304 Marine Macro- and Microalgae: An Overview
Oceanography, and Scripps Research Institute). Several microalgal technology companies are also
based in San Diego. Some are relatively new and focused on microalgal applications such as Synthetic
Genomics Inc. and Sapphire Energy. There are also more established companies that have recently started
programs in microalgal technology such as SAIC and General Atomics. Public/private collaborations,
such as the San Diego Center for Algal Biotechnology (SD-CAB), have been established to help identify
microalgae technology applications that may result in new products, processes, and economic activity.
Although a few pilot scale facilities exist (e.g., at General Atomics, Synthetic Genomics, and SD-CAB,
Fig. 2) within the County, most of the algal technology research occurs in laboratories at the bench scale
and much of it has been fueled by the heightened interest in algal biofuels.
Table 2. Some characteristics of San Diego and Imperial Counties (2010 US Census data available at http://www.census.gov/).
San Diego County
Imperial County
Population
3,095,313
174,528
Total payroll
US$ 52 Bn
US$ 0.9 Bn
Persons per square mile
736
42
Population employed
†
(persons)
1,592,037
77,531
Unemployed
†
(%)
9.4%
28.9%
†
Data from United States Bureau of Labor Statistics covering the period November 2011–December 2012 (http://www.bls.
gov/lau/laucntycur14.txt).
Fig. 2. Pilot scale facilities for microalgal technology research in San Diego County. SD-CAB (top-left and right
photographs courtesy of Dr. Steve Mayfield), General Atomics (middle photograph courtesy of Dr. Aga Pinowska) and
Synthetic Genomics (bottom left and right).
Oceanography, and Scripps Research Institute). Several microalgal technology companies are also
based in San Diego. Some are relatively new and focused on microalgal applications such as Synthetic
Genomics Inc. and Sapphire Energy. There are also more established companies that have recently started
programs in microalgal technology such as SAIC and General Atomics. Public/private collaborations,
such as the San Diego Center for Algal Biotechnology (SD-CAB), have been established to help identify
microalgae technology applications that may result in new products, processes, and economic activity.
Although a few pilot scale facilities exist (e.g., at General Atomics, Synthetic Genomics, and SD-CAB,
Fig. 2) within the County, most of the algal technology research occurs in laboratories at the bench scale
and much of it has been fueled by the heightened interest in algal biofuels.
Table 2. Some characteristics of San Diego and Imperial Counties (2010 US Census data available at http://www.census.gov/).
San Diego County
Imperial County
Population
3,095,313
174,528
Total payroll
US$ 52 Bn
US$ 0.9 Bn
Persons per square mile
736
42
Population employed
†
(persons)
1,592,037
77,531
Unemployed
†
(%)
9.4%
28.9%
†
Data from United States Bureau of Labor Statistics covering the period November 2011–December 2012 (http://www.bls.
gov/lau/laucntycur14.txt).
Fig. 2. Pilot scale facilities for microalgal technology research in San Diego County. SD-CAB (top-left and right
photographs courtesy of Dr. Steve Mayfield), General Atomics (middle photograph courtesy of Dr. Aga Pinowska) and
Synthetic Genomics (bottom left and right).