Hello biotechies – here are some interesting nuggets to get you over your mid-week hump…

ALGAE CONTEST FUELS INNOVATION – Prize Capital LLC is set to launch its first ever Algae-to-fuel prize competition to stimulate research and technology in the San Diego area. The one of a kind development contest is anticipated to be launched before the end of the year with a $10 million purse as the grand prize. The Algae Fuel Prize contest:

“calls for a $10 million award to the team that produces the most finished renewable diesel fuel per acre of land between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2013, with a minimum of 3,000 net-gallons produced at a cost of no more than $3 per gallon. A champion racing prize series will be part of the challenge, with competitors racing in standard, uniform, sponsor-provided, diesel-powered cars at world-class raceways.”

“Competitors will provide their cars with five days average fuel production (averaged from the preceding 12 months) from the equivalent of one acre of land. The competitor that travels the greatest distance while averaging a speed faster than 100 miles per hour wins $1 million, $2 million and $5 million in 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively.”

To read Biodiesel Magazine’s ‘REV’-eting article on Prize Capital LLC’s Algae Fuel Prize contest CLICK HERE.

LOW ENERGY ETHANOL DISTILLATION METHOD DISCOVERED – According to Jim Lane at Biofuels Digest, a research team at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Technology has discovered a low-energy membrane system to replace distillation in ethanol and butonal production. With a grant from the National Science Foundation the team has:

“…developed a new method for creating high-performance membranes from crystal sieves, called zeolites. The method could significantly increase the energy efficiency of chemical separations over conventional methods and enable higher production rates. The researchers developed a rapid heating treatment to remove structural defects in zeolite membranes that limit their performance, a problem that has plagued the technology for decades.

To read a full press release of the research teams findings CLICK HERE.

GENE PATENTING DEBATE CONTINUES – Shout out to Donald Zuhn at Patent Docs for blogging about the ongoing “Who Owns Your Genes?” discussion, a series of science and ethics forums jointly sponsored by The Center for Ethics in Science & Technology and the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. For a quick summary of the debates major arguments read Donald’s post HERE.

BOEING U-787 POWERED BY 100% BIOFUEL – The annual Chevrolet Cup at Seafair in Seattle saw its first ever hydroplane powered by 100% sustainable biofuel. The Boeing U-787 unlimited hydroplane was showcased during a demonstration run by legendary hydroplane driver Chip Hanauer, who tested the engine’s performance in quick accelerations, decelerations and corning in a variety of water conditions:

“I think it’s great that Boeing is using a racing venue to demonstrate to our culture that biofuel development is all about performance,” said Hanauer. “Performance, innovation and sustainability, a great combination!”

About the hydroplane biofuel:

“The U-787 boat ran four successful test runs throughout the Seafair weekend, each with a greater percentage of biofuel, culminating in the 100 percent biofuel run on Sunday.”

“The majority (85%) of the biofuel blend was refined from the energy crop camelina (developed by Seattle’s Targeted Growth and grown in eastern Washington and Montana), as well as jatropha (14%) and algae oil (1%). This same biofuel mixture helped to power the test flight of a Japan Airlines Boeing 747-300 in January 2009.” <./p>