuel
Chris Morrison, BNET IndustriesUsing algae to produce fuel has turned out to be one of the most difficult technologies to advance. Decades of government study failed to perfect it, and dozens of startups have made big promises but little progress over the past few years. Yet there’s still some progress, most notably from two companies, Algenol Biofuels and Sapphire Energy.
Biofuels: The New Alchemy
Bryan Walsh, Time MagazineThere could be a cheap, abundant alternative, one that has none of the inherent drawbacks of agricultural feedstocks: pond scum.
