More information here.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today the investment of up to $24 million for three research groups to tackle key hurdles in the commercialization of algae-based biofuels. The selections will support the development of a clean, sustainable transportation sector—a goal of the Department’s continued effort to spur the creation of the domestic bio-industry while creating jobs. Developing cost-effective renewable transportation fuels is a key component of the Administration’s strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions and move the nation toward energy independence.

“Partnerships such as these focus the creative powers of the public, private, and academic sectors on key challenges facing the development of renewable energy for transportation,” said Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Cathy Zoi. “The United States must find effective ways to hasten the development of technologies for advanced biofuels made from algae and other renewable resources to reduce our need for foreign sources of oil.” Zoi made the announcement while speaking today at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) 2010 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing.

The consortia consist of partners from academia, national laboratories, and private industries that are based across the country, broadening the geographic range and technical expertise of DOE partners in the area of algal biofuels. Projects are expected to continue for a period of three years. Together, they represent a diversified portfolio that will help accelerate algal biofuels development with the objective of significantly increasing production of affordable, high-quality algal biofuels that are environmentally and economically sustainable.

The three consortia selected for funding are:

Sustainable Algal Biofuels Consortium (Mesa, Arizona): Led by Arizona State University, this consortium will focus on testing the acceptability of algal biofuels as replacements for petroleum-based fuels. Tasks include investigating biochemical conversion of algae to fuels and products, and analyzing physical chemistry properties of algal fuels and fuel intermediates. (DOE share: up to $6 million)

Consortium for Algal Biofuels Commercialization (San Diego, California): Led by the University of California, San Diego, this consortium will concentrate on developing algae as a robust biofuels feedstock. Tasks include investigating new approaches for algal crop protection, algal nutrient utilization and recycling, and developing genetic tools. (DOE funding: up to $9 million)

Cellana, LLC Consortium (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii): Led by Cellana, LLC, this consortium will examine large-scale production of fuels and feed from microalgae grown in seawater. Tasks include integrating new algal harvesting technologies with pilot-scale cultivation test beds, and developing marine microalgae as animal feed for the aquaculture industry. (DOE funding: up to $9 million)

National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap
Despite algae’s potential, many technical and economic challenges must be overcome for algal biofuels to be commercialized. To identify these hurdles and guide research and development activities, DOE convened the National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap Workshop, bringing together more than 200 experts and stakeholders from across the country. The Department synthesized workshop results and released a draft report for public comment in June 2009. The final National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap released today reflects the substantive comments received and is intended to guide future work and investments in algal biofuels. Under the Recovery Act, the Department awarded funding earlier this year to an algal research consortium to tackle a broad range of barriers identified in the roadmap report.

See a copy of the National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap (PDF 7.5 MB).

Additional information on algal biofuels is available on the Department’s Biomass Program Web site.

South San Francisco, CA – June 21, 2010 – LS9, Inc., the Renewable Petroleum Company™, today announced that it has won the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) highest environmental honor for its revolutionary Renewable Petroleum™ technology that converts sustainable, plant-based materials into low-carbon fuels and chemicals.

The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award recognizes chemical technologies that are making significant contributions to reducing pollution in the United States by incorporating the principles of green chemistry into chemical design, manufacture and use. Winners of this prestigious award are selected by an international panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society.

LS9’s game-changing technology platform uses a one-step fermentation process to convert renewable raw materials into a broad portfolio of low-carbon petroleum replacement products, including LS9’s UltraClean™ Diesel and surfactants, which LS9 is commercializing with one of its strategic partners, Procter and Gamble.

Most other advanced biofuels and chemicals production technologies require additional steps in their production processes. LS9’s highly efficient one-step production technology enables it to produce fuels and chemicals that offer increased environmental benefits over conventional petroleum-based products and improved economics over other multi-step technologies used in the production of advanced biofuels.

“Since our founding, LS9 has focused on finding solutions to the climate change issues facing our planet,” said Steve del Cardayre, LS9’s Vice President of Research and Development. “To be recognized by the EPA as a leader in the field of Green Chemistry is a great honor and it helps remind the world that it is only a matter of time until companies like LS9 will be supplying the low-carbon renewable fuels and chemicals needed to significantly reduce our dependence on conventional petroleum-based products.”

The chemical composition of LS9’s UltraClean Diesel is compatible with the existing infrastructure and has a more desirable environmental footprint than conventional diesel. Production of LS9 UltraClean Diesel provides an estimated 85% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when compared to conventional petroleum diesel. In addition, LS9 UltraClean Diesel is free of benzene, a common carcinogen that is generally associated with conventional diesel products. The environmental benefits are equally impressive when LS9’s technology is used in the production of industrial chemicals.

Green chemistry, also known as sustainable chemistry, is a philosophy of chemical research and engineering that encourages the design of products and processes that minimize the use and generation of hazardous substances. This includes using sustainable feedstocks and more efficient production processes whenever it is technically and economically practicable.

LS9 UltraClean products are a family of transportation fuels and industrial chemicals that are produced from plant-based materials. LS9 UltraClean fuels overcome a number of key challenges associated with first-generation biofuels, including infrastructure compatibility, product diversity, product economics and quality consistency. LS9 UltraClean fuels can go directly into vehicles without engine modification. The products are designed to be cost-competitive with traditional petroleum-based fuels – without subsidy – and be commercially available within the next few years.

“This is a remarkable achievement for LS9’s team of scientists and investors,” said Bill Haywood, LS9’s CEO. “The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award acknowledges the value of the time and energy LS9 has invested in its efforts to develop renewable petroleum products, and it recognizes LS9’s technology as one that is ready to fundamentally change the landscape of advanced biofuels and sustainable chemicals.”

LS9 was founded in 2005 and has received venture funding from Flagship Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Chevron Technology Ventures. The company has also entered into a strategic partnership with Procter and Gamble.

“LS9 has utilized its game-changing technology platform to find meaningful applications in the fuels and chemicals space,” said Noubar Afeyan, Managing Partner of Flagship Ventures and Co-founder and Chairman of the Board of LS9. “This award recognizes the important role LS9 will play in bringing clean, green petroleum replacement products to the world market.”

About LS9
LS9, Inc., the Renewable Petroleum Company™, is a privately-held industrial biotechnology company pursuing the commercial development of renewable fuels and chemicals. LS9 is applying synthetic biology to produce proprietary biofuels that are compatible with existing fuel distribution and consumer infrastructure, as well as high-value industrial chemicals. LS9 is the pioneer in the commercial development of fermentation derived hydrocarbon biofuels and its patent-pending Renewable Petroleum™ products are custom engineered in the lab to address immediate market needs for clean energy alternatives to petroleum. LS9 is headquartered in South San Francisco, California. Additional information about LS9 products and capabilities is available at www.ls9.com.

The Forum will be held in Denver, Colorado on October 19-21, 2010. The Forum features presentations from 34 emerging clean energy companies, panels led by thought leaders, one-on-one meetings, and organized networking opportunities. The best presenters are awarded cash prizes and commercialization services from NREL. Collectively, companies who have presented at the Forum since 2003 have raised more than $3.4 billion in growth financing. This is an amazing opportunity, folks. Get organized and get signed up. You could be the lucky winner of the 2010 NREL Clean Energy Venture Award, but even if you don’t win, during the Review & Selection Process you get exposure to 120+ North American investors who have an opportunity to review your application, direct feedback from investor reviewers, the opportunity to see and learn from the investment pitch of other clean energy companies, the opportunity to network with some amazing folks, including energy executives, NREL scientists, and other leading clean energy entrepreneurs from across the globe.
Submit your application by July 16, 2010

How Much Does it Cost to Apply?
$250 USD – Application Fee
$100 USD – Reduced Forum Registration Fee (each unique application receives one reduced registration at $100)

Important Application Dates – 2010
Mid-June – Begin Accepting Applications
July 16th – Final Application Deadline
August 30th – Presenting Companies Announced
September – Coaching and Mentoring of Finalists
October 19 – 21 – 23rd NREL Industry Growth Forum”>here.

And on the Going Green Competition and companies nominated so far click here.

AlwaysOn has officially kicked off its fourth annual GoingGreen Silicon Valley Top 100 Private Companies competition. Just fyi, AO is looking for the top emerging private companies that are creating new business opportunities in green technology. This includes private companies that are demonstrating significant market traction and pursuing game-changing technology in the following sectors:

Clean Energy (not solar or biofuel)
Clean Manufacturing and Clean Products
Energy Management, Smart Grid, and Energy Efficiency
Energy Storage Systems
Green Automobiles and Transportation
Green Materials and Green Buildings
Life Sciences, Biochemistry, Biofuel, and Agriculture
Resource Recovery and Waste Management
Solar Energy
Water Technology and Treatment

The winners of this competition will be officially announced at:
GoingGreen Silicon Valley 2010
Where Green Entrepreneurs Take on Big Business
September 13th-15th, 2010
Cavallo Point
San Francisco, CA

As background, per the organization’s website:
The Artemis Project sponsored the first Top 50 Water Companies Competition to identify the leading game-changing technologies that provide venture grade investment opportunities in the water sector.

The competition goes beyond identifying visionary or exciting technology to assess a company’s ability to become an industry leader through market opportunity coupled by a depth of intellectual property and know-how. The Artemis Project Company Rating Matrix combines these measures with an evaluation of the company management team and its investors. The judging criteria included ipCapital Group’s proprietary patent scoring algorithm, ipDimensional Scoring, which objectively ranks companies within a particular sector based on the relative value of its patents.

Companies were graded based on their potential to rapidly develop a strong leadership position in the water industry and sustain high profitability over the long-term. Specifically, to

- Create a fully developed solution to an urgent, strategic problem
- Address a large, mass market which provides for sustainable, rapid growth
- Satisfy a market of customers that can use an off-the-shelf product and make decisions within a 3 months to one-year time frame and then purchase significant units of the product
- Increase sales rapidly
- Establish a sustainable leadership position with a high profit margin

Competing companies were evaluated with the following four criteria:

Intellectual Property (IP)
- IP Strategy
- Value of IP

Technology
- Value Proposition
- Ease of Integration with Existing Solutions
- Product Design Fit for Key Applications
- Value of Solution

In the category of technology, companies were rated based on the bottom-line value of their technologies to operations. This category evaluates both incremental improvements over existing technology as well as breakthroughs that transform processes to provide dramatic improvements in costs and other operations imperatives. Impact of solutions upon the environment, both to business, human health and water ecosystem, will also be taken into account.

Market Potential
- Total Addressable Market
- Potential for Rapid Market Penetration
- Length of Sales Cycle

In the category of market potential, companies’ technology and products were evaluated based on their perceived value within the market. The size of the total addressable market over the full life of the products, as well as the immediate value upon initial product introduction, was taken into account when assessing market value. Judges also estimated the length of the sales cycle for the company’s product offering, with extended sales cycles inhibiting the ability of the company to grow rapidly and establish a sustainable leadership position in the market.

Team
- Number of Highly Experienced Team Members
- Combined Technical, Market and Industry Background
- Participation of Angel Investors with Relevant Background and Network
- Venture Capital Funding

In the team category, companies were evaluated based on the diversity and combined experience of their management teams. The strongest candidates will have management teams with extensive business, scientific, product development and operations experience.

About The Artemis Project
The Artemis Project is a boutique consulting practice dedicated to helping companies thrive in a world of increasing water scarcity. We operate at the intersection of corporate strategy, advanced technology, investment and policy, working with global corporations to achieve sustainable competitive advantage through operational excellence in water management and assisting advanced water technology companies in maximizing the value they bring to their customers.

Corporations leverage our expertise in water management strategy and in-depth knowledge of advanced water technologies to formulate, prioritize and implement initiatives designed to reduce their exposure to water scarcity risk and achieve sustainable competitive advantage.

Advanced Water Technology Companies rely on us to optimize their go-to-market strategies and connect them with the investors, developers and customers required to ensure their long-term success.

Investors take advantage of our unparalleled understanding of corporate demand drivers and access to emerging investment opportunities in order to maximize the return on their advanced water technology investments.

Policy & Advocacy Organizations turn to us for the superior thought leadership that can only come from our robust domain expertise and extensive relationships with leading corporations, advanced technology companies, investors, utilities, industry consultants and regulators.

10 Days Left for Conference Early Bird Pricing – On June 25 the Conference tickets go from $197 to $347.

Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Kristina M. Johnson, Undersecretary of Energy, Department of Energy
Ron Gonen, Founder and CEO, RecycleBank
Speakers and Panelists:
Lesa Mitchell, Vice President, Kauffman Foundation
Andy Hargadon, Faculty Director, Center for Entrepreneurship at UC Davis
Kevin Surace, Chairman and CEO, Serious Materials
Randy Knox, Senior Director of Global Facilities and Real Estate, Adobe
Bruce Cahan, President, Ashoka
Zach Gentry, Founder, Adura Technologies
Devra Wang, Director, California Energy Program, NRDC
Margot Gerritson, Assistant Professor of Energy Resources Engineering, Stanford University
Ted Driscoll, Technology Partner, Claremont Creek Ventures
David Arfin, VP of Strategy, Solar City
Joseph Brakohiapa, President Business Development and Sales, Clean Power Finance
and many more

This is shaping up to be a super event!

The Lux Innovation Grid: Recovering energy from wastewater sludge: How candidate technologies compare in technical value and maturity (see graphic below).

Sewage sludge from wastewater has long been narrowly viewed as an expensive nuisance, fit only for treatment and disposal. Utilities, however, have increasingly begun to explore technologies designed to help extract energy and other valuable products from wastewater sludge. As these technologies mature, the market opportunity for resource recovery will grow from $25 billion today to $45 billion in 2020, according to a recently released Lux Research report titled “Technologies Turn Waste into Profit ” (client registration required).

To evaluate the technologies competing for a share of the market, the report first separated them into two application segments: energy recovery and nutrient/material recovery. It then scored candidate technologies by their technical merits and maturity.

This week’s Graphic focuses on methods for recovering energy from sludge, mostly in the form of biogas or alternative fuels. The technologies in this category show the most promise, and are on track to capture 64% of the overall market in 2020.

Although recovering energy from sludge is relatively new as a business proposition, the basic technology has long been available in the form of anaerobic digesters. Notably, technologies that help improve production of biogas by enhancing anaerobic digestion offer the strongest value proposition. Hence, many of these technologies – including ultrasonic cavitation, mechanical disintegration and thermal hydrolysis – land in the Current Winners segment.

Deriving alternative fuels from sludge also shows promise, with caveats. Technologies, like gasification, pyrolysis, and supercritical water oxidation help to derive alternative fuels like syngas and biodiesel from sludge. These approaches scored highly on technical value due to their favorable energy balance, relatively low capital costs, and high solids removal. However, they are also equipment-intensive and, with a limited number of installations, they registered low on commercial maturity.

Source: Lux Research report “Technologies Turn Waste into Profit ” (client registration required). To learn more about this graphic and related intelligence from Lux Research, click here or email Carole Jacques.

More here.

And another market that’s going through some interesting gyrations…and will continue to as EV technologies evolve and EV use increases…the lithium market. More here from Miningweekly.com…