|
|
|
Biodiesel from Algae is Here! |
|
|
|
|
Written by Robert
|
|
Thursday, 01 September 2005 |
 Diatom Algae at 400x Magnification
From:
http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2005/06/university_of_n.html
Biodiesel
from Algae is Here!
17 June 2005
The Energy Blog
This possibility
of attaining self sufficiency in liquid fuels, as
envisioned by
Michael
Briggs of the University of New Hampshire Biodiesel Group, has
been brought a
giant step foreword by the developments of GreenFuels
Technology Corporation
of Cambridge, MA.
GreenFuel's algae bioreactor system produces
high-quality clean air
biofuelsT from algae grown using smokestack emissions.
The company
claims that the fuels prices are competitive with conventional
fossil fuel
products. Biofuels are produced at the same time that emissions
are being
decreased. Using smokestack emissions as its feedstock, a
site-
configurable GreenFuel installation grows a year-round 'cash crop'
of
commercial grade algae. At the same time the process reduces the NOx
by
up to 86% and the CO2 by 40% of the smokestack emissions (2)
The
system's basic unit comprises a series of 8 foot (2.5 meter)
tall
bioreactors, in a unique triangle shape. The triangle legs are
clear
polycarbonate tubes 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) in
diameter,
through which water and algae are continuously circulated. The
hypotenuse
is oriented facing the sun to aid in photosynthesis, and the
horizontal and
vertical legs are often in the hypotenuse's shadow. Fluid
circulation
(flowing
through the lit hypotenuse, then the darker legs, and
back to the
hypotenuse) is balanced to provide optimum light exposure to the
growing
algae. Flue gases are pumped into the base of each triangle, and the
algae
removes the NOx and CO2 as the gas makes a single pass up through
the
triangle. The gases are not recirculated or cycled through more than
one
triangle.(3)
Since August 2004, the GreenFuel team has been
growing algae on the flue
gases from an MIT cogeneration plant, and
harvesting algae 'crops' daily.
Algae reduce NOx day and night, regardless of
weather or lighting
conditions. The process is essentially an effect of the
surface
configuration
of the algae cell walls. Even dead algae can provide
significant NOx
reduction, up to 70 percent. The harvested algae can be used
to generate
renewable biofuel products, meaning an algae-based emissions
reduction
system could theoretically enable a power plant to meet emerging
state
regulations for both CO2 reduction and renewable power
generation.(4)
During tests at MIT, the hypotenuse of the triangle was
exposed to flue gas
with approximately 13%. CO2 content. This CO2 is
assimilated by algae
which have been chosen according a protocol used by
NASA. It is not a
question of GMOs (genetically modified organisms), but
rather of algae that
have habituated to growing conditions. The gas cleaned
by the bioreactor
exits from the top, while a fraction of the algae is
drained daily. The
biomass
thus obtained can be used to produce biodiesel,
bioplastics, or molecules of
pharmaceutical interest.(5)
According to
Julianne Zimmerman, of GreenFuel management, "GreenFuel
is working to deploy
small scale field trials in the US in 2005 and 2006; we
aim to commence
operation of our first full-scale installations in 2008." An
energy utility
in the southwestern United States plans to roll out the
system
more
broadly later this year. (6)
The 10-person company is still in its early
stages. It has secured $2.1
million
in venture funding and in March hired
energy industry veteran Cary Bullock
as president and CEO. GreenFuel's
president Dr. Isaac Berzin admits,
however, that the GreenFuel system isn't a
perfect fit for every plant. For
one, the system requires unobstructed
sunlight, which translates to surface
area-in the case of even moderate size
plants, the system would cover
acres. But he says that a company survey
indicates that about 70 percent
of currently operating generating facilities
have adequate land area
available
on their existing grounds.(6)
To
further expand on possibility of attaining self sufficiency in liquid
fuels
the
following is offered: To replace all transportation fuels in the US,
we
would
need roughly 140 billion gallons of biodiesel. To produce that
amount of
biodiesel by growing soybeans would require almost 3 billion acres
or over 1
billion acres growing canola (rapeseed), at nominal yields of 48
and 127
gallons oil per acre, respectively.(7) To produce that amount, by
growing
algae producing 15,000 gallons per acre, would require a land mass
of
roughly 9.5 million acres (almost 15,000 square miles ). To put
these
numbers in perspective, consider that the Sonora desert in
the
southwestern US comprises 120,000 square miles...450 million acres
are
currently used for crop farming in the US, and over 500 million acres
are
used as grazing land for farm animals (1). As has been shown here it is
not
possible to grow enough of the more conventional crops to meet our
fuel
needs, but using algae it is possible.
This example is not to be
construed to mean that we have to switch all of
our vehicles to diesel
engines using biodiesel. Rather through conservation
using hybrids and
plug-in hybrids and more mass transportation, combined
with use of ethanol
and biodiesel there is a plausible roadmap to attaining
self sufficiency.
The Geenfuels system, the University of Wisconsin
process for making alkane
based biodiesel, and enzyme hydrolysis of
carbohydrates in ethanol production
all make producing large quantities of
biofuels more likely than it was six
months ago.
References:
(1) University of New Hampshire Biodiesel
Group
(2) GreenFuels Technology Company
(3) Power Engineering, November
2004, "Beta Test Set for Emission-
Fighting Algae Bioreactor"
(4) Electric
Light & Power, March 2005, "algae emissions reduction concept
shows new
promise"
(5) Biofutur no 255, May 2005, "An algae-based fuel"
(6)
News.Com, May 20, 2005, "Start-up Drills for Oil in Algae"
(7) Journey to
Forever, "Oil yields and characteristics".
------------
|
|
Last Updated ( Saturday, 03 September 2005 )
|
|
Home 
News 
