Comprehensive Oilgae Report

A detailed report on all aspects of the algae fuel value chain, the Comprehensive Oilgae Report will be of immense help to those who are on the threshold of investing in algae biofuels. More ››

Algae-based Wastewater Treatment

Compiled by a diverse team of experts, with experience in scientific and industrial fields, the Comprehensive Report for Wastewater Treatment Using Algae is the first report that provides in-depth analysis and insights on this important field. It uses innumerable data and information from a wide variety of expert sources and market studies, and distills these inputs and data into intelligence and a roadmap that you can use. More ››


Oilgae Digest

This is for entrepreneurs and businesses who wish to get a basic understanding of the algae fuel business and industry dynamics. More ››

Oilgae Report Academic Edition

Oilgae Report Academic Edition - provides research insights on new methodologies, perspectives and experiments in algae biofuels; this report is customized for academic and industry researchers, and students. More ››

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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 algae, 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 expenditure 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.

Other Related Sections

Blue Green Algae, Red Algae, Green Algae, Marine Algae, String Algae, Pond Algae, Pond Algae Control, Algae Control

See also: For all aspects of Biodiesel production, uses, research and case studies, please refer to our Biodiesel Section @ Oilgae Energy Portal