BIOFUELS CONSORTIUM LED BY CENTER RECEIVES $44M AWARD
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) significantly changed the face of algal research when it bestowed a $44 million award to the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB) in January 2010. Led by the Danforth Center, the NAABB is one of two groups receiving a total of nearly $80 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Both groups seek to break down critical barriers to the commercialization of algae- based and other advanced biofuels. Importantly, this research is designed to create fossil fuel alternatives that can be transported and sold using today’s existing fueling infrastructure.
The Danforth Center is the lead institution of a distinguished group of 26 universities, private companies and national laboratories. Members include the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Arizona, UCLA, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
“This award cements St. Louis as a center for the development of renewable energy from algae. [It] is a tribute to the tireless efforts of Dr. Jose Olivares, the principal investigator on the project, and the consortium members to build the best possible program,” said Dr. Richard Sayre, Chief Scientist NAABB and Director of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels at the Danforth Center.
Acclaim
“I am delighted that Dick Sayre and Jose Olivares of our institution will be leading the consortium that will be doing this important
work. The award also triggers a $16 million industry match and comes on the heels of significant investment in St. Louis by the DOE last year. Our region is playing a leading role in our nation’s efforts to create a domestic bio-industry, reducing our dependence on foreign oil and preserving the environment,” said Dr. William H. Danforth, chairman of the Danforth Center.
DOE Secretary Steven Chu, who visited the Center in 2010 (see page 13), said that advanced biofuels are key to establishing a clean energy economy.
In November 2010 the NAABB announced that they had met a significant benchmark by successfully using oil from algae to create biodiesel that meets specifications set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). ASTM develops international standards for materials, products, systems and services used in construction, manufacturing and transportation.
Approximately 15 jobs in St. Louis were created as a result of the project. Biofuels generate more jobs than any other sector of sustainable energy, and as the industry grows, there is potential for hundreds of thousands of new jobs nationally.
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Dr. Jose Olivares
“OUR REGION IS PLAYING A LEADING ROLE IN OUR NATION’S EFFORTS TO CREATE A DOMESTIC BIO- INDUSTRY, REDUCING OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL AND PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT.” - DR. WILLIAM DANFORTH, CENTER CHAIRMAN
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