Biofuel Thrust from Florida State University

Biofuels, organic fuels made from plants and vegetables, are considered to be one of the most promising means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy security by providing a renewable alternative to fossil fuels.  Ethanol produced from corn comprises the majority of renewable fuel in the U.S.; however, world food shortages, process inefficiencies, and concerns about sustainability have caused a reevaluation of the long-term viability of corn and other land-based biomass sources.  The 2005 U.S. Energy Policy Act mandated that 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuels be incorporated into gasoline over the next 6 years. In response to this need, the State of Florida is making a major investment in biofuels technology. In June, 2008, Governor Charlie Crist signed into law the most comprehensive energy and economic legislation in Florida's history. This legislation established the Florida Energy and Climate Commission, and the Florida Energy Systems Consortium (FESC).  FESC is a collaborative effort between the state's public universities to address important issues dealing with energy, climate and the environment, with a particular focus on promoting renewable energy.

In late 2008, with impetus from FESC, Florida State University (FSU) created the Institute for Energy Systems, Economics and Sustainability (IESES) to conduct research and analyses on the engineering, science, infrastructure and socio-economic aspects of a sustainable energy economy.  IESES is a collection of scholars across eighteen disciplines, with a goal of broadening and strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration between FSU, FESC associates, governmental agencies, business and industry.

One key research component of IESES is the Center for Marine Bioenergy Research, which focuses on the development of bioenergy products from marine algae. Marine algae represent an unexploited biomass source that could provide a cheap, clean, and renewable fuel source that is ideally suited for production in Florida. In fact, marine algae are arguably the most promising non-food source of biofuels, producing a yield that is higher than land crops, and using the ocean would mean farmland that could grow food would not be a part of the biofuel equation.  The US Department of Energy estimates that for algae biofuel to replace all the petroleum fuel in the U.S., only 15,000 square miles of intense algal cultivation would be needed, roughly the size of the state of Maryland.  However, a recent state of the industry report cited several major impediments to progress in algal biofuels development, including; 1) secrecy amongst companies in the field that leads to a lack of information sharing between affiliated scientists, 2) lack of rigorous assessments of the entire algal biofuel value chain (i.e., from production to distribution), and 3) lack of trained workforce.

With one of the largest coastlines in the U.S., Florida is positioned to develop a significant supply of biomass from its surrounding oceans to support biofuel production. FSU researchers are developing a state-of-the-art algal cultivation operation at a site on the North Florida coast, which includes an off-grid, zero emissions facility that utilizes recycled CO2 (from the processing of algal biomass) and nutrients (from local wastewater sources) to support algal growth.  Since this unique operation will be run by an academic institution, a major goal will be to work towards overcoming problems noted in the aforementioned state of the industry report.  Scientific findings will be made available in a timely manner to the public and scientists in the field; IESES economists and social scientists will help to quantify the economic, energetic and environmental impacts of the facility and provide guidance on future efficiency improvements; and the facility will serve as a training ground for the next generation of algal biofuel/biotechnology workers.