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Nature gave
us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Natures
way again
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Algae Biodiesel Reference
- More Points & Links on Biodiesel from Algae
- Some algae can grow in saline water. It is worth
exploring the possible economic production of biodiesel from algae using
saline ground water in the growing ponds, which are covered by
greenhouses as used by the horticultural and floral industries.
Once the water becomes too salty for the algae to grow, it could be
drained to evaporation ponds to recover the salts for use by the
chemical industry.
- Micro-algae are the fastest
growing photosynthesizing organisms. They can complete an entire growing
cycle every few days.
- At an assumed recovery rate of 30% of the weight of
algea, 45.6 tonnes of oil/hectare/year can be produced from Diatom
algae.
- Algae production can be increased by increasing the carbon
dioxide concentration in the water.
- For best conditions, algae ponds would need to be
covered by greenhouses, which would require additional capital
expediture to set up.
- Different algae species produce different amounts of
oil. Some algae ( diatoms for instance) produce up to 50% oil by weight.
- Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, use solar
energy to split water into oxygen and hydrogen, but they do it under
limited conditions and for very brief periods of time. One of the goals
is to extend the time and conditions under which these bacteria produce
hydrogen. The major challenge that must be overcome is that
cyanobacteria only produce hydrogen in the absence of oxygen. Success is
dependent upon finding oxygen-tolerant strains of cyanobacteria.
- Under optimum growing
conditions micro-algae will produce up to 4 lbs./sq. ft./year or 15,000
gallons of oil/acre/year.
- One of the problems with growing algae in any kind of
pond is that only in the top 1/4" or so of the water does the algae
receive enough solar radiation. So the ability of a pond to grow algae
is limited by its surface area, not by its volume.
More reference articles on
algal oil: Visitors may kindly have a look at the Oilgae Blog Directory for
relevant blog articles.
See also:
Appendix A - Biodiesel from Algae Fed on Coal-fired
Power Station Exhausts
- The idea is that carbon dioxide from coal fired power
station is used to produce algae, which is used to make biodiesel and
natural gas.
- If the carbon dioxide from a coal fired power station is
pumped directly through a pipeline to a near by algae farm, then the
amount of carbon dioxide absorbed into the algae is around 30%. The
reason the value is so low is that the algae does not grow at night
hence all carbon dioxide pumped then, goes straight into the atmosphere.
In addition, the algae grow faster in summer than in winter. The other
method is to concentrate the carbon dioxide and pressurize it and truck
it to the algae farm, and then release the carbon dioxide into the ponds
as and when it is needed. It is hoped that >95% of the carbon dioxide
can be consumed by this method. A paddle wheel would move the water at a
steady flow. The ponds would be unlined, that is made of compact clay,
with gravel in the bottom to ensure no soil becomes agitated into the
water.
Some estimates of biodiesel
production from algae using CO2 from coal-fired power stations
- Algae yield 100 tonnes/ha.
- 2.2 tonnes carbon dioxide needed / 1
tonnes algae
- Water needed 4m3/m2. Most of the
water is lost due to evaporation, some is consumed by the algae, and
some is lost in the harvesting of the algae.
- A 500 MW coal fired power station produces 3.67x106
tonnes of carbon dioxide
- 3.5 barrels of biodiesel per tonne algae produced
- 6 MJ methane per tonne algae generated
- Energy density of LNG is 15.2 kWh/kg and density is 448
kg/m3
Appendix B Diatoms
One of the more well-researched species of
algae are the diatoms. In the context of oil yield for biodiesel, previous
research has also indicated that diatoms are one of the more promising
species of algae. We hence provide you more inputs on diatoms in this
Appendix.
Biotechnological applications of
diatoms are still in development. Because of the photoautotrophic status of
the majority of diatoms, microalgal cultures suffer from the limitation of
light diffusion, which requires the development of suitable photobioreactors.
Thus, genetically engineered microalgae that may be cultivated in
heterotrophic conditions present a new opportunity. Most of the time,
metabolic stress conditions lead to an overproduction of the products of
interest, with a decrease in biomass production as a consequence. Outdoor
cultures in open ponds are usually devoted to aquaculture for the feeding of
shrimps and bivalve molluscs (commercial production), while closed axenic
indoor/outdoor photobioreactors are used for biotechnological compounds of
homogeneous composition (still at the laboratory scale). In addition to the
optimum culture conditions that have to be taken into account for
photobioreactor design, the localisation of produced metabolites (intra- or
extracellular) may also be taken into account when choosing the design.
Microalgal cell immobilisation may be a suitable technique for application to
benthic diatoms, which are usually sensitive to bioturbation and/or
metabolites which may be overexpressed.
Currently diatoms (an algae) are
being investigated for biodiesel and other things, including medicine. It
appears more basic research about them is needed to be able to manage large
scale diatom farms economically. Diatom study includes species that like to
attach themselves to coral, sea weed, or strip of plastic. Thus harvesting
diatoms is more complicated than pumping them from the sea, or a pond.
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Some interesting resources
- Plant Oils Database
provides resources and links for over 200 different plant oils and
related plant extracts
- BDPedia The
Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia
Agriculture Directories
About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing
alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a
feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally
formed from algae - among others - you think "Hey! Why not oil
again from algae!"
To facilitate exploration of oil production from algea as well as exploration
of other alternative energy avenues, Oilgae provides web links, directory,
and related resources for algae-based biofuels / biodiesel along with inputs
on new inventions, discoveries & breakthroughs in other alternative
energy domains such as solar, wind, nuclear, hydro, geothermal, hydrogen
& fuel cells, gravitational, geothemal, human-powered, ocean & wave /
tidal energy. We hope Oilgae proves to be useful as a research information
& inputs resources, and as a source of news & info for algea business
& trade of algal oil, algal fuels & new alternative energy products -
specially with regard to new feedstock / feedstocks, production processes
and uses, and market info such as price / prices, data & statistics
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