Post on 01-Jan-2016
transcript
Algae Biofuels
Presented by : Sarah Walsh
What is Algae?
• “Pond scum”• Nearly 30,000 species of
algae• Range from giant kelp in the
ocean to tiny microalgae that grows in freshwater and in marine environments.
How can Algae be used as a biofuel?
• Algae is able to photosynthesize• It converts carbon dioxide into sugar sugar
turns into lipids (oil)• This oil is mixed with an alcohol to produce
biodiesel• The way this is done is through
transesterifaction with short-chain alcohols or through esterification of fatty acids.
Benefits of Algae• 10x as much oil per acre
than traditional biofuel crops
• Survival in harsh conditions• People don’t need them as
a food source• Have valuable co-products• Thrive on carbon dioxide• Can double their population
in one day with the right conditions
• About 50% of the plants weight is oil
• Fuel will be able to be used in not only car but planes and trucks as well
• Virtually no sulfur content in algae fuels
• Reduces wear on fuel systems because the oil has superior lubricating properties
Benefits Continued
• Has a higher combustion efficiency than petrodiesel
• Safer because its flashpoint is much higher than that of petrodiesel and gasoline
• Should perform better in the cold than other bio-feedstock. (Polyunsaturates have much lower melting points and algae produce a lot of them)
• Greenhouse gas mitigation• consumes twice its weight
in carbon dioxide• Requires relatively low
technology to grow• Removes nitrogen oxide,
and some heavy metals and sulfur oxide
Two Ways of Production
Photobioreactors • Very expensive• More protected• Easier to control the system• The product will be a better
quality because you can control the precise strain of algae
Open Ponds• “raceways”• Cheaper way of production• Algae is prone to
contamination by other strains of algae
Production Process
1. Grow the algae2. Starve it of
nutrients3. Break Algae open4. Use solvents to
separate the fats from the sugars
5. Evaporate the solvent
6. Transform fat to biodiesel
Current Research• Finding the most productive strains of algae
• Refining and extraction of the oil techniques
• Genetic modification of algae
• Direct ethanol production
Maybe one day your car will run on algae...