1. About GreenFuel

2. Technology

            2.1 Algae as a Crop

            2.2 Energy Crop Comparisons

            2.3 Impact of Algae on CO₂, Water and Other Resources

3. Miscellaneous

4. Appendices

            4.1 Appendix A – Photosynthesis

            4.2 Appendix B – Facility Sizing

  1. ABOUT GREENFUEL    [Top of Page]

What does GreenFuel do?

GreenFuel uses a portfolio of technologies to profitably recycle CO₂ from smokestack, fermentation, and geothermal gases via naturally occurring species of algae. Algae can be converted to transportation fuels and feed ingredients or recycled back to a combustion source as biomass for power generation.

When was GreenFuel founded?

GreenFuel, a privately held, venture-backed firm, was founded in 2001.

Why is GreenFuel focusing on algae instead of other energy crops like corn?

Algae have some advantages to other energy crops*, specifically:

·          Algae are the fastest growing plants in the world and can be grown year round, unlike seasonal crops.

·          Algae farming does not require agricultural land or clean water, so it does not compete with food crops for these resources. 

·          While it is difficult to compare one energy crop to another, per hectare of land algae is more productive than corn, soy or palm.

·          Unlike other energy crops, the entire biomass produced from algae can be used in end products.

·          Lastly, the algae produced by GreenFuel can be used to produce renewable biofuels needed to reduce dependence on non-renewable fuel sources such as coal, oil and natural gas.

*See section on Energy Crop Comparisons

Does GreenFuel believe that algae are the solution to the world’s energy problems?

GreenFuel believes that ecological and energy issues are complicated and will require a variety of solutions -- of which algae will be one.

Is GreenFuel now growing algae at commercial scale?

Not yet. GreenFuel expects to achieve commercial scale (a minimum of 100 hectares = 1km^2 = 247 acres) in the next few years. 

Does GreenFuel sell fuel made from algae?

No. GreenFuel grows and harvests algae to produce byproducts such as dry whole algae and algae oil that can be used for feed stock and biodiesel fuel, among other products. Biofuel producers will purchase algae oil from GreenFuel.

How does GreenFuel make money?

GreenFuel partners with power plants such as Arizona Public Service Company (APS), Arizona’s largest electric utility company, to build algae farms that recycle industrial CO₂ emissions to grow algae. GreenFuel harvests the algae to produce dry whole algae, algae oil and delipidated meal – byproducts that are sold to producers of feed stock, biodiesel fuel and other products. GreenFuel may also generate revenue from carbon credits for its algae farms, but the revenue potential is small compared to other algae-based products.

What about claims that algae production will never be economical?

GreenFuel’s extensive economic analyses and cost estimates show that algae can be grown economically as a commercial product. Many estimates claiming that algae are not commercially viable use outdated economics for product values that are no longer valid, or assume use of initial generations of experimental technology that have since been upgraded.

Will GreenFuel’s algae farms be used for CO₂ capture and sequestration?

No. While algae can be used for this purpose, it is expensive to sequester CO₂. Instead, GreenFuel uses algae to recycle CO₂ emissions and produce products that can be sold to producers of feed stock and biofuels.

Does GreenFuel have any partners with which it is proceeding to commercial scale?

Yes. GreenFuel has partnered with motivated experts with whom we share our technology to develop commercial projects. GreenFuel will make more detailed announcements about our partnerships as our partners are ready to do so.

What are some of the host facilities at which GreenFuel has installed its technology?

To date, GreenFuel has had successful pilot installations at:

·          MIT Cogen, MA

·          APS Redhawk, AZ

·          NRG Dunkirk, NY

·          Sunflower Electric, KS

·          NRG Big Cajun, LA

·          APS Four Corners, NM

2. TECHNOLOGY             [Top of Page]

2.1 Algae as a Crop      [Top of Page]

What are algae?

Algae are simple organisms that range from very small, single-celled microalgae to macroalgae that group into very large organisms such as kelp. There are more than 300,000 species of algae in the Smithsonian Institution collection. The vast majority of algae are photosynthetic, deriving energy from the sun to produce energy and biomass.*

*See Appendix A for more information on Photosynthesis

Are algae currently a commercial crop?

Yes. Algae are grown commercially around the world, primarily for nutritional, feed, and specialty product use.

What is required to grow algae?

The primary requirements for growing algae are sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide (CO₂). Algae also require nutrients and environmental conditions appropriate to the specific algal species. Algae are known to grow in environments as diverse as the arctic and hot springs.

Does GreenFuel grow algae using the CO₂ in our atmosphere?

No. GreenFuel’s technology consumes high concentrations of CO₂ (between 5-30%) as it is emitted from power, cement and chemical plants before it is absorbed into the atmosphere. Atmospheric CO₂, at less than 0.04%, is not concentrated enough to deliver the productivities we are seeking.

Does GreenFuel grow algae in open ponds?

No. GreenFuel algae farms are enclosed systems resembling greenhouses. They are often called algae-solar bioreactors.

What kind of algae does GreenFuel use?

GreenFuel selects microalgae based on a number of factors, most notably high innate growth rates, favorable overall composition (lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins), and ability to grow in specific climatic conditions.

How much algae does a GreenFuel algae farm grow?

There are a number of variables including innate growth rate per species and seasonal availability of sunlight. GreenFuel anticipates that a commercial algae farm will grow an average of 80 grams of algae per square meter growing footprint per day.*

*See Appendix B on Facility Sizing

Do algae accumulate heavy metals or other harmful substances that may be present in the CO₂ source?

No. GreenFuel only selects algae species that do not accumulate metals or other harmful substances. In addition, GreenFuel has established analytical methods to confirm the lack of bioaccumulation in initial studies at each host facility and throughout commercial operations.

Does GreenFuel use algae that have been genetically modified?

No. GreenFuel does not use any algae species that are genetically modified organisms (GMOs). 

What products does an algae crop yield?

A GreenFuel algae farm is designed to produce a number of products including algal oil, delipidated algal meal (DAM) and dried whole algae (DWA). The algal oil is suitable for conversion to biodiesel and can be substituted for any other vegetable oil (soy, palm, jatropha) in a commercial biodiesel production plant. The DAM and DWA are suitable for a wide variety of animal feed applications.

How much oil can be made from algae?

Different species of algae generate different amounts of oil. GreenFuel has focused on several algae species that contain approximately 25% of their weight as oil.

How does GreenFuel algal meal compare to other meal products?

The algae meal from a GreenFuel algae farm has a high protein content compared to other animal feed product such as dried distiller’s grains from ethanol production or soy meal after oil removal.

2.2 Energy Crop Comparisons           [Top of Page]

Are there any accurate measures to compare algae to other energy crops?

Due to a large number of variables, it is difficult to accurately compare one energy crop to another. GreenFuel recommends comparing energy crops based on the final products produced, and the resources required to produce those products. 

How are algae different from other energy crops?

Algae are different from other energy crops in one significant way--the entire biomass produced from an algae farm can be used in end products that are economically valuable. Unlike comparable crops (corn, sugar cane, rapeseed/canola, palm, soybeans, sunflower, jatropha, etc.) which typically contain a substantial amount of wasted biomass, 100% of algal biomass can be used to create new products.

How does algae productivity compare to other energy crops?

Unlike seasonal crops, algae can be grown year round. Since an algae crop does not result in wasted biomass, algae are generally considered to be more productive than comparable energy crops.

How does algae fuel production compare to other liquid fuel crops including corn ethanol?

Under our base design, oil production from the algae farm is estimated at over 5,500 gallons per acre per year. This compares to palm oil at 500, soy at 90, and corn (in the form of ethanol) at 350 gallons per acre per year.

2.3 Impact of Algae on CO₂, Water and Other Resources    [Top of Page]

3. MISCELLANEOUS             [Top of Page]

Can I invest in GreenFuel?

GreenFuel Technologies is a privately held, venture-backed firm. All inquiries regarding business development should be submitted via our inquiry form.

How can I purchase a GreenFuel bioreactor?

GreenFuel's high-yield algae farms are targeted for power plants and other industrial facilities.

Can I visit one of your facilities?

Due to the proprietary nature of our technology we are unable to provide tours of the facilities. However, please see our press page and videos for information on recent installations.

Why doesn’t GreenFuel make more announcements about company developments?

Over the past several years, the hype around algae, biofuels and other clean-energy technologies has become a distraction that increasingly lacks substance. GreenFuel chooses to be singularly focused on the development of commercial algal-farming technologies. GreenFuel will continue to announce significant company milestones; interested parties can join our mailing list to receive company news via email.

Where do I direct business development inquiries?

Please fill out our inquiry form.

4. APPENDICES                [Top of Page]

Appendix A - Photosynthesis       [Top of Page]

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants utilize the energy in the sun’s rays to produce energy and new plant matter (biomass). Photosynthesis is the base reaction supplying the vast majority of energy used by plants and animals on earth. In photosynthesis, energy (photons) from the sun’s rays converts carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrate plus oxygen. The carbohydrate can be converted to protein or fat.

Solar energy is spread along a wide range of wavelengths, of which only a portion is useable for photosynthesis. The wavelengths useable by plants are known as photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and include about 45-50% of the total solar energy. Energy requirements of the photosynthesis reaction reduce the usability of that 45-50% by another factor of 4, making the theoretical energy use roughly 11% of the overall solar energy.

This photosynthetic efficiency is translated into biomass including fats, proteins, complex carbohydrates (cellulose, lignin, etc.) and simple carbohydrates. Also, most crops contain water. To eliminate the effect of water, we present values based on dry biomass. We also need to understand that production of other compounds from simple carbohydrates requires some of the energy.

We have grown algae at a photosynthetic efficiency of approximately 5.4% under natural sunlight. General crops grow at a photosynthetic efficiency of approximately 1%. Algae can be grown much more efficiently because of the nature of the bioreactor and the removal of factors that might limit growth such as lack of nutrients or CO₂.

You can also improve algae growth by using artificial lighting. Algae will grow 24 hours per day if there is sufficient light. However, due to the energy losses inherent in each step from generating electricity to create light and using the light for photosynthesis, this is not economical for anything other than studies, unless the value of the final product is very high (as it is for some commercial algae farms where artificial light is used).

Arizona example:

Based on actual meteorological data from the ‘Typical Meteorological Year’ data (TMY) for Phoenix, Arizona, the average hour by hour Global Horizontal Direct and Diffuse solar radiation is 242 W/m2 (across 24 hours, 365 days), which converts to 5.81 kWh/m2-day (242 * 24 hours * 1000 kW/W). From the NREL solar database the average is 5.7 kWh/m2-day.

Using the lower value of 5.7 kWh/m2-day, the total energy on a yearly basis is 2080.5 kWh/m2-yr. At 1 kWh = 3.6 million Joules, and 1 Joule = 0.002388 kCal, this is equivalent to 2080.5 * 3.6 * 10^6 * 0.0002388 = 1.79 * 10^6 kCal/m2-yr

At 11% maximum theoretical photosynthetic efficiency, 1.97 * 10^5 kCal/m2-yr is available for photosynthesis, which is sufficient to create 51.6 kg/m2 glucose.

The energy required to fix 1 mole of CO₂ via photosynthesis is 114 kCal, or 686 kCal per mole of glucose created. 1 mole of glucose is 180 grams, so 1 Kg of glucose (as biomass) requires 3811 kCal of solar energy. Our proven productivity of 98 g/m2-day dry biomass at our Arizona facility in 2007 is equivalent to 36 kg/m2-yr productivity, which is 70% of the theoretical maximum, or a photosynthetic efficiency of approximately 7.7%. Since these results were achieved during the summer, when peak solar radiation is experienced, we would expect the annual average productivity to be somewhat lower. In fact, using the average monthly solar radiation of 8.0 for June and July in Phoenix, compared to the annual average of 5.7, leads to an expected annual average productivity of 70 g/m2-day based on our experimental data which is 25.5 kg/m2-yr, about 50% of the maximum photosynthetic efficiency.

Appendix B - Facility Sizing           [Top of Page]

We generally assume that the growing areas of the algae farm will be available for growing algae 85% of the year. Similarly, the annual average productivity is estimated at 80 gm/m2-day for our highest productivity system. Thus the overall system productivity is about 25 kilograms per square meter per year (55 pounds).

The overall biomass is expected to be slightly over 50% carbon by weight. Since carbon is 27.3% of the weight of CO₂, it requires approximately 1.9 times the weight of produced biomass in CO₂. Thus for every 1 ton of biomass produced, 1.9 tons of CO₂ are consumed.

Multiplying 55 * 1.9 = 104.5 pounds CO₂ consumed per square meter growing area per year.

Our standard commercial algae farm includes 100 hectares (247 acres) of algae growing area, which will consume over 52,000 US tons of CO₂ per year.

The algae farms are expected to be built in multiple units of the 100 hectare standard for facilities where more CO₂ is available.