THE Algae Thread (merged)

[jupiters_release]

something about mothers and inventions

how many experts in the music industry 50 years ago predicted downloading from the internet???

cute

style points for kiwi

[Tanada]

I have been reading to day about slurries of coal suspended in water as fuel for diesel engines HERE and if you can do this with a 50% water/50% coal mixture by weight, why can't you do the same thing with the oil bearing Algae? I mean that literally, run the algae filled water through a strainer to remove some of the water content, then wet grind the algae into a 5 micron max slurry partical size and direct inject the resulting mix into a Diesel engine.

[vtsnowedin]

I have been reading to day about slurries of coal suspended in water as fuel for diesel engines HERE and if you can do this with a 50% water/50% coal mixture by weight, why can't you do the same thing with the oil bearing Algae? I mean that literally, run the algae filled water through a strainer to remove some of the water content, then wet grind the algae into a 5 micron max slurry partical size and direct inject the resulting mix into a Diesel engine.

I would venture to guess that the energy required to run the grinder would be larger then the energy net in the wet oil fuel.
Algae oil has to use solar and wind power exclusivly to both grow the algae with all the pumping required and to harvest and refine the oil. Absent that it is a nogo just like corn ethanol. I don't see why this can't be done but they havn't done it yet and probably won't until oil gets above $200/bl.

[Tanada]

I have been reading to day about slurries of coal suspended in water as fuel for diesel engines HERE and if you can do this with a 50% water/50% coal mixture by weight, why can't you do the same thing with the oil bearing Algae? I mean that literally, run the algae filled water through a strainer to remove some of the water content, then wet grind the algae into a 5 micron max slurry partical size and direct inject the resulting mix into a Diesel engine.

I would venture to guess that the energy required to run the grinder would be larger then the energy net in the wet oil fuel.
Algae oil has to use solar and wind power exclusivly to both grow the algae with all the pumping required and to harvest and refine the oil. Absent that it is a nogo just like corn ethanol. I don't see why this can't be done but they havn't done it yet and probably won't until oil gets above $200/bl.

I'm too lazy to look up which species of algae they want to use for their oil production to see for myself, do you know what the size of the algae is in microns? The article I read (linked above) states that testing has been done with everything from 5 microns to 80 micron diameter coal particles in the water slurry suspension, the smaller the better the in terms of ignition properties. The 80 micron coal dust in the water suspension tended to actually bounce off of the cylender side walls before it was completely burnt while the 5 micron stuff burned almost as well as conventional diesel fuel #2.

My thought is the 'body/cell' of the algae is pretty small and made of hydrocarbons while the oil it contains is similer to other vegetable oils that can be used in diesel engines. Therefore if you reduce the total water content to 45% like they did for the coal water fuel suspension it might give you a similer burn property and heat ratio to low quality coal water fuel suspensions. If that turns out to be the case and the algae cells are smaller than 80 microns then you don't need to refine the algae at all, you just use a membrane to seperate out water until the mixture is 45% water by weight and inject it directly at high pressure into the engine.

[pstarr]

Since I appear to be the only active poster at PO.com today (due to technical, illuminati, or other-worldly difficulties) and have been granted a singular responsibility (as one of the 'experts') to maintain debate, I will wade in to this muddied algae debate with a learned opinion.

It's a waste of time.

[Ferretlover]

Bionavitas technology increases algae yields

Bionavitas, a Washington-based bioscience company specializing in algal applications, announced it has developed a technology which increases yields and reduces costs when growing algae for biofuel production. Through its patent-pending Light Immersion Technology (LIT), Bionavitas has generated a system which brings light into open ponds and closed bioreactors through a system of light rods.

“For use in biofuels production we will utilize LIT in an outdoor canal system, by which we can take the free, abundant sunlight and redirect it through the rods deeper into the algae culture canals, thereby increasing the depth of algae growth from only the top three to five centimeters—which is currently possible through convention sunlight growth—to up to a meter in depth.” Weaver said this approach produced a much higher yield per acre of land, thereby significantly decreasing the price of biofuels production to levels competitive with petroleum.

link

[TheAntiDoomer]

Nice post Graame, seems like a pretty low tech solution to increasing yeilds.

[TheAntiDoomer]

'First Economical Process' For Making Biodiesel Fuel From Algae

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325222006.htm

Chemists reported development of what they termed the first economical, eco-friendly process to convert algae oil into biodiesel fuel — a discovery they predict could one day lead to U.S. independence from petroleum as a fuel.

[Ferretlover]

Groundbreaking "Nanofarming" Technology that Safely Harvests Oil from Algae

Algae is widely touted as the next best source for fueling the world's energy needs. But one of the greatest challenges in creating biofuels from algae is that when you extract the oil from the algae, it kills the organisms, dramatically raising production costs. Now researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University have developed groundbreaking "nanofarming" technology that safely harvests oil from the algae so the pond-based "crop" can keep on producing.

The potential of algae for fuel is tremendous as up to 10,000 gallons of oil may be produced on a single acre of land. The DOE estimates that if algae fuel replaced all the petroleum fuel in the United States, it would require only 15,000 square miles, which is a few thousand square miles larger than Maryland. This is less than one-seventh the area devoted to corn production in the United States in 2000.

http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=10796

[truecougarblue]

This is interesting. The article doesn't give much detail but I can give a guess of how they are accomplishing this.

There are many materials that are hydrophobic, they don't like water. There are also many materials that are oleophilic, they like oil. There are a few materials that have both properties.

My guess is that the "nano" is just micro particles of this material that can be effectively mixed in solution with the bacterial slurry. The oleophilic particles absorb oil from the bacteria without sucking the water out of the cells and then are filtered out and processed with heat or using another binding reagent to "clean" the particles for reuse. If the oleophilic material is cheap enough one may not even need to recycle it.

Just my $.02.

edit: added search term kopak.

[kiwichick]

how many million barrels per day can they do?

[Ferretlover]

Low-cost process produces natural gas from algae

A new method for converting algae into renewable natural gas for use in pipelines and power generation has been transferred from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to the marketplace under a license between Genifuel Corporation and Battelle.

The method, called catalytic hydrothermal gasification, creates natural gas out of algae - more quickly, more efficiently and at higher yields than other biofuel processes. Genifuel expects the process also requires less capital investment. The license agreement moves this technology for renewable energy production a step closer to commercial reality. Battelle operates PNNL for DOE.

"Algae and other aquatic biomass hold significant promise for our country's ability to produce renewable energy domestically," said Genifuel President Jim Oyler. "At Genifuel we have developed efficient growth and harvesting techniques for the aquatic biomass. With this gasification process, we can convert the biomass to a clean fuel that is almost completely carbon-neutral."

He calls the PNNL process an "elegant system," noting that more than 99 percent of the biomass is gasified to produce renewable natural gas and byproducts such as carbon dioxide which can be recycled and reused in the algae growth ponds.

http://www.physorg.com/news160839462.html

[Schmuto]

Well, I knew it was either Graeme or VampreGirl.

[pstarr]

Well, I knew it was either Graeme or VampreGirl.

The same?

One happy and indefatigable. The other veiny and nasty (Sorry Graeme I wasn't really talking about you.)

[Jotapay]

And then there is this:

http://www.utexas.edu/news/2009/05/04/f ... erest=1284

University of Texas at Austin Biologists and Engineers In $25 Million Project to Develop Jet Fuel from Algal Oil

May 4, 2009
Share this story: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

AUSTIN, Texas — Biologists and engineers at The University of Texas at Austin have been selected to be a part of a $25 million project that would transform algal oil to jet fuel.

Algal feedstock is considered one of the best sources for biofuel. It is renewable, does not compete with food crops and grows in wet or dry environments using brackish water or treated wastewater. Furthermore, algae use carbon dioxide as a food source, which means greenhouse gases can be converted back to energy.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is sponsoring the project to develop jet fuel, known as JP-8, for military use from biological sources. Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) in Marietta, Ga., is overseeing the project. Al Mondelli of SAIC is the program manager of the project. The project team involves many other entities, each chosen for a specific area of expertise that will contribute to the success of the project.

[ian807]

Low-cost process produces natural gas from algae

.... more than 99 percent of the biomass is gasified to produce renewable natural gas and byproducts such as carbon dioxide which can be recycled and reused in the algae growth ponds.

99%? Ahem. Who's kidding who here?

Of course, even without magic level 99% efficiencies, there's a bigger problem here. Algae that creates large amounts of hydrocarbons in the form of gas or liquid hydrocarbons is NOT something you want to risk getting into the environment, ever.

Imagine a robust algae that spreads across the oceans and fills the atmosphere with methane, or algae that releases oil when it dies, or worse, when it's alive.

The former would speed up global warming rather remarkably. The latter could cause toxic pollution that would make the Exxon-Valdez look like a drop in the ocean. Either has the potential of being an ecological disaster from which we might never recover in our lifetimes.

[dohboi]

We seem to be endlessly industrious at coming up with ways to snuff out most life on the planet. Very Faust-like.

[Graeme]

Algae-based Biofuels Moving Ever So Slowly to Market

Algae-based biofuels hold enormous promise as an alternative transportation fuel, but investors had better have patience. Fuel made from algal feedstocks is forecast to reach commercial availability by 2012, according to a report released today by Pike Research on the global biofuels industry, but isn’t expected to have a significant effect on the market until 2016. Algae startups like Solazyme with aggressive production timelines, however, might disagree.

Pike Research expects algae-based fuels to be the third key wave of next-generation transportation fuels in coming years, just after those based on waste greases hit the market followed by jatropha-based fuels. Yet while algal oil, which can be used to make biodiesel, ethanol and more, might be a late comer, it has enormous appeal, according to the report. “Algae is the only feedstock that has the potential to replace the world’s demand for transportation fuels,” the report said.

earth2tech

[MD]

Funds will flow into algae production simply because it's the one source that offers a feedstock to nearly the entire fossil fuel product line from diesel to plastics to pharmaceuticals.

I can't call it "fossil fuel replacement" because it's highly unlikely that any one source ever will ever scale to that level. But it will even more unlikely that any other one source will replace everything we currently get from fossil fuels

It's an interesting study. I found it so interesting that I've entered the business.

You'll note that "fossil fuels" are essentially very old dead algae. People are working on expediting the process. Makes sense, doesn't it?


Read this. Not my company but I've been there.

http://www.algaeventuresystems.com/

AlgaeVS is providing algal research and development to create a bio-economy for our nation.
Algae harvesting commercialization is fit for Ohio where agricultural and industrial infrastructure exist.
Algae is not a food OR fuel solution… it’s a food, fuel, AND feedstock solution.
Algae-to-oil is the most promising bio-fuel technology available, able to deliver more than 10-times the fuel per acre than any other bio-solution.
AlgaeVS incorporates a closed-loop strategy…carbon and waste are converted to energy and growth, and algae bi-product provides feedstock and fertilizer to close the loop.
Collocation offers carbon-producing and bio-waste-producing industries an opportunity to contribute to environmental well-being.
AlgaeVS is doing more than growing algae…sequestering carbon, remediate water, ethanol, bio-diesel, high-performance fuels, plastics, feedstock, food.

[Graeme]

MD, Thanks very much for your comments. I wish you all the best with your venture. G.