Solazyme, a renewable oil and green bioproducts company and leader in algal biotechnology, manufactured the world’s first 100% algal-based jet fuel through its proprietary fermentation process in collaboration with renewable jet fuel processing technology from Honeywell’s UOP. Solazyme’s renewable Solajet(TM)HRJ-5 is designed to meet all of the requirements for Naval renewable aviation fuel. In preliminary tests, it also meets the fuel requirements of the U.S. Air Force and meets the standards for commercial jet fuel.

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Recent human clinical research (Biologics: Targets & Therapy 2010:4 33-44) conducted at Southern Cross University NatMed Research Centre demonstrated that the natural seaweed extract can reduce osteoarthritis symptoms in some patients by up to 52%. Fucoidans are bioactive polysaccharides thought to be responsible for many of the health benefits attributed to brown seaweeds such as wakame.

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Coupled with the rapid depletion of natural resources, surging demand from China, India and other fast-growing emerging economies raises the price of crude and other commodities sharply, weighing heavily on the Korean economy.

To secure a stable supply of energy resources and achieve a sustainable growth, the nation should turn its eye to the sea and make larger investments to explore a range of minerals on the sea bottom, Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI) President Kang Jung-keuk stressed.

The institute is undertaking several economic feasibility studies on the construction of electric power plants using tidal currents in the West Sea, while working on the state-of-the-art technologies to produce bio-ethanol from marine algae.

`Generating electricity from tidal currents and extracting fuel from marine plants are environmentally friendly and renewable energies, which will help Korea reduce its imports of conventional fossil fuels, boost economic activities and create jobs. We will also make effort to foster a marine biotechnology sector by studying microorganisms that inhabit the most extreme living environments under the sea. By examining them, we could obtain materials for new medicines and create a range of benefits for humans,” Kang said.

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While competition between seaweed and coral is just one of many factors affecting the decline of coral reefs worldwide, this chemical threat may provide a serious setback to efforts aimed at repopulating damaged reefs. Seaweeds are normally kept in check by herbivorous fish, but in many areas overfishing has reduced the populations of these plant-consumers, allowing seaweeds to overpopulate coral reefs.

A study documenting the chemical effects of seaweeds on corals was scheduled to be published May 10, 2010 in the early edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Teasely Endowments at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

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Many believe the ocean is where life first started. Then it is no surprise, perhaps, that the biggest potential source for new, bioactive ingredients for the health and beauty market may originate from the same place. With so many new species of marine life still to be discovered, the potential for new marine-derived compounds and extracts is immense, and the industry is poised for accelerated development in the near future.

Later this year, the final results of the Census of Marine Life will be revealed. This 10-year ambitious initiative, driven by a global network of researchers in about 80 nations, is intended to assess and explain the diversity, distribution and abundance of marine life in the world’s oceans. This massive study will tell us about newly identified marine organisms and marine life not previously known. This news is exciting, as new promising bacteria, organisms and compounds will be likely discovered, providing a potential treasure trove of new marine ingredient products.

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A research team at BGU’s Landau Family Microalgal Biotechnology Lab in the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR) headed by Prof. Zvi HaCohen, is studying an algal mutant that is capable of accumulating up to 15 percent (of dry weight) of a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) called DGLA (Dihomo-γ-Linolenic Acid). The new strain, IKG-1, is a freshwater microalga that the researchers believe is the only known plant source capable of producing such significant amounts of DGLA.

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Blue Moon

“We believe we are the first to extract electrons out of living plant cells,” said WonHyoung Ryu, the lead author of the paper published in the March issue of Nano Letters. Ryu conducted the experiments while he was a research associate for mechanical engineering Professor Fritz Prinz.

The Stanford research team developed a unique, ultra-sharp nanoelectrode made of gold, specially designed for probing inside cells. They gently pushed it through the algal cell membranes, which sealed around it, and the cell stayed alive. From the photosynthesizing cells, the electrode collected electrons that had been energized by light and the researchers generated a tiny electrical current.

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Key experts, including government regulators and policymakers, algae producers, legal experts and investment professionals, will offer attendees a holistic — and realistic — assessment of the capital needs and financing structures for algae companies and projects, as well as the role of the federal government in regulating the industry and facilitating its growth through funding.

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