Blue Marble Energy » News

Seattle Business: Stirring Up Scum

Blue Marble Energy — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:19:20 +0000

Seattle-based Blue Marble Energy was founded in 2005 by CEO Kelly Ogilvie and Chief Scientific Officer James Stephens to produce an eco-friendly biofuel from algae and other biomass. But in recent years, driven by the expense of production and the lack of a sustainable market, the company has altered its focus to manufacturing biochemicals and flavorings.

“Currently, most artificial flavorings come from petroleum,” says Ogilvie. “By switching to algae derivatives, we can create a carbon-neutral source that is more easily renewable.”

The company now produces carbon-neutral renewable chemicals from biomaterials by fermenting feedstock with their AGATE (Acid, Gas, and Ammonia Targeted Extraction) system. With the support of $1 million in financing from private equity by investor Rajiv Shah, a soft drink bottler and distributor based in Nairobi, Kenya, Blue Marble currently produces 1 ton of esters (chemicals used in plastics, food flavoring, fragrance and adhesives) per day from more than 10,000 pounds of pollution-fueled algae removed from Puget Sound.

Cosmetics Design-Europe – Carbon neutral fragrance line launched

Blue Marble Energy — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:51:53 +0000

Fragrance company Sweet Anthem has partnered with Blue Marble Energy to create a carbon neutral fragrance line.

The Eos line comprises two fragrances; a feminine version with a floral tea-based scent and a masculine or unisex version characterized by citrus and cognac.

Seattle-based BME, a company that produces biochemicals that can act as drop-in replacements in any product which currently uses petrochemicals, used its carbon neutral bioesters in the production of the fragrance line.

Fox Business – “Blue Marble Energy and Sweet Anthem Perfumery Launch Carbon Neutral Fragrance”

Blue Marble Energy — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:50:28 +0000

One of the world’s first carbon neutral fragrance lines was officially launched this week by Blue Marble Energy, in collaboration with local couture perfumery Sweet Anthem.

Named for the Greek goddess of the dawn, the EOS fragrance line contains only biochemical and organic materials. The line’s two unique scents feature a special selection of Blue Marble Energy’s carbon neutral bioester top notes, carefully blended with Sweet Anthem’s custom fragrance heart and low notes. The feminine version of EOS is a modern, bright, floral, tea-based scent, while the masculine/unisex version is characterized by citrus and cognac, with hints of powdery apricot.

BioFuels Digest: 5 Faves – Bio-Based Holiday Gifts

Blue Marble Energy — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:10:55 +0000

The Biofuels Holiday gift guide offers several bio-based options for the season: An elegant bio-based perfume from Blue Marble Energy, the eMicroFueler for home based ethanol, eco-friendly water bottles, books on making algae biodiesel at home. It’s a Wonderful Life even offers a bio-based scene.

Green A.C.R.E. Radio: Blue Marble Energy – Undoing the House that Oil Built

Blue Marble Energy — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:08:34 +0000

The modern world lives in the house that oil built. Everything around us comes from petroleum. Over 96% of all consumer products, from liquid fuels to plastics, paints, clothes and food are derived from petrochemicals or require oil for their production. Aware of this dependence, Seattle based Blue Marble Energy, set out to find a sustainable alternative.

Source: Green A.C.R.E. Radio

Washington Business Journal: “Blue Marble Energy, OPDA Awarded $2M by WA’s Community Economic Revitalization Board”

Blue Marble Energy — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:00:47 +0000

Blue Marble Energy Corp. announced today that the company and the Odessa Public Development Authority (OPDA) were recently awarded $2 million by Washington State’s Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) in a private/public partnership to construct the state’s first specialty biochemical biorefinery in Lincoln County, WA.

“This investment will significantly speed the development of our biorefinery and bring over 70 green jobs to Lincoln County,” said Blue Marble Energy CEO Kelly Ogilvie. “We are grateful to the Governor and the State for their commitment to sustainability and to creating new jobs in these challenging economic times.”

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Seattle Pi: “Seattle company gets grant to help build biorefinery”

Blue Marble Energy — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:00:10 +0000

Blue Marble Energy Corp and the Odessa Public Development Authority have been awarded $2 million from Washington’s Community Economic Revitalization Board to build the state’s first specialty biochemical biorefinery in Lincoln County, Wash.

Blue Marble, the Seattle producer of specialty biochemicals and renewable natural gas, says the $2 million will go to infrastructure and development of the industrial pilot project. Blue Marble will be a partner with Barr-Tech, LLC at the Eastern Washington county’s Barr Regional Bio-Industrial Park.

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The Spokesman-Review: Watching their waste

Blue Marble Energy — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:47:02 +0000

…within a year the Barr Regional Bio-Industrial Park could be ingesting 75,000 tons of municipal, commercial and farm waste. The material will be converted into fertilizer, enough electricity to supply 1,000 homes, and substitutes for some of the chemical industry’s petroleum-based raw material. Nothing will be wasted.

[...]

Other waste that contains high-energy materials such as fats, food, even greasy pizza boxes, will go into the digester, which contains a “soup” laden with bacteria. As they consume the waste, the bacteria produce methane that will be burned in two one-megawatt generators, with a third to be added later. One megawatt can meet the electricity needs of 500 homes.

[...]

Chief Operating Officer Devin Elliot said the Seattle company can process some of the mixture into anhydrous ammonia and chemicals used in cosmetics, paints and plastics.

Blue Marble has another use for the digester.

Elliot said Blue Marble, although it has the word “Energy” in its name, will focus on making high-value organic compounds because they are more profitable than bio-fuels.

Biomass Magazine: Washington companies partner to produce biochemicals from microalgae

Blue Marble Energy — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:26:30 +0000

Under a new partnership, Seattle-based Blue Marble Energy Corp. will produce its biochemicals using a supply of microalgae from algae producer Bionavitas, Redmond, Wash.

Thus far, Blue Marble has made biochemicals, specifically esters—a group of chemicals used in food, fragrances, plastics, resins and adhesives—using mainly the waste grain from a neighboring brewery, according to Danielle Hendrix, Blue Marble communications manager. The new partnership does not specify a fixed amount of algae, she said, and is an open research and development agreement. “We haven’t decided on a cap,” she said.

Green Car Congress: Blue Marble Energy and Bionavitas Announce Partnership to Produce Industrial Biochemicals from Microalgae

Blue Marble Energy — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:07:39 +0000

Blue Marble Energy’s proprietary AGATE (Acid, Gas and Ammonia Targeted Extraction) system uses different bacterial consortia (“cassettes”) in an anaerobic fermentation process to produce a variety of biochemicals, including short-chain esters, amides and green anhydrous ammonia. It also generates renewable natural gas as a product.

Ogilvie says that while fuels production from algae may ultimately prove viable, right now the focus on higher-margin biochemicals provides a more sustainable economic base for the business. As an example, propyl-propionate, one of BME’s specialty chemicals, currently sells for some $816 per gallon.