Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended						1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($)	May 11, 2011 USD ($)	Feb. 28, 2013 Brazilian Development Bank USD ($)	Feb. 28, 2013 Brazilian Development Bank BRL	Jan. 31, 2013 Archer Daniels Midland Company	Nov. 30, 2011 Solazyme Roquette Joint Venture Maximum	Mar. 31, 2013 California Office Buildings sqft	Apr. 30, 2012 Brazil Office Building USD ($)	Apr. 30, 2012 Brazil Office Building BRL	Mar. 31, 2013 Brazil Office Building	Mar. 31, 2013 Auto Lease Agreement USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2013 Auto Lease Agreement BRL
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]
Net deferred rent liability			$ 700,000
Net deferred rent asset	1,600,000
Area of building leased									96,000
Lease expiration date									Feb. 01, 2015			Apr. 01, 2016
Term of lease												Five years
Beginning date of lease												Apr. 01, 2011
Lease rent per month											29,500
Increase Operating Lease Monthly Rental Payment										15,000	30,500
Lease cancellation penalty percentage of remaining lease value													50.00%	50.00%
Remaining cancellable lease value													158,000	320,000
Fees paid in form of shares for use and operation of Clinton Facility							347,483
Warrant granted to purchase shares of common stock							500,000
Vesting period of warrant granted to purchase shares of common stock							5 years
Common stock at an exercise price							7.17
Warrant expiry date							2019-01
Rent expenses	700,000	700,000
Non-cancelable purchase obligations	0
Percentage of loan guaranteed repayment								50.00%
Maximum borrowing capacity				$ 20,000,000	$ 121,000,000	245,700,000