Growing Algae for
Biofuel
Søren Laurentius Nielsen
Department of Environmental,
Social and Spatial Change
Biofuel
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Fuel derived from biological material
CO2 – neutral (or at least nearly so)
1st generation
2nd generation
Beyond 2nd generation
Department of Environmental,
Social and Spatial Change
1st generation biofuel
• Made from sugar, starch, oils, fats
• Using conventional technology
– Direct use of oils
– Transesterification
– Fermentation
• Source often seeds or grain
Department of Environmental,
Social and Spatial Change
Problems:
• Taking up arable land, that could be used
for food production
• Diverting food away from the human food
chain
– Food shortages
– Rising prices
• May use fertilizer and pesticides in the
production
Department of Environmental,
Social and Spatial Change
2nd generation biofuel
• Made from non-food crops, waste biomass
etc.
• Utilizing cellulosic ethanol production
• Does not divert food away from the human
food chain
Department of Environmental,
Social and Spatial Change
Problems:
• Production of ethanol from cellulose not
tecnically straightforward
• May still compete for arable land with food
production if based on crops grown for fuel
Department of Environmental,
Social and Spatial Change
3rd generation biofuel
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Enter the algae!
Fast growth – several 100 % per day
Oil content comparable to oilseeds
= Very high yields, ~ 100 times that of
oilseed
Department of Environmental,
Social and Spatial Change
Department of Environmental,
Social and Spatial Change
Department of Environmental,
Social and Spatial Change
Advantages of using algae
• Uses 1st generation technology
(transesterification) for biofuel production
• No diversion of food from the human food chain
• No competition for arable land
• The use of marine microalgae means no need
for or pollution of potable water
• No need for pesticides
• Necessary nutrients can come from sewage,
cleansing it in the process
Department of Environmental,
Social and Spatial Change
Potential problems
• Will it be possible to achieve sufficient cell
densities?
• Will it be possible to achieve sufficiently
fast growth rates under natural light in
these latitudes?
• Will it be possible to find species that fulfill
these criteria and have a high oil content?
Department of Environmental,
Social and Spatial Change
AGEPS consortium
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ZCD d.o.o. (biodiesel production)
Active Pool GmbH (pool engineering)
Uljarice d.o.o. (algal cake production)
University of Nova Gorica (algal knowledge)
Roskilde University (algal knowledge)
University of Ljubljana (animal nutrition)
• Current application – EU FP7, Research for SMEs, €
570.000 (total budget € 740.000)
Department of Environmental,
Social and Spatial Change
CO2
O2
Bioreactor
Harvested algae
Ultrasonic
harvest
system
Extraction
Water return
Nutrients
Algal oil
Algal
cake
Biodiesel
processor
Biodiesel
Department of Environmental,
Social and Spatial Change
• However, the use of algae for biodiesel is
not unique for this project
• Estimate that € 500.000 will take us from
lab to pilot production (”biological
feasibility”)
– Lab tests of the suitability of various algae
– Bioreactor production
– Initial field production tests
Department of Environmental,
Social and Spatial Change
• More information: nielsen@ruc.dk
Department of Environmental,
Social and Spatial Change