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Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308

Pilot Scale Integrated 

Biorefinery for Producing 

Ethanol from Hybrid Algae

Cooperative Research and Development 

Final Report

CRADA Number: CRD-10-389

NREL Technical Contact: Philip T. Pienkos

CRADA Report

NREL/TP-5100-60552

November 2013
NOTICE

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Cover Photos: (left to right) photo by Pat Corkery, NREL 16416, photo from SunEdison, NREL 17423, photo by Pat Corkery, NREL 

16560, photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL 17613, photo by Dean Armstrong, NREL 17436, photo by Pat Corkery, NREL 17721.

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1

This report is available at no cost from the 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 

at www.nrel.gov/publications.

Cooperative Research and Development Final Report

In accordance with Requirements set forth in Article XI.A(3) of the CRADA document, this document is 

the final CRADA report, including a list of Subject Inventions, to be forwarded to the Office of Science 

and Technical Information as part of the commitment to the public to demonstrate results of federally 

funded research.

CRADA Number: CRD-10-389

CRADA Title: Pilot Scale Integrated Biorefinery for Producing Ethanol from Hybrid Algae

Parties to the Agreement: Algenol Biofuels, Inc.

Joint Work Statement Funding Table showing DOE Commitment:

Estimated Costs NREL Shared Resources

Year 1 $ 424,480.00

Year 2 $ 184,068.00

Year 3 $ 60,021.00

TOTALS $ 668,569.00

Abstract of CRADA Work:

This collaboration between Algenol Biofuels Inc. and NREL will provide valuable information regarding 

Direct to Ethanol technology. Specifically, the cooperative R&D will analyze the use of flue gas from 

industrial sources in the Direct to Ethanol process, which may demonstrate the potential to significantly 

reduce greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously producing a valuable product, i.e., ethanol.

Additionally, Algenol Biofuels Inc. and NREL will develop both a techno-economic model with full 

material and energy balances and an updated life-cycle analysis to identify greenhouse gas emissions 

relative to gasoline, each of which will provide a better understanding of the Direct to Ethanol process 

and further demonstrate that it is a breakthrough technology with varied and significant benefits.

Summary of Research Results:

1) Impact of long term cultivation with industrial CO2 sources:

NREL evaluated the trace contaminants present in flue gas from both coal- and natural gas-fired power 

plants as well as concentrated CO2 captured from a coal-fired power plant and from a steam methane 

reformer. A model was developed to calculate the accumulation of the various trace contaminants after 

long-term operation of an Algenol bioreactor and the impact on productivity was estimated based on a 

literature review of toxic effects of the different compounds.

2) New insights on physiology of cyanobacteria under conditions relevant to ethanol production:

To support the Algenol Integrated Biorefinery project, NREL set up cyanobacterial cultures under 

conditions that are relevant to Algenol outdoor photobioreactor operations and performed long-term 
2

This report is available at no cost from the 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 

at www.nrel.gov/publications.

physiological studies. The results showed diversity of physiology among cyanobacterial strains and in 

response to environmental changes. This knowledge will guide cyanobacterial biofuels production in 

outdoor photobioreactors.

3) Life Cycle Assessment:

NREL has identified a number of pathways for spent biomass and photobioreactor disposition based on a 

range of assumptions regarding the duration of culture productivity and photobioreactor lifetimes. We 

provided TEA and LCA data on these aspects for incorporation into Algenol models.

Subject Inventions Listing:

None

Report Date:

09/27/13

Responsible Technical Contact at Alliance/NREL:

Philip T. Pienkos

This document contains NO confidential, protectable, or proprietary information.