The use of algae for biofuel production is expected to play an important role in securing an alternative energy source in the near future, particularly in light of depleting fossil fuel reserves. Most strains are photosynthetic and represent the worlds fastest growing plants. Viability studies of biofuels though biofuels like ethanol promise renewable green energy, these alternatives to fossil fuels are far from commercial and environmental viability. Oil produced by algae far exceeds the oil produced by soybeans, palm, or corn when compared on an acrebyacre basis.
Also, algae fuels are an alternative to commonly known biofuel sources, such as corn and sugarcane. The first step typically is the dewatering of algae. Astm international originally known as the american society for testing and. Conclusion algae biofuel is a very promising candidate to replace fossil fuels algae s cultivation does not require that it compete with food crops ability for algae to be cultivated on nonarable land, using saltwater, greatly reduces its impact on the environment produces over 20 times the oil production of any food crop an. Biodiesel has gained much attention in recent years due to its ecofriendly nature, nontoxic characteristics, biodegradability and lower net carbon cycle compared to conventional diesel fuels. Wastewater reclamation and biofuel production using algae.
Department of agriculture usda is developing a comprehensive regional strategy to. The experimental studies on biogas production were carried out with these algae in a batch bioreactor. Algal companies specialized in biodiesel production the following is a list of companies developing processes for the production of biodiesel from algae oil. The variety of technologies and production processes under development is wideranging and difficult to. The ebt algae process combines a bioreactor with an open pond, both using waste co 2. Current status and potential for algal biofuels production. Simulations of microalgal biofuel production show that to approach the 10% of eu transport fuels expected to be supplied by biofuels, ponds three times the area of belgium would be needed. Biodiesel is produced from vegetable oils, yellow grease, used cooking oils, or animal fats. The potential of algae most algae are singlecelled organisms that grow in either marine saltwater or freshwater environments. First generation biofuels are produced through wellunderstood technologies and processes, like fermentation, distillation and transesterification. The fuel is produced by transesterificationa process that converts fats and oils into biodiesel and glycerin a coproduct. The set of processes that lead from algae cultivation to collection and harvest, and finally to fuel conversion is termed the pathway for algal biofuel production.
Algae are highly diverse, single or multicellular organisms comprised of mostly lipids, protein, and carbohydrates, which may be used to produce a wide variety of biofuels. These processes have been used for hundreds of years in many uses, such as making alcohol. Advantages of biodiesel fromalgae oil rapid growth rates a high peracre yield 7 to 31 times greater than the next best crop palm oil certain species of algae can be harvested daily algae biofuel contains no sulphur algae biofuel is nontoxic algae biofuel is highly biodegradable 10. These algae contain so much oil that biodiesel made from algae could soon meet a large proportion of the worlds demand for petrodiesel. At the time of this publication, large scale production of algae based biofuel is not yet economically viable enough to displace petroleumbased fuels or. Design of a small scale algae cultivation system to produce biodiesel. The fat, fit, fantastic green machine energy factor.
A usda regional roadmap to meeting the biofuels goals of. The concept of using algae as a fuel was first proposed by meier in 1955 for production of methane gas from carbohydrate fractional cells. Algal biofuel production is neither environmentally nor. We will also discuss the possibilities of improving those processes. Learn about algae production in ponds and photobioreactors, yields, costs and challenges to this exciting new feedstock for biodiesel production. The production of biodiesel from micro algal lipids is studied by using newly isolated fresh water algal strains. Four different strains of chlorococcum, deasonia, chlorella and botryococcus. Sgi and exxonmobil have developed a strain of algae able to convert carbon into a record amount of energyrich fat, which can then be processed into biodiesel while algae using co 2 to generate fat is not new, its the amount of fat produced by the algae thats noteworthy. Biogas production experimental research using algae. Engineers play a key role in designing methods for optimizing algal growth for biofuel production. The future of fuel is green, slimy, and reeks of fish. In the current study, potential algal specie spirogyra. Like other plants, they convert sunlight, water, co 2, and other nutrients into energy and biomass and release large amounts of. Its use as a feedstock for biofuels has led to much excitement and initiative within the energy industry.
Research is examining microalgae, 20 to 80 percent oil by dry weight biomass, as a biofuel energy crop. Viability studies of biofuels university of maryland. Some varieties of algae contain large quantities of oil inside their tiny cells. Microalgae is thus an ideal feedstock for the production of biodiesel. The algae itself type, production, harvesting, processing value of the algae product the use of algae oil as biofuel depends mainly on the price of the commonly used mineral oil derivatives and other biofuel feedstocks. This is because it is not yet costeffective from an industry perspective. Using algae to produce feedstocks for biofuels production could have little impact on the production of food and other products derived from terrestrial crops, but will utilize water resources, which will need a. The remaining problem is that it is not currently available to the general public. Here we are going to discuss each of those steps individually and look at the details provided in many papers see reference. From the type of container open air or closed system to the amount of nutrients and light, engineers must manipulate a. A major motivation for the use of biofuels comes from the.
Wwsupported biofuel is small compared to need but 520 billion gallons is still a lot and we need to make use of every feedstock. In closed systems, engineers can precisely regulate algae growth conditions. First generation biofuels, also known as conventional biofuels, are made from sugar, starch or vegetable oil. Production of biodiesel from algae linkedin slideshare. While the basic concept of using algae as an alternative and renewable source of biomass feedstock for biofuels has been explored previously, a scalable, sustainable and commercially viable system has yet to emerge. Sugar crops natural oils from plants like oil palm, soybean, or algae, wood and its byproducts flaxseed, rapeseed primarily in europe. This chapter describes several contrasting pathways that lead from algae cultivation to fuel production. Algae advantages and drawbacks should be considered without excessive enthusiasm of prejudices but exclusively with a scientific approach. Design of a small scale algae cultivation system to.
Using microalgae as a source of biofuels could mean that enormous cultures of algae are grown for commercial production, which would require large quantities of fertilizers. Apart from the algal cultivation another major technological and economic barrier. Production of methane gas from algae received a big push during the energy crisis of the 1970s anonymous, history. Three types of macro algae, cladophora glomerata cg, chara fragilis cf, and spirogyra neglecta sn, were chosen for this research. The economics of microalgae production and processing. Fattened, genetically engineered algae might be the next. Based on our survey of the literature and research experience, this is not because they are inferior to other classes of algae. Introduction to biofuel university of california, berkeley. This idea was further developed by oswald and golueke in 1960 demirbas and demirbas, 2010.
Algae biomass has enormous potential to produce fuels and valueadded products. The purpose of this article is to highlight attributes of diatoms that make them highly desirable as organisms for biofuel research and production. Biodiesel production from algae usually involves the conversion of lipids from algae through indirect transesterification in two steps 2te. While microalgae are estimated to be capable of producing 1020 times more biodiesel than rapeseed, they need 55111 times more nitrogen fertilizer. Fatty algae make the strain more fit to eventually produce biofuels at an. Biofuel companies are currently seeking to scale commercial production of algae and are pursuing several engineering approaches using closed systems and open pond systems to the design of an economical system for growing algae. With the potential for production rates exceeding 4,000 gallons of biodiesel per acre annually, algae to biodiesel is unique among the alternative fuels concepts in having the potential to be a 100% solution for our transportation fuel needs. Algae derived biofuels can play a major role in reducing global energy needs and current petrochemicals consumption. Biofuel production for macro algae sea weed is less evident in the scientific press. Owing to their ability to grow in low quality waterwastewater and to accumulate lipids, algae biomass is considered an attractive feedstock for biodiesel renewable diesel fuel production. An algae researcher with decades of experience in the field objected to my recent column on algal biofuels. Generations of biofuels objective oregon state university. When made from seaweed macroalgae it can be known as seaweed fuel or seaweed oil several companies and government agencies are funding efforts to reduce capital.
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