{{Short description|American biotechnology company}} {{update|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox company |name = Algenol Biotech, LLC |logo = Algenol-logo.png |type = Private |founder = Paul Woods, Craig Smith, Ed Legere, Alejandro Gonzalez |area_served = |key_people = |industry = Biofuels |products = |revenue = US$ 3.1 million<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hoovers.com/company/Algenol_Biofuels_Inc/xffysssfc-1.html |title=Algenol Biofuels Inc. | Company profile from Hoover's |publisher=Hoovers.com |date= |accessdate=2010-08-24}}</ref> |operating_income = |net_income = |assets = |equity = |num_employees = 127 |homepage = {{URL|http://www.algenol.com/}} |foundation = |location_city = Fort Myers, Florida |caption = }} '''Algenol''' is an industrial biotechnology company that is commercializing patented algae technology for production of ethanol and other fuels. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida. The company uses proprietary technologies to produce various products, including personal care products, food supplements, and industrial products, from a patented strain of cyanobacteria and a proprietary photobioreactor system.
==History==
Algenol was founded in 2006 by Paul Woods, Craig Smith, and Ed Legere.<ref name=":0">{{Citation |title=Algenol: Case study of an unsuccessful algae biofuels venture |date=2017-03-01 |url=https://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Algenol-Report.pdf |access-date=2024-10-10 |publisher=Biofuel Watch}}</ref> In 2008 the company announced it would begin commercial production of ethanol by 2009 in the Sonoran Desert in northwest Mexico.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sandru |first=Ovidiu |date=14 February 2013 |title=Algenol Mexico Factory to Produce Ethanol from Algae by 2009 |url=http://www.greenoptimistic.com/algenol-mexico-factory-to-produce-ethanol-from-algae-by-2009-20080617/ |access-date=13 September 2023 |website=The Green Optimistic |publisher= |publication-place=Romania}}</ref> However, the company was still not in commercial production by 2015. In October 2015, founder Paul Woods resigned and the company announced they were laying off 25% of the staff and changing focus to “water treatment and carbon capture" and possibly return to fuels in the future.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2015/10/25/algenol-ceo-exits-staff-cut-by-25-investors-re-up-for-two-years-new-direction-tipped/|title=Algenol CEO exits; staff cut by 25%, investors re-up for two years, new direction tipped : Biofuels Digest|publisher=}}</ref>
In 2016, their name changed to Algenol Biotech LLC and the company added other algae-based sustainable products to its portfolio.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}
==Locations== Algenol has a large facility in Southwest Florida, just north of Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers which opened in October 2010. The aim of the facility is to produce commercially viable fuel from algae.<ref name="Grand Opening">{{cite news |last=Logan |first=Casey |date=2015-09-19 |title=Algenol on mission to change world |url=https://www.news-press.com/story/money/2015/09/19/algenol-mission-change-world/32558329/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |work=News-Press}}</ref> The site features research labs including engineering facilities, advanced molecular biology, {{CO2}} management, separations, and green chemistry advanced labs and an outdoor process development production unit on 40 acres.<ref>{{cite news |title=Impending verdict on Algenol's biofuel production utility |url=http://www.biofuels-news.com/industry_news.php?item_id=1708 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305233613/http://www.biofuels-news.com/industry_news.php?item_id=1708 |archive-date=March 5, 2014 |access-date=February 8, 2010 |publisher=Biofuels International, February 2, 2010}}</ref> In October 2011, Algenol began construction on a pilot-scale Integrated Biorefinery, allowing the company to work with algae from a single strain in the lab all the way to commercial-scale production.<ref name=":1">{{Cite report |url=https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/04/f30/2015_peer_review_report.pdf |title=2015 Peer Review Report |date=2016-03-01 |publisher=U.S. Department of Energy |access-date=2024-10-10}}</ref>
Algenol also has subsidiaries located in Berlin, Germany and Zug, Switzerland.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web |title=Facilities/Locations | Algenol Biofuels |url=http://algenol.com/about-algenol/facilities-locations |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918042956/http://www.algenol.com/about-algenol/facilities-locations |archive-date=2013-09-18 |access-date=2014-04-18}}</ref>
==Research and projects== One of Algenol's primary research goals has been to produce four fuels—ethanol, gasoline, jet, and diesel fuel—at commercial scale from marine cyanobacteria using patented bioreactors.<ref name=":0" /> They received $22 million of funding from the U.S. Department of Energy from 2010 through 2013 for a project to prove viability of algal-produced ethanol at commercial scales using carbon dioxide captured from industrial sources.<ref name=":1" /> From this project, they built a 2-acre system with over 6,000 photobioreactors and they were able to operate 4,000 of these for over 500 days. While this project made significant progress towards large-scale algal biofuel production, the 2015 report from the Department of Energy notes that it is "unclear whether closed photobioreactors will ever be a viable commercial option".<ref name=":1" />
Algenol licenses the DIRECT TO ETHANOL® technology.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://algenol.com/commercialization/project-development-activities |title=Project Development Activities | Algenol Biofuels |access-date=2014-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505014512/http://www.algenol.com/commercialization/project-development-activities |archive-date=2014-05-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref> One of these licenses is with BioFields SAPI de CV in Mexico, which has access to over 42,000 acres of non-arable land in the Sonoran Desert in Mexico.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnet.com/news/algae-farm-in-mexico-to-produce-ethanol-in-09/|title=Algae farm in Mexico to produce ethanol in '09|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/algenol-enters-the-algae-biofuel-race-with-process-economics-advantage.html|title=Algenol Enters The Algae Biofuel Race With Process Economics Advantage|publisher=}}</ref> Algenol has stated that they are discussing commercial "Direct to Ethanol" projects with several partners in the United States, South America, Israel, and Africa.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{Cite web |title=Commercialization | Algenol Biofuels |url=http://algenol.com/commercialization/commercialization |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207102454/http://www.algenol.com/commercialization/commercialization |archive-date=2014-02-07 |access-date=2014-04-18}}</ref>
A 2017 report from Biofuelwatch has criticized Algenol as a case-study of many failed algae biofuel ventures.<ref name=":0" />
==Partnerships and funding== Algenol has a number of partners including the United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory, BioFields in Mexico, Reliance Industries Ltd. in Mumbai, India, and Membrane Technology and Research. Algenol also is partnered with Lee County, Florida, the U.S. Department of Energy, and multiple universities including Florida Gulf Coast University, Georgia Tech, and Humboldt University of Berlin.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://algenol.com/about-algenol/our-supporters |title=Our Supporters | Algenol Biofuels |access-date=2014-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918025351/http://www.algenol.com/about-algenol/our-supporters |archive-date=2013-09-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lane |first=Jim |date=2012-10-25 |title=Algae's Secret Investor |url=https://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/algaes-secret-investor/ |website=Biofuels Digest}}</ref>
In December 2009, Algenol received a $25 million United States Department of Energy grant to help build the Integrated Biorefinery Direct to Ethanol project in Lee County, Florida.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/Federal-money-set-to-flow-to-renewable-fuel-1614425.php|title=Federal money set to flow to renewable fuel projects|date=5 December 2009 |publisher=}}</ref> Algenol also received a $10M grant from Lee County to employ people in Lee County and also build the Integrated Biorefinery Direct to Ethanol project.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} In 2016, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (part of the U.S. Department of Energy) announced another $15 million grant to be split between Algenol and two other companies to continue research on commercial-scale biofuel production.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Energy Department Announces $15 Million to Advance Algae-based Biofuels and Bioproducts |url=https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/energy-department-announces-15-million-advance-algae-based-biofuels-and-bioproducts |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=Energy.gov |date=14 July 2016 |language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://algenol.com/ Algenol company website] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090311060925/http://www.algenolbiofuels.com/ Algenol company website (archived version)] * [http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fuel-from-algae-growing-beyond-the-laboratory-2010-03-23/ Marketwatch article with video of the Algenol process from March 2010]
Category:Algal fuel producers Category:Alcohol fuel producers Category:Algae biomass producers Category:Biofuel in the United States Category:Companies based in Lee County, Florida