The advantages of deriving biodiesel from algae include rapid growth
rates, a high per-acre yield; and algae biofuel contains no sulfur, is
non-toxic, and is highly biodegradable. Some species of algae are
ideally suited to biodiesel production due to their high oil
content--in some species, topping out near 50%.
overview
About Algae
- Oilgae.com (http://www.oilgae.com/) - Biodiesel from Algae Oil – Info, Resources, News & Links
Algae range from small, single-celled organisms to multi-cellular
organisms, some with fairly complex differentiated form. Algae are
usually found in damp places or bodies of water and thus are common in
terrestrial as well as aquatic environments. Like plants, algae require
primarily three components to grow: sunlight, carbon-di-oxide &
water. Photosynthesis is an important biochemical process in which
plants, algae, and some bacteria convert the energy of sunlight to
chemical energy. The existing large-scale natural sources are of algae
are: Bogs, marshes & swamps - Salt marshes and salt lakes.
Microalgae contain lipids and fatty acids as membrane components,
storage products, metabolites and sources of energy. Algae contain
anywhere between 2% and 40% of lipids/oils by weight. There are three
well-known methods to extract the oil from oilseeds, and these methods
should apply equally well for algae too: 1. Expeller/Press 2. Hexane
solvent oil extraction 3. Supercritical Fluid extraction
Biomass Yield
These are the yields obtained in stable cultures during an entire
year, as reported by the Aquatic Species Program. All other results
from that program show either unstable growth or yields obtained over
short periods of time (often, during winter months when algae
productivity drops significantly, the Aquatic Species Program
discontinued the cultures.)
Metric Tons/Hectare/Year
M. minutum (algae), 1989.....35.8
M. minutum (algae), 1989.....30.3
M. minutum (algae), 1990.....38.3
Algae (no species mentioned), 1978.....43.8
Algae (no species mentioned), 1978.....51.1
Sugarcane.....79.2 [Brazilian average, 2005]
Sorghum.....70 [Average for Andhra Pradesh, India, 2005]
Cassava.....65 [Nigeria, 1985]
Oil palm.....50 [Global average, including low yields in Africa; in Malaysia, average yields are 75 MT/ha/yr]
Arundo Donax.....50 [Grown in sub-tropics, Handbook of Energy Crops]
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]
Companies
- A2BE Carbon Capture (http://www.algaeatwork.com/) A2BE Carbon Capture has patented a system for biodiesel production from algae.
- AlgaeLink (http://www.algaelink.com/)
Retailer of photobioreactors and commercial algae cultivation
equipment. Offers full support for operations, potential
distributorship opportunities.
- Algoil (http://213.79.36.6/algoil/index.htm)
- A pioneer project focusing on the production of Biodiesel / Biomass
from micro algae. The target is also to use the rest of the extracted
biomass to make food, biofuel, hydrogen, paper, or simply burning it
like charcoal. The extraction of oil suitable for Biodiesel is now a
confirmed success.
- Aquaflow Bionomics (http://aquaflowgroupcom.axiion.com/)
- Many vegetable and biomass derived oils could replace petroleum as
its scarcity and price increase. The search for new faster growing
species will intensify as demand increases.
- Circle Biodiesel & Ethanol Corporation (http://www.circlebio.com/)
- Circle Biodiesel & Ethanol Corporation has developed and
manufactured a new algae photo bioreactor to add to their existing line
of biofuels processing equipment including biodiesel processors and
ethanol stills.
- Enhanced Biofuels & Technologies (http://www.ebtplc.com/)
- The EBT algae process combines a bioreactor with an open pond, both
using waste CO2 from coal fired power plant flue gases as a fertilizer
for the algae. The biodiesel and ethanol produced can be sold, or used
as an alternative fuel on site. Emissions are reduced up to 82%.
- GreenFuel Technologies (http://www.greenfuelonline.com/)
Emissions-to-Biofuels™ (E2B™) process harnesses photosynthesis to grow
algae, capture CO2 and produce high-energy biomass. Retrofitting
fossil-fired power plants and other anthropogenic sources of carbon
dioxide, the algae can be economically converted to solid fuel,
methane, or liquid transportation fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol.
- GreenShift (http://www.greenshift.com/news.php?id=97) has a license agreement with Ohio University for its patented bioreactor (http://www.gs-cleantech.com/product_desc.php?mode=3) process based on a newly discovered iron-loving cyanobacterium (blue-green algae), through their subsidiary Veridium (http://www.veridium.com/),
for the purpose of air pollution control of exhaust gas streams from
electrical utility fossil-fueled power generation facilities. Once the
algae grow to maturity, they fall to the bottom of the bioreactor and
are harvested for fuel or fertilizer.
- Green Star Products (http://www.greenstarusa.com/) - GSPI's HAPS Algae Systems & GSPI's Biodiesel Technology: A Real Solution To Peak Oil & Global Warming
- Infinifuel Biodiesel (http://www.infinifuel.com/)
- Wabuska Nevada is home to the world's first geothermally powered and
heated biodiesel plant. We have over 300 acres to grow oilseed and
develop algae ponds on site.
- LiveFuels (http://www.livefuels.com/)
- A national alliance of labs and scientists dedicated to transforming
algae into biocrude by the year 2010. Working on breeding various
strains of algae, driving down the costs of harvesting algae and
extracting fats and oils from the algae. Theoretically, the U.S. could
grow enough algae on 20 million acres to replace imported oil.
- OriginOil (http://www.originoil.com/)
- Novel technology at the microscopic scale can enhance the efficiency
of algae production as a high-yield, cost-competitive replacement for
petroleum. In the growth phase, nutrients are fractured and injected
into algae culture. In the extraction phase, fracturing breaks the
tough outer membrane of the algae in an energy-efficient manner.
- PetroAlgae (http://www.petroalgae.com/)
- Commercializing an environmentally-friendly algae developed by a
research team at ASU that generates over two hundred times more oil per
acre than crops like soybeans. Using a cost-effective, modular
cultivation process that can be massively scaled, PetroAlgae will
produce renewable feed stock oils for use in applications such as
transportation fuels (e.g. biodiesel), heating oil, and plastics.
- Solazyme (http://www.solazyme.com/)
- Devoted to harnessing the energy-harvesting machinery of various
species of algae to produce valuable products. The Company utilizes
proprietary genetic engineering methods to develop and optimize
commercially relevant biochemical pathways for production of
hydrocarbons (for energy and specialty chemicals) & bioactive
compounds.
- Solix Biofuels (http://www.solixbiofuels.com/)
- A developer of massively scaleable photo-bioreactors for the
production of biodiesel and other valuable bio-commodities from algae
oil. Solix’ closed photo-bioreactors allow fossil-fuel power plant
exhaust to be captured through the growing system. The algae growth
rates increase in the presence of the carbon dioxide that would
otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere.
- Texas Clean Fuels (http://www.texascleanfuels.com)
- Our algae bioreactor is called the "MOPS" - an acronym for
Micro-Organism Production System, which also reflects its function as a
carbon dioxide "mopping" technology. The MOPS can be used for both
carbon dioxide sequestration and biofuel feedstock production
simulateously.
- Valcent Products (http://www.valcent.net/news_detail.sstg?id=36)
- Has developed a high density vertical bio-reactor for the mass
production of oil bearing algae while removing large quantities of
carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. This new bio-reactor is
tailored to grow a species of algae that yields a large volume of high
grade vegetable oil, which is very suitable for blending with diesel to
create a bio-diesel fuel.
this information is from
peswiki.com
