Sept 2001 Rough Draft OFFM Policy Letter 02-1 - Office of Research ...

techniques that will result in increased algal biomass productivity in outdoor cultivation
environments relevant to commercial scales (i.e., one (1) acre cultivation equivalent).
Achieving a target for a minimum ash free dry weight (AFDW) productivity will not be the only
variable that will enable meeting the goal of 2,500 gallons of biofuel intermediate per acre per year
by 2018. However, achieving high levels of algal biomass productivity continues to be one of the
most significant contributors to achieving an economically viable algal biofuels industry. BTO’s
baseline analysis results show that conservative modeled productivities (13 grams per meter
squared per day – g/m2/day on an annual average basis) are associated with high resource use, high
costs, and high GHG emissions for algal biofuel systems. Priority Area 1 is focused on
demonstrating increased algal biomass productivity that, in combination with improvements in
other downstream processes, will meet the biofuel intermediate productivity goal of 2,500 gallons
per acre per year by 2018.
It is recognized that productivities above 25 g/m2/day are achievable in the lab and that advanced
biotechnology may further increase this, but a clear barrier exists in translating laboratory success
to demonstrated, scalable, outdoor cultivation environments that capture all of the variables not
present in laboratory systems. Thus, it is expected that the research conducted in the selected
projects will include an iterative process whereby the results obtained from experiments in outdoor
environments will be used to inform the laboratory experiments and vice versa. This continuous
feedback loop is expected to expedite the lessons learned and ensure they are relevant for large
scale algal biofuel production.
Important aspects of Priority Area 1 include:
Production of algal feedstock refers to the cultivation of both micro- and macro-alga, as well
as cyanobacteria. (See Appendix A for a definition of allowable algal types.)
Improvements to increase algal biomass productivity may include, but are not limited to:
advances made to systems biology approaches; gains in knowledge related to fundamental
algal processes (e.g., photosynthesis); strain improvement from breeding to modification
and/or genetic engineering; improvements in cultivation strategies, such as crop protection,
water and nutrient management, carbon dioxide delivery and utilization, light optimization,
temperature management, and seasonal succession; and cultivation infrastructure
engineering to maximize biomass yields while minimizing land, capital, and operating costs.
Acceptable algae cultivation systems include open ponds, attached growth systems, and
closed photobioreactors (PBRs), combinations of these systems, or other systems with
similarly justifiable scalable potential.
There are a wide variety of processes that may use various components of the algal
feedstocks on the path towards commercialization of biofuels, and possibly bioproducts. As
such, all of the major bulk biochemical components (lipid, protein, carbohydrate, and ash)
are targets for improvements if they can be clearly demonstrated to lead to increased yields
of biofuel intermediates. Thus, the productivity of all of these components will be
considered under this FOA.
It is expected that applicants will have already identified: promising strain(s) or partnered
appropriately to gain access to identified strains; strain characteristic(s); and cultivation
technique(s) backed by supporting data that demonstrate(s) a significant potential to
increase biomass productivity. This information must be included in the application.
Standardized analytical methods for measuring the key biochemical constituents are vital to
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