Fuel From Aquatic Biomass (FAB) Project to Produce Fuel from Algae in Wastewater
Laguna serves a population of 250,000 people, and it would require more than 100 acres of algae ponds to purify the entire waste stream of nitrates. On May 10, the city’s Laguna Wastewater Treatment Plant will inaugurate a small pilot project that relies on native algae and marsh plants to purify sewage and produce methane. The gas will run a generator that charges a fleet of four electric maintenance vehicles.
Under the direction of Sonoma State University biologists, six algae channels or ponds at Laguna clean a small portion of the wastewater stream, meeting state standards for nitrates and phosphates. The algae, marsh plants and associated bacteria “eat” these contaminants and grow.
As the algae proliferate, the floating mats are harvested and fed into an airtight tank, along with invasive vegetation from nearby creeks. As the plants decompose in the tank, they produce methane that will fuel a generator for the electric vehicles. The plant leftovers will be spread as fertilizer on an acre of strawberries.
The current project measures only 800 square feet. Treddinick plans to scale up the project to an acre, thinking that perhaps a smaller plant might want to copy the technology.
