Algae Cultures to Biofuels
Heather Sommers
Molluscan Aquaculture
April 25th, 2007
Overview

What is Algae




Basics
Types
Importance
Making algae into a fuel source

Biodiesel


Hydrogen



History
History
Biomass
How to Culture
What is Algae?

Algae



Simple plant
Most live in water
Photosynthetic





Capture light energy
Convert inorganic to organic matter
Nonvascular
Use lipids and oils to help float in water
Range from small, single-celled species to complex
multicellular species, such as the giant kelps
Types

Red Algae






Benthic
Macro
Green Algae




Benthic
Macro
Kelp
Marine
Diatoms



Chlorophyll a and b
Plants
Freshwater
Brown Algae


Blue Green Algae




Single celled
Silica cell wall
Vertical migration
Fix N2 from air
Freshwater
Dinoflagellates



Toxic; suck out O2
Cause red tides
Organic matter
Background

Location


How many


Over 36,000 species
How does it feed?



Most habitats
Photosynthesis
All have chlorophyll
Uses

food, fertilizer, foodstock, pharmaceutical, pollution
control, water treatment, dyes, agar, Fuels
Biodiesel History

From 1978 to 1996 the U.S. Department of
Energy funded a program to develop
renewable transportation fuels from algae
The main focus of the program was known as
the Aquatic Species Program (or ASP)
 Production of biodiesel from high lipid-content
algae grown in ponds
 Utilized waste CO2 from coal fired power plants

(Department of Energy. 1996)
Why make it a fuel?


Algae can be used to make biodiesel
Produces large amounts oil




When compared to terrestrial crops grown for the same purpose
Algae contain anywhere between 2% and 40% of lipids/oils by
weight
Once harvested, this oil can be converted into fuels for
transportation, aviation or heating
High growth rate and easy to grow

Warm Seasons



Cold Seasons


Amphora sp.
Tetraselmis suecica
Monoraphidium minutum
Use of diatoms and green algae
Harvesting Biodiesel



Microalgae have much faster growth-rates than terrestrial crops
Algal-oil processes into biodiesel as easily as oil derived from landbased crops
Use microalgae




Less complex structure
Faster growing rate
High oil content
How to harvest

Open-pond systems





Can be difficult
Type of algae has to be hardy
Can be less hardy and grow slower
Use Bioreactor Tubes
Use existing infrastructures


Provides the raw materials for the system, such as CO2 and nutrients
Changes those wastes into resources.
(Solix BioFuels. 2006)
Factories
(Enhanced Biofuels & Technologies Ltd. 2007)
How to get oil

Expeller/Press




Hexane Solvent Method




Algae is dried
Oil content can be "pressed" out with an oil press
Extracts 70-75% of the oils out of algae
Uses chemicals (such as hexane and methanol)
Can be harmful and explosive
Cold press & hexane solvent = extract 95% of oil
Supercritical Fluid Extraction




CO2 is liquefied under pressure and heated to the point that it
has the properties of both a liquid and gas
This liquefied fluid then acts as the solvent in extracting the oil
Can Extract almost 100% of the oils
Expensive equipment
Oil Yield
Gallons of Oil per Acre per Year

Corn . . . . . . . 15

Soybeans . . . .48

Safflower. . . . . 83

Sunflower . . . 102

Rapeseed. . . 127

Oil Palm . . . . 635

Micro Algae . .1850 [based on actual biomass yields]

Micro Algae . .5000-15000 [theoretical laboratory yield]
Cultivating Algae for Liquid Fuel Production (http://oakhavenpc.org/cultivating_algae.htm); 2005
Other Uses

Hydrogen

Algae can be grown to produce hydrogen
 Discovered
first in 1939 by Hans Gaffrom
 Late 1990’s it was found that if sulfur deprived,
algae will produce hydrogen

Biomass

Algae can be grown to produce biomass
 Burned
to produce heat and electricity
 Can still produce greenhouse gases
Biomass Yield
Metric Tons per Hectare per Year

Algae.....51.1 [USA average, 1978]

Sugarcane.....79.2 [Brazilian average, 2005]

Sorghum.....70 [India average, 2005]

Cassava.....65 [Nigeria average, 1985]

Oil palm.....50 [Global average, 2005]
Cultivating Algae for Liquid Fuel Production (http://oakhavenpc.org/cultivating_algae.htm); NREL, 2005
Importance
Algae is easy to grow
 Can produce a high yield of oil
 Oil can be processed into biodiesel
 Help to solve dependence on fossil fuels
 Can be better for the Earth

References










Cultivating Algae for Liquid Fuel Production (http://oakhavenpc.org/cultivating_algae.htm); NREL,
2005
Department of Energy, Office of Fuel Development. “Aquatic Species Program”. 1996.
Enhanced Biofuels & Technologies Ltd. 2007. Accessed: http://www.ebtplc.com/c4c.htm
Guiry, M.D. and Blunden, G. (Eds) 1991. Seaweed Resources in Europe: Uses and Potential.
John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-92947-6
Mumford, T.F. and Miura, A. 1988. 4. Porphyra as food: cultivation and economics. p.87 — 117. In
Lembi, C.A. and Waaland, J.R. (Ed.) Algae and Human Affairs. 1988. Cambridge University
Press. ISBN 0 521 32115 8
John Sheehan, Terri Dunahay, John Benemann and Paul Roessler, "A Look Back at the U.S.
Department of Energy's Aquatic Species Program-Bio-diesel from Algae, Closeout Report", July
1998, NREL/TP-580-24 190 http://www.nrel.gov/docs/legosti/fy98/24190.pdf
Michael Briggs, Widescale Biodiesel Production from Algae, University of New Hampshire,
Physics Department, revised August 2004. http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.html
Sheehan, J., T. Dunahay, J. Benemann, and P. Roessler. 1998. A look back at the U.S.
Department of Energy’s aquatic species program - Biodiesel from algae. US Dept. Energy, Office
of Fuels Development, Nat. Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO.
Solix BioFuels, 2006. accessed:
http://www.solixbiofuels.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=26
Websites:


http://www.ecology.com/dr-jacks-natural-world/most-important-organism/index.html
http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_yield.html