ALGAE:
SIMPLE
ORGANISM;
INNOVATIVE
DESIGNS
INTRODUCTION
 Ronald Orndorff
BA in History from here in 2004
 Back in NPRE for the fun of it!
 Graduating in like a week.
• I hope
 Hoping to get a job in the nuclear field
Experience as Reactor Operator
 MBA after?
 Renewables?
 Farm sheep in New Zealand
 My advisor is right here
PURPOSE
Biofuel production already discussed
Arys’ presentation covered several topics
Utilization of wastewater
Utilization of carbon dioxide
Economic and environmental argument for algae
So what else is there to cover?
Innovations in farming!
Algae mines
Offshore development
Existing Algal Farm Schemes
Open Pond
Major obstacle – Hardiness of species
Closed Loop system
Ties to greenhouse gas emitters
This has benefits and consequences
• Eats up CO2 at power plants
• Other pollutants, limited in scope
Photobioreactors
Can be built nearly anywhere
Expensive option
ALGAE USE IN MINES
 Land scarcity
 Algae fussy
 Other species invade
 Coal mines often end
up abandoned
 Mix these concepts
and get algae mines!
Algae growth in runoff
INNOVATION – ALGAE MINES
 Eliminates infrastructure cost
~50% of cost for Open Pond Algae
 Controls temperature
Caves/mines maintain stable temperature year-round
 Evaporation control
No sun bearing down, reduces evaporation
 Reduces needed water
 Enhanced growth
Use of LED instead of sunlight
 Only uses a few light frequencies at pulsed intervals
 More efficient for photosynthesis
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS – ALGAE
MINES
 Environmental
Benefits
Isolates C.V., algae
cannot escape
Other harmful species
cannot reach C.V.
Algae can sequester
metals from mines
 Phytoremediation
• Manganese removal
study
Abandoned Mine, Dunbar VA
DRAWBACKS – ALGAE MINES
Cost
LED lights are expensive
Electricity costs vs. free sunlight
Research Funding Limited
EPA
Low interest from venture capitalists
Seen as risky, untested
TAKEWAY POINTS – ALGAE MINES
Unorthodox
Growing plants in the dark is always fun
Green-friendly
“Recycles” unused mines
Limited
Only possible in areas with abandoned mines
Low Interest Currently
Little large-scale commercial appeal
Seen more as PR investiture
OFFSHORE ALGAL FARMS
Offshore Wind/Algae Hybrid Farm Concept – Lolland, Denmark
OFFSHORE FARM STRUCTURE
Build shallow pools for algae offshore
Top of pool: Tempered UV-resistant glass
Bottom of pool: special membrane enclosure
Each pool tethered to wind turbine
Pantograph arm
• Isolates pool motion from sea motion
• Limits degrees of freedom
• Prevents “excess agitation” of algae
Each pool = self-contained mini-ecosystem
Termed “Omega”
OFFSHORE TECH DEVELOPMENT
 Tied to offshore wind turbine development
Wind turbines provide power
 Power drives pumps
• Pumps churn water
 This promotes algal growth
 Power lights LEDs
• Remember how LEDs helped in the mine?
 Bottom membrane new NASA material
forward-osmosis, desalinates incoming water
ensures nutrients reach algae
flushes excess fresh water back
OFFSHORE BENEFITS
Isolated ecosystem
Freshwater Algae can’t leave
Won’t survive in open saltwater
Other species can’t enter
Hostile species blocked by membrane
Effectively infinite “land” for use
Lots of coast and sea for use
Limited only by roughness of sea and
accessibility
OFFSHORE FUEL CHOICE
Innovation centers on biofuel production
Hydrogen production making strides
2008 DoE Report
25% efficiency reported
• Truncate Chlorophyll antennae
• Block oxygen production through copper
Already tying algae farms to wind
turbines...
Future of hydrogen production?
OFFSHORE ENVIRONMENTAL
BENEFITS
 Chemical remediation
Water-based analogue to coal mine phytoremediation
Fertilizer runoff feed algae
Potential Dead Zone solution
OFFSHORE CHALLENGES
Weather
High sea states
Severe weather systems
Collection/Transport
Large swaths of algae may grow...
But how will the fuel be collected?
Regulation
Monitoring farms
TAKEAWAYS – OFFSHORE FARMS
Self-sufficient
Requires no external energy, water, or land
Green-Friendly
Eats up harmful nutrients (P, NH3, N)
Reduced risk of species-based invasions
Available
Most needed technology exists
Hydrogen collection still optimized
Meshing wind farm and algal farms piloted now
REFERENCES
 http://www.rechargenews.com/business_area/innovation/article189992.ec
e (Offshore algae cultivation)
 http://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/progress08/ii_f_2_melis.pdf (DoE
report on hydrogen production from algae)
 http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/does-algae-plus-wind-powerequal-biofuel/ (Wind + Algae breakdown)
 http://www.itrcweb.org/miningwaste-guidance/cs33b_tva_alabama.htm
(TVA report on algae collecting Mn in abandoned coal mine)
 http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/invasive-algae-leads-to-boombust-and-maybe-boom-again/ (Article detailing a problem with invasive
algae
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoremediation (Description of
Phytoremediation with examples)
 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=underground-algaegrowth-light-emitting-diodes (Detailed article on using algae in abandoned
coal mines, the whys and hows)
QUESTIONS?