Beneficial Reuse of Carbon Dioxide

Tim Zenk, Vice President of Corporate Affairs
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Oil from Algae is not a new concept: We call it crude oil

New Scientist magazine, 27 January 1996, p 18

Geochemical data indicates that algal blooms pulled CO2 out of the atmosphere 400 

million years ago, resulting in today’s crude oil deposits
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Sapphire Energy’s Industrial-Scale Cultivation of Algae Addresses 

Some of the World’s Most Vexing Problems Simultaneously...

... without creating new ones

Sapphire transcends the food-vs.-fuel debate

Conventional biofuel solutions use arable land and fresh water, and generate carbon dioxide 

The Sapphire process liberates farmland and water resources and consumes CO2

Does not use 

arable land

Beneficially 

reuses CO2

emissions

Increases fuel 

production

Increases 

protein 

production

Does not use 

potable water
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Sapphire Produces Drop-in Crude Oil* From Algae, Sunlight, & CO2

Geochemical data indicates that algal blooms pulled CO2 out of the atmosphere 400 

million years ago, resulting in today’s crude oil deposits

Plentiful inputs Scalable, open pond facilities Green Crude

CO2

Sunlight

Non-potable water • Non-arable land • Enhanced algae • Proprietary process

Petroleum crude comes from fossilized algae and other plants that lived 300 million 

years ago; Sapphire radically accelerates a natural phenomenon

* Sapphire’s Green Crude oil is not ethanol, not biodiesel, but a drop-in replacement for 

petroleum crude
PNNL Modeled Algae with Saline and Sea Water Usage

SAPPHIRE CONFIDENTIAL 5

• PNNL conducted the first thorough analysis of the potential of algae using saline and sea 

water

• Seawater 

• Up to 30% of EISA Advanced Biofuel 2022 target or 10.9 billion gallons, or enough to 

offset 10% of current US diesel consumption 

• Seawater is viable up to 50 km away from the coast

• Saline aquifers 

• Nearly 2x the EISA 2022 target or ~52 billion gallons, or enough to offset an additional 

70% of US diesel consumption
Published LCA on commercial scale algae to fuel process 

shows significant GHG reductions and strong EROI

• Compared to Terrestrial Biofuels Fuels—Algae have GHG 

profiles lower than terrestrial biofuels with significant 

opportunity for improvement verses terrestrial with little 

opportunity for improvements

• LCA—Algae derived gasoline and diesel have a 60 to 68% 

reduction in the GHG emissions per vehicle mile travelled 

• Energy Return on Investment (EROI) of commercial algae 

production is 3 – 1 or approaching petroleum Although Low-sulfur Diesel and 

Gasoline have a more attractive 

EROI, these sources also have 

higher GHG emissions—a value 

that is becoming increasingly 

important for future energy 

solutions and policy

Source: “Pilot-scale data provide enhanced estimates of the life cycle energy and emissions profile of algae biofuels produced via hydrothermal liquefaction”, Bioresource Technology 6
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Beneficial reuse of CO2, reduces the total GHG emissions derived 

from consumer energy use (1 of 2)

Below ground

Above ground

Fuel or biomass is derived from new fossil sources, thereby 

emitting additional carbon from oil into the atmosphere

CO2 is not 

captured

Crude oil is lifted from 

below ground for fuel

Emissions today without reuse

Coal power

Crude oil

Total

1 unit

1 unit

2 units

CO2 source Quantity

Additional CO2 is 

emitted into the 

atmosphere

CONCEPTUAL

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Co-locating algae production supports beneficial reuse of CO2, 

reducing the total GHG emissions derived from energy production (2 of 2)

Below ground

Above ground

Fuel or biomass is derived from beneficially reused CO2, reduces 

the overall carbon impact of power production

CO2 is captured for 

reuse

Crude oil remains below ground, 

keeping the CO2 sequestered

Emissions today with reuse

Reused CO2 is 

emitted resulting in

60% net emissions 

reduction

Coal power

Crude oil

Total

1 unit

0 units

1 unit

CO2 source Quantity

Oil remains 

in place

CONCEPTUAL

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The Green Crude Farm is the world’s first commercial 

demonstration algae-to-energy facility

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State of 

technology