OriginClear Inc (OCLN)

[MrBruce]

From last week, just in case someone may not have had a chance to read. . . .


Yes, There Is Enough Phosphorus For Algae, Today And Tomorrow
Algae: Another Crop for CA’s Central Valley?
Venture Capital Invested $4.6 Billion In Clean Energy During 2010
Majority of US voters believes gas will top $5/gal by July

Yes, There Is Enough Phosphorus For Algae, Today And Tomorrow
Posted: 04 Mar 2011 05:39 PM PST
Phosphorus is a necessary part of agriculture, algae, and, yes, you and me. BioFuels Digest asks an important question: Will there be enough of it to support peak biofuels development?

The depletion of mined sources of phosphorus places a hard stop on biofuels, and on agriculture. You can’t grow anything without it. Like biofuels…or food…or even a fingernail. It’s the P in the farmers armor of NPK, or nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium that represents the key elements of soil fertilization.

But it goes well beyond the problems of terrestrial crops. It is a hard-stop, limiting factor even in wonder crops – or especially in wonder crops, such as algae.

My response? Algae is the only biofuel that can be located at wastewater plants and runoff sites, so as to utilize the nitrates coming out of these operations. Nitrates that it captures (including phosphorus) can then be recycled, providing an ongoing feedstock for the algae site. Therefore it is the only biofuel that can scale past the phosphorus peak.


Algae: Another Crop for CA’s Central Valley?
Posted: 04 Mar 2011 04:04 PM PST
Algae is generating interest in California’s Central Valley, where much of the nation’s food is already being produced. This from the San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization’s blog:

UC Merced plans to analyze emerging algae biofuels technology and provide feedback on the rather interesting concept of extracting fuel that doesn’t require much land, water or tending. And pond scum grows rapidly in any kind of water. The leftover material, after oil extraction, could be used for fertilizer.

“We will consider the efficient use of residual algae biomass as an energy rich waste stream and new harvesting techniques that could improve the sustainability of the overall process,” wrote J. Elliott Campbell and Gerardo Diaz of UC Merced and Joseph M. Norbeck of University of California, Riverside.

The Valley needs clean energy right now because its residents suffer because high levels of airborne particulates contribute to respiratory illness and increased death rates.


Venture Capital Invested $4.6 Billion In Clean Energy During 2010
Posted: 04 Mar 2011 02:40 PM PST
Venture capital investors poured $4.6 billion worldwide into clean energy companies last year, the most since 2004, fueled by Silicon Valley’s Draper Fisher Jurvetson and initial share offerings such as Tesla Motors Inc., Bloomberg reports.

Venture capital funding increased 71 percent over 2009 and accounted for most of the total gains, especially from U.S. companies such as Draper Fisher and VantagePoint Venture Partners, which are betting that renewable energy will deliver significant returns over the long haul. That strategy was validated by the IPO last year of Tesla.

There is a disruption happening “as we shift from fossil fuels to sustainable energy,” Don Wood, a Draper Fisher Jurvetson managing director who focuses on clean technology investments, said in an interview. “It will create many successful companies, billion-dollar opportunities. We like giant markets that are undergoing a disruption.”

Many of the VCs that built Silicon Valley are now building new energy. They bring intelligence and experience to the table and that is all for algae’s good. And we like big disruptions, too.

Thanks to Jim Castle.


Majority of US voters believes gas will top $5/gal by July
Posted: 04 Mar 2011 01:01 PM PST
GAS PRICES - The national average for a gallon of regular hit $3.43 yesterday, up 20 cents from last week and 33 cents from last month. AAA: http://bit.ly/eDtcAq. Meanwhile, a new Rasmussen poll finds that 58 percent of likely voters say it is at least “somewhat likely” that the price of gas will top $5 a gallon before July 1. The poll also found that three-quarters of voters think the U.S. isn’t doing enough to develop its domestic oil and gas resources. http://bit.ly/eS95Iu

from Politico’s Morning Energy