04
All microalgae are microcrops, but not all microcrops are microalgae: a larger family of diatoms, cyanobacteria, and tiny aquatic flowering plants such as the lemna family are increasingly in the mix for biofuels commercialization.
As related in the Digest in recent months, at least two groups - a team of academics in North Carolina, and the publicly-traded PetroAlgae in Florida, have been reporting progress with microcrops that suggest that the next commercialization breakout in biofuels may be based on tiny organisms that even fans of algae-based biofuels may not yet be familiar with.
Further, a report in ScientificAmerican.com suggested that the mysterious and privately-held Joule Biotechnologies in Massachusetts may be using a modified version of watermeal, the smallest flowering plant, as a base for what it is terming game-changing renewable fuel feedstock yielding 20,000 gallons per acre and ready for commercialization as soon as 2010.
What is all the more intriguing about the latest news from Joule and PetroAlgae is that they are reporting that they are competitive on price with crude oil, without subsidies, are capable of conversion into drop-in fuels that require no change in infrastructure, do not require the use of land that is currently used for food production. PetroAlgae is also reporting that its technology to commercialize microcrops is ready for licensing today.