Exploring Microalgae as Solutions to Global Fuel Issues

[Ivan Seeking]

It may be valuable to consider microalgae as a potential solution to a number of problems; not the least of which being the energy problem. Algae can be used to produce biodiesel, ethanol, and hydrogen, as options to the use of petroleum based fuels.
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/legosti/fy98/24190.pdf


Another side of this issue is that algae can be used to clean-up industrial, agricultural, municipal waste, and/or for CO2 remediation, first, and then be used for fuel production.

The BEAM network supports inderdisciplinary and collaborative research into understanding the limitations on microalgal growthsupproting the development of new, commercial-scale microalgae culture systems, the production of fine chemicals, bioactive compounds and renewable fuels (hydrogen and biodiesel), as well as environmental applications such as monitoring the physiological state of phytoplankton in the environment, management of algal blooms, CO2 bioremediation and algal/bacterial systems for the bioremediation of contaminated soils. Research focuses especially on photosynthetic light utilisation efficiency and carbon fixation, chlorophyll fluorescence, biochemistry of secondary metabolites, molecular biology and photobioreactor design and engineering, informed by an understanding of the ecology of these algae.

http://wwwscieng.murdoch.edu.au/centres/algae/BEAM-Net/BEAMHOME.html

Here is one story in the news that seems to be appropriate for consideration in this regard.

Midwestern farming practices have left the mighty Mississippi River chock full of carbon dioxide, acidifying the downstream Gulf of Mexico and harming coral and other marine life, a new study finds. [continued]

http://www.livescience.com/environment/080125-mississippi-chemistry.html

 

[wolram]

Algae to the rescue.

So what are we waiting for, some Arab sheikh to come along and fund production?

 

[sas3]

I have read that they can get over 50,000 gallons of biodiesel pre season per acre with algae.
"So what are we waiting for" was also my reaction.
Dam oil companies!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I have read that they can get over 50,000 gallons of biodiesel pre season per acre with algae.
"So what are we waiting for" was also my reaction.
Dam oil companies!

Eh, about the best we can expect is 10,000 gallons per acre-year; and that is probably not realistic except in the lab. But all things considered - after factoring in processing efficiency - it is still about 40 times better than corn ethanol.

The maximum production is limited for one by the solar energy input. However, if the conversion efficiency of algae can be improved through hybridization or genetic engineering, then we might be able to exceed the 10,000 gallon per acre-year limit.

What are we waiting for? Personally, I'm not waiting - I started a biofuels company. The question is: What are YOU waiting for?

 

[Dale]

I am a big fan of algae and other biofuels. But I think that "dam oil companies"-type statements are fairly silly. There is a lot of R&D going on, so if the oil industry is actually attempting to suppress alternative technologies then they are obviously simply incapable of suppressing them.

Each alternative fuel has some serious technical, logistical, and economical challenges to overcome in order to replace petroleum. The best thing possible for overcoming these challenges is continued high prices for petroleum.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Each alternative fuel has some serious technical, logistical, and economical challenges to overcome in order to replace petroleum. The best thing possible for overcoming these challenges is continued high prices for petroleum.

That is true. It apppears that $3 is the magic number for one because this is the price of biodiesel. In the past when the choice was biodiesel at $3, or petrodiesel at $1.50, it was a tough sell. But with biodiesel price competitive like it is now, progress is made quickly.

One hidden variable here is that by just replacing imported oil, domestic fuel production will inject about a half-trillion dollars into the US economy each year - money that currently goes to foreign suppliers. That is about one Iraq war every year in returns.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Take a look! It's already happening!
http://www.nearbio.com/

 

[DrClapeyron]

Why is this discussion in Earth and not Biology or Engineering?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It is intended to address specific environemental needs such as the one in the story linked. But obviously background information is appropriate, and it is a multidisciplinary subject.

 

[wolram]

What are we waiting for? Personally, I'm not waiting - I started a biofuels company. The question is: What are YOU waiting for?

Well done Ivan i hope your company flourishes, is there a depth limit of the water needed to grow algae?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

is there a depth limit of the water needed to grow algae?

It is generally claimed that all growth occurs in the top fraction of an inch of the water.

 

[Integral]

Here is potential competition for algae http://www.wired.com/cars/energy/news/2008/01/ethanol23"

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Wow! We will have to see if this pans out. I have seen claims like this come and go for decades... so we will see.

Of course there is still a tremendous need for diesel either way.

 

[DrClapeyron]

How is this good for the environment? I don't think algae can compete with diesel processed from crude oil.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Do your have any reasons for your opinion?

 

[Dale]

Here is potential competition for algae http://www.wired.com/cars/energy/news/2008/01/ethanol23"

One thing I like about ethanol is the possibility of direct ethanol fuel cells. I think cellulosic ethanol is the only ethanol that makes sense economically. Otherwise we are literally burning our own crops. Most of the valid objections of the anti-ethanol crowd are directly related to the impact on food supplies.

That said I am open to algae and other sources of biodiesel also. The more different sources we can use the better.

 

[wolram]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/new-power-generation-alternative-energy-sourc

Seems the big boys are getting in on the act.

Meanwhile, in Hawaii, the petroleum giant Shell has more immediate plans. Its ingenious system aims to produce biodiesel from pond scum. It might sound outlandish, but algae has become something of a buzzword in future-fuel circles. If Shell, the first oil major to invest in algal oils, can show the technique to be a viable alternative to standard diesel and existing biofuels, algal fuels could soon appear on a forecourt near you.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

No matter how this pans out, the high energy density of biodiesel as compared to ethanol - about 1.5 times higher - and the fact that it can be used in existing diesel and [with modifications] aircraft engines, and the fact that diesel engines are more efficient than existing IC engines means that BD is needed in large quantities for many years to come.

But again, one of the huge benefits of algae is that it can be used for waste remediation [industrial, agricultural, and municipal] and then used to produce fuel. In essense we have the potential to make a profit by cleaning-up environmental disasters. For example, nitrogen from agricultural runoff kills lakes and streams, but algae loves it!

 

[mheslep]

For example, nitrogen from agricultural runoff kills lakes and streams, but algae loves it!

Its not the nitrogen that kills. The N spawns accelerated plant growth that in turn takes oxygen from the water, its the lack of O2 that kills.

 

[DrClapeyron]

I am thin on why watered down diesel fuel production involves the Earth sciences. Yall certainly have a wholesale issue grasp, so may I assume the Earth science relationion has something to do with available water resources, which if the production plants are built close to large water reserves like say on the texas gulf coast no problem unfolds.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Its not the nitrogen that kills. The N spawns accelerated plant growth that in turn takes oxygen from the water, its the lack of O2 that kills.

The N kills the lake though the associated growth, which kills the fish.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I am thin on why watered down diesel fuel production..

Could you explain what you mean by watered down fuel? It would appear that you are just taking cheap shots at something that you know nothing about.

 

[dlgoff]

Hey Ivan. I just saw little clip from the local news on the Fox network out of Kansas City about Biodiesel.

Of course you were the first person to come to mind. I was wondering if the person they interviewed was you.

Regards

 

[_Mayday_]

Am I correct in saying that algae would also take in a lot of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? If I am correct then its like killing two birds with one stone. It would need to be grown in HUGE numbers.

 

[mheslep]

Am I correct in saying that algae would also take in a lot of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

Yes all plant http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis" does.

If I am correct then its like killing two birds with one stone. It would need to be grown in HUGE numbers.

Theoretically at best it would be carbon neutral - fixing carbon during growth and then liberating it again when the resulting biofuel is burned. A recent spoiler to this equation: apparently if one slashes and burns the land needed for growth of your fuel crop then the net http://www.independent.co.uk/enviro...worse-scientific-study-concludes-779811.html", at least for some crops. I don't know what is commonly planned for Algae farms. If its done in the ocean somehow then the CO2 would be neutral; if massive land locked algae lakes have to be made then one is back to clearing land again.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Algae is the answer to slash and burn because unlike the alternatives, it doesn't require good farmland. Also, the yields per acre are typically ten to forty times higher than other crops, so it requires less land area [or water area] accordingly.

 

[mheslep]

Algae is the answer to slash and burn because unlike the alternatives, it doesn't require good farmland.

Where would it typically be grown then? BTW Id favor it in any case if its economical since its better (for now) than being dependent of foreign oil.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

There are many approaches ranging from open lakes and covered ponds to high-tech bioreactors. IIRC, there was even talk of dedicating the entire Salton Sea for algae production; due to the existing levels of pollution. But in principle you can grow it anywhere that you can have water, NPK, a fairly moderate climate [for production all 12 months of the year], and sunshine.

 

[mheslep]

Does one take sugar directly from algae or is there also cellulose conversion required (via cellurase and all that)?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Right now the shortest and most economical path is to produce biodiesel from algae. Microalgaes produce mainly sugars and long-chain hydrocarbons [plant oil for biodiesel]. I'm not sure exactly what is involved in extracting the sugar but it can constitute as much as 50% of the algae by weight. And no, we're not talking about something as inefficient as cellulosic ethanol.

There is a chemical switch that selects for either oil or sugar production. Controlling this switch is one of the goals of modern research.

Note that there is one slow growing algae - botryococcus braunii - that is known to produce as much as 80% oil by weight.

There is a group through MIT that is growing algae for hydrogen production, so in addition to providing an immediate solution to our energy problems, algae may be the key to a hydrogen economy.

 

[mheslep]

Right now the shortest and most economical path is to produce biodiesel from algae. Microalgaes produce mainly sugars and long-chain hydrocarbons [plant oil for biodiesel]. I'm not sure exactly what is involved in extracting the sugar but it can constitute as much as 50% of the algae by weight. And no, we're not talking about something as inefficient as cellulosic ethanol.

Cellulosic ethanol is inefficient in what sense? In economic terms, the http://www.wired.com/cars/energy/news/2008/01/ethanol23" article up thread said they could produce for $1/gallon from basically any organic material, and for much less heat/pressure/water than is required for corn ethanol. I don't how to calculate land use for cellulosic, since the source can be municipal waste, trash wood pulp, feedstock, whatever.

There is a group through MIT that is growing algae for hydrogen production, so in addition to providing an immediate solution to our energy problems, algae may be the key to a hydrogen economy.

A bit of a digression - do you believe the distribution problems for H are solved? Pipelines won't work, liquification costs, etc. I see serious economic difficulties there in putting that infrastructure in place.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Cellulosic ethanol is inefficient in what sense? In economic terms, the http://www.wired.com/cars/energy/news/2008/01/ethanol23" article up thread said they could produce for $1/gallon from basically any organic material, and for much less heat/pressure/water than is required for corn ethanol. I don't how to calculate land use for cellulosic, since the source can be municipal waste, trash wood pulp, feedstock, whatever.

I'll believe it when I see it. Sounds to me more like a ploy for funding considering that it's not being reported more generally. I've heard many claims like this before that all turned into vaporware. Generally, the best predictions for cellulosic ethanol to be competitive are ten to twenty years, and [historically] even predictions like that are often overly optimistic. And by then we will likely have solved the problem with algae.

A bit of a digression - do you believe the distribution problems for H are solved? Pipelines won't work, liquification costs, etc. I see serious economic difficulties there in putting that infrastructure in place.

One key concept in a H economy is local production. This eliminates many of the infrastructure problems. It also makes the energy supply more secure than it is now because it decentralizes the system. Note also that many Hydrogen fueling stations already exist and the country of Iceland is converting to H right now.

Here you can find a list of the world's H fueling stations.
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=1306959#post1306959

 

[mheslep]

One key concept in a H economy is local production. This eliminates many of the infrastructure problems. It also makes the energy supply more secure than it is now because it decentralizes the system.

This makes sense - if it can be done.

 

[mheslep]

Note also that many Hydrogen fueling stations already exist and the country of Iceland is converting to H right now.

I have to backup a bit here. After googling Iceland's H plans, there is indeed a ton of information: lots of the usual why 'H is great' for energy independence, environment, use the geothermal, etc. But after digging into it, its all the same load of hand waving when it comes to distribution and storage, in particular nobody has demonstrated an economically viable onboard automobile storage approach. 'Concept projects planned for metal hydride' storage' - yes they better do some projects because hydride storage isn't close to being economically efficient. "Well fishing boats have problems storing H for weeks at sea, project planned to 'store' the H in methanol on board instead" - which is just begging the question IMO. Nanotube storage, blah, blah. Its not there yet.
Edit: more - the buses Iceland is deploying go for "www.afsa.org/fsj/dec03/sigfusson.pdf"[/URL]. This is just a Disneyworld stunt, pandering to the EU for subsidies and some feel good for the voters.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

First of all, I agree that there are still issues. Of course what makes Iceland unique is all of the free energy that they get from geothermal, which makes H2 from electrolysis practical.

First I think you need to define what you mean by "economically viable". But, no doubt, this is all still in the development stage. However, for example, I believe that BMW has a car that can run on either gasoline or H2 [internal combustion] with the flip of a switch, so it might be interesting to see what they and other people are doing.

There are a tons links in the hydrogen thread linked above for the fueling stations.

For me, none of this is as problematic as the issue of production. Right now there is no practical way to produce hydrogen that can compete with standard fuels. But for the long term it looks like algae could solve this problem. So the point is that once again we see that algae is the most promising path to follow no matter which fuel we wish to use - biodiesel, ethanol, and eventually even Hydrogen.