Growing Algae for Biofuel

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Søren Laurentius Nielsen

Department of Environmental, Social and Spatial Change

Biofuel• Fuel derived from biological material• CO2 – neutral (or at least nearly so)• 1st generation• 2nd generation• Beyond 2nd generation

1st generation biofuel

• Made from sugar, starch, oils, fats• Using conventional technology

– Direct use of oils– Transesterification– Fermentation

• Source often seeds or grain

Problems:

• Taking up arable land, that could be used for food production

• Diverting food away from the human food chain– Food shortages– Rising prices

• May use fertilizer and pesticides in the production

2nd generation biofuel

• Made from non-food crops, waste biomass etc.

• Utilizing cellulosic ethanol production• Does not divert food away from the human

food chain

Problems:

• Production of ethanol from cellulose not tecnically straightforward

• May still compete for arable land with food production if based on crops grown for fuel

3rd generation biofuel

• Enter the algae!• Fast growth – several 100 % per day• Oil content comparable to oilseeds• = Very high yields, ~ 100 times that of

oilseed

Advantages of using algae• Uses 1st generation technology

(transesterification) for biofuel production• No diversion of food from the human food chain• No competition for arable land• The use of marine microalgae means no need

for or pollution of potable water• No need for pesticides• Necessary nutrients can come from sewage,

cleansing it in the process

Potential problems

• Will it be possible to achieve sufficient cell densities?

• Will it be possible to achieve sufficiently fast growth rates under natural light in these latitudes?

• Will it be possible to find species that fulfill these criteria and have a high oil content?

AGEPS consortium• ZCD d.o.o. (biodiesel production)• Active Pool GmbH (pool engineering)• Uljarice d.o.o. (algal cake production)• University of Nova Gorica (algal knowledge)• Roskilde University (algal knowledge)• University of Ljubljana (animal nutrition)

• Current application – EU FP7, Research for SMEs, € 570.000 (total budget € 740.000)

Nutrients

BioreactorUltrasonic harvest system

Extraction

Biodieselprocessor

Biodiesel

Algal cake

CO2 O2

Harvested algae

Water return

Algal oil

• However, the use of algae for biodiesel is not unique for this project

• Estimate that € 500.000 will take us from lab to pilot production (”biological feasibility”)– Lab tests of the suitability of various algae– Bioreactor production– Initial field production tests

• More information: nielsen@ruc.dk

Growing Algae for Biofuel

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