Algae Feed first 9
Phyco Biosciences, is banking on its agricultural-style series of plastic-lined troughs bubbling with oxygen and nutrients to commercialize algae biomass.The Phyco system is different from the standard mass-cultivation process of growing algae in raceway ponds, shallow man-made ponds in a large ovals in a raceway formation. Those systems use paddlewheels to push the water, but they require heavy maintenance.
Phyco's system sits on leased land on a 3,500-cow dairy farm here in Casa Grande. A subsidiary of XL Renewables, Phyco first expects to glean profits from algae-based products like dietary supplements and animal feed before moving on to biofuel.
With ample amounts of wastewater and brackish water in holding ponds in the state, the algae culture business could be Arizona's next breakthrough industry, said Rep. Frank Pratt, R-Casa Grande. He attended a tour of Phyco's pilot facility here following the Fourth Annual Algae Biomass Summit in Phoenix last week.
Anytime we can utilize arid land or utilize an area where we have some low-quality water and we can get production out of it, it?s certainly worth looking into,Pratt said.
They (Phyco Biosciences) may be pioneers, if they can perfect this technology and get it to where it?s economical and they can produce energy, he said.
Now focused on growing the tiny plants on a mass scale, Phyco is also developing technology to harvest the algae, but CEO Ben Cloud declined to comment on specifics, citing proprietary information.
So far, the company has proven its trough system can yield roughly 25 tons of algae per acre each year, Cloud said. He said the state could produce much more algae if it had more water.
The desert Southwest is an ideal place to grow algae biomass, Cloud said.
We don?t have enough water, but in the areas where we do have enough water, we?ve learned how to manage it. ? We really do look at algae biomass as a crop.
The crucial part of the trough system is at the end of each trough. Unlike the raceways with their paddlewheels, the trough system has an air pump that draws the water from one trough to another, creating the aeration and constant flow that algae needs to grow. It also has a line that can pipe in fertilizer, which the company taps from the waste of the dairy farm.
We need to do it on an economical scale, said George McNeely, Phyco operations manager.
We need to take it out of the lab but still have some of the controls to keep a good algae culture, McNeely said. To be able to cost-effectively harvest it, grow it and get it out to market.
Ira Levine, associate professor of natural and applied science at the University of Southern Maine, said the Super Trough System has the potential to reduce the cost of biofuels down to a competitive and profitable level in the next 18 to 24 months.
"It costs a third as much as the classical raceways, uses half the energy and can be installed in a tenth the time,"said Levine, who was at last week?s algae summit.
"It?s down to a level where biofuels is practical and doable. That?s a remarkable advancement."
Tue October 12 2010 06:16:12 PM by Blake
phyco biosciences | phyco | Frank Pratt | Ben Cloud
616 views
OMG!
Evaporation will be tremendous,Absolutely no temperature or light control. No co2 supply no contamination control. I assume gravity flow for movement????????????????
Larsyn, I'll repeat my remark at the picture of the lined ditch....Oh My God.......
You are exactly right on your observations. How are they going to deal with the rapid salt build-up when they could loose up to or more than 1 surface inch of water per day with 100 degrees and 25 mph wind. They will need a big pump just to keep their ditch from going dry. Why do people try to grow algae in a desert? It's got to be one of the harshest places on earth to grow algae.
I wonder how much water the plastic lined ditch
will hold after an Armidillo with 2inch claws gets done looking for bugs under the plastic liner.
Evan worse would be wild hogs!
Alan Schaefer
Interesting comments.
There are those who are very optimistic who are going ahead and setting up a project and here are people who think it is infeasible.
I do understand that there is no control of evaporation, no control on contamination, no control on wind .
Hope some one from that project is a member here and answers us.
18th Century Chinese Technology?