Frequently Asked Questions

About GreenCell

How is the GNUL different?

the process is continuous and produces constant maximum algae density;
the process uses strains of algae not previously used which optimise growth;
the process uses new radically different low cost lighting technology;
the GNUL is a closed system, providing a controlled environment, which protects the process from weather and contamination;
capital costs are relatively low: the GNUL is made in modular form (thereby being feasible for large and small plants) and easily transportable in standard-sized containers;
the GNUL cells are stackable, and can therefore occupy a small footprint;
operating costs are relatively low;
the process has a high sequestration efficiency; and
the design allows easy collection of the valuable by-products.

What did the Garnaut Report say about backstop technologies and algal solutions?

"In Australia, the most interesting work on what could become backstop technologies are in the applied biological sciences—areas of traditional Australian scientific and economic strength. One of these, the use of algae to convert carbon rich wastes or carbon dioxide from the air into stable carbohydrates, would utilise the biological processes that converted an earlier carbon-rich atmosphere of earth to the oxygen-rich air that made life possible for mammals and therefore humans. They would enhance natural processes by selecting organisms and their growing conditions specifically for the sequestration task." (pp 567-568)
The Garnaut Climate Change Review

What does GreenCell do?

GreenCell uses a portfolio of technologies to profitably recycle CO2 from smokestack, fermentation, and geothermal gases via naturally occurring species of algae. Algae can be converted to transportation fuels and feed ingredients or recycled back to a combustion source as biomass for power generation.

When was GreenCell founded?

GreenCell, a privately held, venture-backed firm, was founded in 2005.

Why is GreenCell focusing on algae instead of other energy crops like corn?

Algae have some advantages to other energy crops, specifically:

Algae are the fastest growing plants in the world and can be grown year round, unlike seasonal crops.
Algae farming does not require agricultural land or clean water, so it does not compete with food crops for these resources.
while it is difficult to compare one energy crop to another, per hectare of land algae is more productive than corn, soy or palm.
unlike other energy crops, the entire biomass produced from algae can be used in end products.
the algae produced by GreenCell can be used to produce renewable biofuels needed to reduce dependence on non-renewable fuel sources such as coal, oil and natural gas.

Does GreenCell believe that algae are the solution to the world’s energy problems?

GreenCell believes that ecological and energy issues are complicated and will require a variety of solutions -- of which algae will be one.

Is GreenCell now growing algae at commercial scale?

Not yet. GreenCell expects to achieve commercial scale in the next few months.

Does GreenCell sell fuel made from algae?

No. GreenCell grows and harvests algae to produce byproducts such as dry whole algae and algae oil that can be used for feed stock and biofuel, among other products. Biofuel producers will purchase algae oil from GreenCell.

How does GreenCell make money?
GreenCell partners with power plants to build algae farms that recycle industrial CO2 emissions to grow algae. GreenCell harvests the algae to produce dry whole algae, algae oil and dilapidated meal – byproducts that are sold to producers of feed stock, biofuel and other products. GreenCell may also generate revenue from carbon credits for its algae farms.

What about claims that algae production will never be economical?

GreenCell’s extensive economic analyses and cost estimates show that algae can be grown economically as a commercial product. Many estimates claiming that algae are not commercially viable use outdated economics for product values that are no longer valid, or assume use of initial generations of experimental technology that have since been upgraded.

Will GreenCell’s algae farms be used for CO2 capture and sequestration?

Yes. Algae can be used for this purpose; It can be expensive to sequester CO2, however, GreenCell uses algae to recycle CO2 emissions and produce products that can be sold to producers of feed stock and biofuels lowering the overall cost to sequester.

Does GreenCell have any partners with which it is proceeding to commercial scale?

No, not currently but as we develop commercial projects GreenCell will make more detailed announcements about our partnerships as our partners are identified.

What are algae?

Algae are simple organisms that range from very small, single-celled micron algae to macro algae that group into very large organisms such as kelp. There are more than 300,000 species of algae in the Smithsonian Institution collection. The vast majority of algae are photosynthetic, deriving energy from the sun to produce energy and biomass

Are algae currently a commercial crop?

Yes. Algae are grown commercially around the world, primarily for nutritional, feed, and specialty product use.

What is required to grow algae?

The primary requirements for growing algae are sunlight or equivalent, water, and carbon dioxide (CO2). Algae also require nutrients and environmental conditions appropriate to the specific algal species. Algae are known to grow in environments as diverse as the arctic and hot springs.

Does GreenCell grow algae using the CO2 in our atmosphere?

No. GreenCell’s technology consumes high concentrations of CO2 (between 5-30%) as it is emitted from power, cement and chemical plants before it is absorbed into the atmosphere. Atmospheric CO2, at less than 0.04%, is not concentrated enough to deliver the productivities we are seeking.

Does GreenCell grow algae in open ponds?

No. GreenCell algae farms are enclosed systems. They are often called photo- bio processors.
What kind of algae does GreenCell use?
GreenCell selects micro algae based on a number of factors, most notably high innate growth rates, favorable overall composition (lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins), and ability to grow in specific climatic conditions.

How much algae does a GreenCell algae farm grow?

There are a number of variables including innate growth rate per species. GreenCell anticipates that a commercial algae farm will grow an excess of 1 kilogram of algae per cubic meter growing medium per day.

Do algae accumulate heavy metals or other harmful substances that may be present in the CO2 source?

No. GreenCell only selects algae species that do not accumulate metals or other harmful substances. In addition, GreenCell has established analytical methods to confirm the lack of bioaccumulation in initial studies at each host facility and throughout commercial operations.

Does GreenCell use algae that have been genetically modified?

No. GreenCell does not use any algae species that are genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

What products does an algae crop yield?

A GreenCell algae farm is designed to produce a number of products including algal oil, dilapidated algal meal (DAM) and dried whole algae (DWA). The algal oil is suitable for conversion to biofuel and can be substituted for any other vegetable oil (soy, palm, jatropha) in a commercial biofuel production plant. The DAM and DWA are suitable for a wide variety of animal feed applications.

How much oil can be made from algae?

Different species of algae generate different amounts of oil. GreenCell has focused on several algae species that contain approximately 30% - 60% of their weight as oil.

How does GreenCell algal meal compare to other meal products?

The algae meal from a GreenCell algae farm has a high protein content compared to other animal feed product such as dried distiller’s grains from ethanol production or soy meal after oil removal.

Energy Crop Comparisons

Are there any accurate measures to compare algae to other energy crops?

Due to a large number of variables, it is difficult to accurately compare one energy crop to another. GreenCell recommends comparing energy crops based on the final products produced, and the resources required to produce those products.

How are algae different from other energy crops?

Algae are different from other energy crops in one significant way, the entire biomass produced from an algae farm can be used in end products that are economically valuable. Unlike comparable crops (corn, sugar cane, rapeseed/canola, palm, soybeans, sunflower, jatropha, etc.) which typically contain a substantial amount of wasted biomass, 100% of algal biomass can be used to create new products.

How does algae productivity compare to other energy crops?

Unlike seasonal crops, algae can be grown year round. Since an algae crop does not result in wasted biomass, algae are generally considered to be more productive than comparable energy crops.

How does algae fuel production compare to other liquid fuel crops including corn ethanol?

Under our base design, oil production from the algae farm is estimated at over 1,000,000 litres per hectare per year. This compares to palm oil at 5000, soy at 1000, and corn (in the form of ethanol) at 3500 litres per hectare per year.
Impact of Algae on CO2, Water and Other Resources

How much CO2 can algae consume?

CO2 consumption is based on the overall lipid/protein/carbohydrates balance of the final algae. Lipids are typically about 75% carbon by weight, with carbohydrates approximately 40% carbon by weight, and proteins between the two.

GreenCell algae are approximately 50-55% carbon by weight; about 1.9 times the biomass weight in CO2 is required to generate algae with this composition. If algae with a higher lipid content is produced, that ratio will be higher; the higher the carbohydrate composition, the lower this ratio.

What is the maximum CO2 consumption per Hectare of a GreenCell algae farm?

A GreenCell algae farm will consume approximately 47500 metric tons of CO2 per hectare per year based on current algae composition and growth rates.

How much of the CO2 from an industrial facility can a GreenCell algae farm consume?

The current design of a GreenCell farm can mitigate a maximum of 40% of the emissions from a round-the-clock operation.

A GreenCell installation requires no retooling of existing facilities. Ongoing site operations are not interrupted, and the host facility is not exposed to hazardous materials or other risks.

A single pass through the GreenCell system significantly reduces carbon dioxide in the waste gas. Using the sun or equivalent light source as a source of energy, algae convert the CO2 into valuable compounds. Growing up to 30 times faster than other terrestrial plants, algae are regularly harvested for conversion into biofuels, feed, or can be recycled back to the host facility. Recycling algae in a closed system reduces the need for fossil fuels.

How large must an algae farm be to mitigate emissions from a typical power plant?

Based on information in the US Energy Information Administration 2006 power plant database, for the approximately 500 power plants in the US that generate and sell electricity as their primary business and use coal as the primary power source, the average facility nameplate size is 655 megawatts. For this 'average' plant, when both the power plant and algae farm are in full operation, approximately 4 hectares of algae growing area is required to consume 40% of CO2 emissions. To achieve a 5.2% reduction in CO2 emissions, which is comparable to the 2008-2012 Kyoto Protocol overall goal, 2 acres(.8 hectare) of algae growing area would be required for the same 655 megawatt plant.

How much water does a GreenCell algae farm require?

Because GreenCell’s algae farm is a closed system, overall water use is minimal and evaporation losses are limited. Some water is required for the photosynthesis reaction, and some is lost in the creation of algal products. Where available, water may also be used for system cooling based on site-specific dependencies.

Does GreenCell’s system produce agricultural (nutrient) runoff?

No. GreenCell’s algae farms are enclosed and nutrients are recycled to make the most efficient use of resources.

Can the GreenCell system use feed water streams that are high in nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen?

GreenCell is actively pursuing several opportunities where nutrient-rich water feed streams will be used to provide some or all of the nutrients needs of the algae farm. Streams which have a potential to be used in this way include runoff from animal facilities and treated wastewater.

Miscellaneous

Can I invest in GreenCell?

GreenCell Ltd is a privately held, venture-backed firm. All inquiries regarding business development should be submitted via our website.

How can I purchase a GreenCell bioreactor?

GreenCell's high-yield algae farms are targeted for power plants and other industrial facilities.

Can I visit one of your facilities?

Due to the proprietary nature of our technology we are unable to provide tours of the facilities.
Why doesn’t GreenCell make more announcements about company developments?
Over the past several years, the hype around algae, biofuels and other clean-energy technologies has become a distraction that increasingly lacks substance. GreenCell chooses to be singularly focused on the development of commercial algal-farming technologies. GreenCell will continue to announce significant company milestones; interested parties receive company news via email by request.

Where do I direct business development inquiries?

www.greencell.biz

Appendices

Appendix A - Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants utilize the energy in the sun’s rays to produce energy and new plant matter (biomass). Photosynthesis is the base reaction supplying the vast majority of energy used by plants and animals on earth. In photosynthesis, energy (photons) from the sun’s rays converts carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrate plus oxygen. The carbohydrate can be converted to protein or fat.

Solar energy is spread along a wide range of wavelengths, of which only a portion is useable for photosynthesis. The wavelengths useable by plants are known as photo synthetically active radiation (PAR), and include about 45-50% of the total solar energy. Energy requirements of the photosynthesis reaction reduce the usability of that 45-50% by another factor of 4, making the theoretical energy use roughly 11% of the overall solar energy.

This photosynthetic efficiency is translated into biomass including fats, proteins, complex carbohydrates (cellulose, lignin, etc.) and simple carbohydrates. Also, most crops contain water. To eliminate the effect of water, we present values based on dry biomass. We also need to understand that production of other compounds from simple carbohydrates requires some of the energy.

We have grown algae at a photosynthetic efficiency of approximately 5.4% under natural sunlight. General crops grow at a photosynthetic efficiency of approximately 1%. Algae can be grown much more efficiently because of the nature of the bioreactor and the removal of factors that might limit growth such as lack of nutrients or CO2.

You can also improve algae growth by using artificial lighting. Algae will grow 24 hours per day if there is sufficient light. Until now, however, due to the energy losses inherent in each step from generating electricity to create light and using the light for photosynthesis, this is not economical for anything other than studies, unless the value of the final product is very high (as it is for some commercial algae farms where artificial light is used). GreenCell is confident the results of its latest developments will put it ahead in this field.

Appendix B - Facility Sizing

We generally assume that the growing areas of the algae farm will be available for growing algae 95% of the year. Similarly, the annual average productivity is estimated at 8000 gm/m3-day for our highest productivity system. Thus the overall system productivity is about 2500 kilograms per square meter per year.

The overall biomass is expected to be slightly over 50% carbon by weight. Since carbon is 27.3% of the weight of CO2, it requires approximately 1.9 times the weight of produced biomass in CO2. Thus for every 1 tonne of biomass produced, 1.9 tonnes of CO2 are consumed.
Multiplying 2500* 1.9 = 4750 kilos CO2 consumed per cubic meter growing area per year.
Our standard commercial algae farm includes 1 hectare (2.47 acres) of algae growing area, which will consume over 47500 tonnes of CO2 per year.
The algae farms are expected to be built in multiple units of the “20 pod GNUL” standard for facilities where more CO2 is available.