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Figure 0.5 The biorefinery concept from the US DOE National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap The roadmap heavily supports development of the biorefinery concept for micro algae and although it mainly targets energy applications, it also incorporates evaluation of the potential applications for co-products, as seen in Figure 0.5. The roadmap includes a specific module aimed at identifying and researching potential co-products with key objectives including:  Identifying and evaluating the co-production of value-added chemicals, energy, and materials from algal remnants (e.g., biogas, animal/fish feeds, fertilizers, industrial enzymes, bioplastics, and surfactants);  Optimising co-product extraction and recovery;  Extensive work on lipids products, particularly into achieving high yield for production-scale installations and not just in laboratory conditions. Additionally, the roadmap seeks to explore all potential production routes, even those that are currently considered to be less promising. For example, the strategy recommends exploring an array of microalgal cultivation techniques including photoautotrophic, heterotrophic and mixotrophic methods. Photoautotrophic techniques use light energy to grow and create new biomass whereas heterotrophic techniques are conducted in the absence of light. Mixotrophic is a combination of both techniques. Two US companies may be cited as examples of how the US government is currently pushing for the biofuel sector to emerge and for both companies; the close relationship with the U.S. department of Defence may be seen as the catalyst for their development:  Launched in 2003, Solazyme has concentrated most of its R&D efforts to produce biofuel using heterotrophic pathways. The company has been awarded several contracts to provide jet fuel and naval fuel to be tested by the U.S. army;  Sapphire Energy, Inc. launched in 2008, was able to leverage over USD85 million (EUR 62 million) from private investors and to secure USD100 million (EUR 73 million) in grants and loans from various US administrations135. The main objective is to develop microalgae race ponds to address the fuel market. Although both companies are initially targeting fuel applications, they are already exploring markets for co-products. Solazyme is, for example, entering other markets such as food, skin care and chemicals and is developing partnerships with major companies to further strengthen its access to these markets. To date, the company has signed various agreements with Chevron, Unilever and Roquette. 135 http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddwoody/2012/09/06/the-u-s-militarys-great-green-gamble-spurs-biofuel-startups/ 96 Study in support of Impact Assessment work on Blue Biotechnology

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