By Justin Bannister, New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University is working to transform bubbling pools of algae into both a sustainable source for fuel as well as a sustainable industry for New Mexico. To complement this research, NMSU is now also growing its own algae in slime-filled vats called “raceway reactors” at the university’s Fabian Garcia Science Center in Las Cruces.
“At NMSU, we’ve developed significant expertise in the algal biofuel area over the past few years. Not many universities are doing the entire process starting from cultivation all the way to fuel testing,” said Nirmal Khandan, a civil engineering professor at NMSU.
Khandan said only a handful of universities across the country are producing their own algae for research. Once at full capacity, his group will produce four kilograms, nearly nine pounds, of dry algae a month to hand over to other NMSU researchers for their algae work.
“For a university, on a research scale, producing four kilograms of dry algae a month is on the high end,” Khandan said. “Considering we started four years ago from scratch, this is impressive. More importantly, we’re also able to train master’s and Ph.D. students in this emerging field and compete with major universities for funding in this area.”
NMSU is currently cultivating the algae in two 1,000-liter raceway ponds at the Fabian Garcia Science Center. Raceway ponds allow algae to grow and multiply while flowing in a circular pattern around the pond. Construction on another two 1,000-liter raceway ponds, as well as a 4,000-liter photobioreacter, which controls the conditions for algae growth, will be completed by April 2011.
Khandan’s students extract algae each day from the ponds while working to find the right mixture of light and nutrients for maximum yield. His student team was also one of 40 teams selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to receive a $10,000 grant to modify and improve the efficiency of the algae extraction process. In May 2011, his team will present its design at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to compete for another $75,000 in grant money.
The green crude they extract supports research for NMSU’s two major algae-based fuel projects, a $44 million collaborative study funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to commercialize algae-based fuel and a $2.3 million project with the University of Central Florida to study algae-based jet fuel for the U.S. Air Force.
NMSU has a separate partnership with the Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management, a private company, which leases space at NMSU’s Agricultural Science Center at Artesia to grow and test algae.
December 28, 2010
December 18, 2010
Seaweed as biofuel? Metabolic engineering makes it a viable option
Is red seaweed a viable future biofuel? Now that a University of Illinois metabolic engineer has developed a strain of yeast that can make short work of fermenting galactose, the answer is an unequivocal yes.
"When Americans think about biofuel crops, they think of corn, miscanthus, and switchgrass. ln small island or peninsular nations, though, the natural, obvious choice is marine biomass," said Yong-Su Jin, a U of I assistant professor of microbial genomics and a faculty member in its Institute for Genomic Biology.
Producers of biofuels made from terrestrial biomass crops have had difficulty breaking down recalcitrant fibers and extracting fermentable sugars. The harsh pretreatment processes used to release the sugars also resulted in toxic byproducts, inhibiting subsequent microbial fermentation, he said.
But marine biomass can be easily degraded to fermentable sugars, and production rates and range of distribution are higher than terrestrial biomass, he said.
"However, making biofuels from red seaweed has been problematic because the process yields both glucose and galactose, and until now galactose fermentation has been very inefficient," he said.
But Jin and his colleagues have recently identified three genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the microbe most often used to ferment the sugars, whose overexpression increased galactose fermentation by 250 percent when compared to a control strain.
"This discovery greatly improves the economic viability of marine biofuels," he said.
Overexpression of one gene in particular, a truncated form of the TUP1 gene, sent galactose fermentation numbers soaring. The new strain consumed both sugars (glucose and galactose) almost three times faster than the control strain—8 versus 24 hours, he said.
"When we targeted this protein, the metabolic enzymes in galactose became very active. We can see that this gene is part of a regulating or controlling system," he said.
According to Jin, galactose is one of the most abundant sugars in marine biomass so its enhanced fermentation will be industrially useful for seaweed biofuel producers.
Marine biomass is an attractive renewable source for the production of biofuels for three reasons:
"When Americans think about biofuel crops, they think of corn, miscanthus, and switchgrass. ln small island or peninsular nations, though, the natural, obvious choice is marine biomass," said Yong-Su Jin, a U of I assistant professor of microbial genomics and a faculty member in its Institute for Genomic Biology.
Producers of biofuels made from terrestrial biomass crops have had difficulty breaking down recalcitrant fibers and extracting fermentable sugars. The harsh pretreatment processes used to release the sugars also resulted in toxic byproducts, inhibiting subsequent microbial fermentation, he said.
But marine biomass can be easily degraded to fermentable sugars, and production rates and range of distribution are higher than terrestrial biomass, he said.
"However, making biofuels from red seaweed has been problematic because the process yields both glucose and galactose, and until now galactose fermentation has been very inefficient," he said.
But Jin and his colleagues have recently identified three genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the microbe most often used to ferment the sugars, whose overexpression increased galactose fermentation by 250 percent when compared to a control strain.
"This discovery greatly improves the economic viability of marine biofuels," he said.
Overexpression of one gene in particular, a truncated form of the TUP1 gene, sent galactose fermentation numbers soaring. The new strain consumed both sugars (glucose and galactose) almost three times faster than the control strain—8 versus 24 hours, he said.
"When we targeted this protein, the metabolic enzymes in galactose became very active. We can see that this gene is part of a regulating or controlling system," he said.
According to Jin, galactose is one of the most abundant sugars in marine biomass so its enhanced fermentation will be industrially useful for seaweed biofuel producers.
Marine biomass is an attractive renewable source for the production of biofuels for three reasons:
- production yields of marine plant biomass per unit area are much higher than those of terrestrial biomass
- marine biomass can be depolymerized relatively easily compared to other biomass crops because it does not contain recalcitrant lignin and cellulose crystalline structures
- the rate of carbon dioxide fixation by marine biomass is much higher than by terrestrial biomass, making it an appealing option for sequestration and recycling of carbon dioxide, he said.
December 15, 2010
Cornell University joins team taking head-first plunge into algae biofuels
Cornell University researchers have joined other scientists and a biofuel research company on a mission to develop a commercial-scale algae-to-fuel facility by 2015.
The effort is backed by a $9 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Cellana, an algal biofuel research company based in Kailua Kona, Hawaii, is leading the consortium. Cornell, along with Duke University, San Francisco State University, the University of Hawaii and the University of Southern Mississippi, will work out plans for developing a 100-acre commercial-scale facility to produce fuels and animal feeds from microalgae.
“Relative to other fuels, algae produce at least 10 times more biomass per hectare than terrestrial land plants,” says Charles Greene, a Cornell professor of earth and atmospheric sciences, who is a principal investigator on the project.
Algae use nutrients more efficiently than land plants, so there is no runoff of nutrients into the water. They are also grown in seawater, so there is no demand for fresh water, and they don’t require soil, “so you don’t have to compete with food plants for good agricultural land,” the way terrestrial biofuels do, Greene says.
Greene is working with Jeff Tester, a professor of sustainable energy systems in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and associate director of the Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, to analyze the economics, energy costs and carbon footprint of the project.
“In the ideal sense, all biofuels should approach carbon neutrality,” says Greene.
To help improve the economic viability of the project, Cellana is looking into extracting proteins for nutritional supplements for animal feeds from the byproducts of algal biofuel production. Such supplements could provide revenue to subsidize some of the biofuel production costs, especially in the early stages. Cornell’s Xingen Lei, professor of molecular nutrition in the Department of Animal Sciences, is now conducting feeding trials of such algal-based nutritional supplements in chickens and pigs.
“We’re hopeful that we can create a product that will be competitive with fossil fuels even at today’s prices,” said Greene.
The grant is funded through the DOE’s Office of Biomass Programs as part of the implementation of the agency’s National Algal Biofuels Roadmap. Cellana also receives substantial support from Royal Dutch Shell.
Source : Cornell University
The effort is backed by a $9 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Cellana, an algal biofuel research company based in Kailua Kona, Hawaii, is leading the consortium. Cornell, along with Duke University, San Francisco State University, the University of Hawaii and the University of Southern Mississippi, will work out plans for developing a 100-acre commercial-scale facility to produce fuels and animal feeds from microalgae.
“Relative to other fuels, algae produce at least 10 times more biomass per hectare than terrestrial land plants,” says Charles Greene, a Cornell professor of earth and atmospheric sciences, who is a principal investigator on the project.
Algae use nutrients more efficiently than land plants, so there is no runoff of nutrients into the water. They are also grown in seawater, so there is no demand for fresh water, and they don’t require soil, “so you don’t have to compete with food plants for good agricultural land,” the way terrestrial biofuels do, Greene says.
Greene is working with Jeff Tester, a professor of sustainable energy systems in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and associate director of the Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, to analyze the economics, energy costs and carbon footprint of the project.
“In the ideal sense, all biofuels should approach carbon neutrality,” says Greene.
To help improve the economic viability of the project, Cellana is looking into extracting proteins for nutritional supplements for animal feeds from the byproducts of algal biofuel production. Such supplements could provide revenue to subsidize some of the biofuel production costs, especially in the early stages. Cornell’s Xingen Lei, professor of molecular nutrition in the Department of Animal Sciences, is now conducting feeding trials of such algal-based nutritional supplements in chickens and pigs.
“We’re hopeful that we can create a product that will be competitive with fossil fuels even at today’s prices,” said Greene.
The grant is funded through the DOE’s Office of Biomass Programs as part of the implementation of the agency’s National Algal Biofuels Roadmap. Cellana also receives substantial support from Royal Dutch Shell.
Source : Cornell University
December 8, 2010
Biodiesel from microalgae: Clean, renewable and local energy for Chile
Algae Fuels S.A. consortium to establish pilot production of microalgae in Mejillones for second generation biodiesel production.
In what is considered a pioneering initiative in Chile, the corporate technological consortium Algae Fuels S.A., formed by E-CL, Copec, Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile, Rentapack and Bioscan, presented a project today to produce second generation biodiesel from microalgae.
The initiative currently supported by InnovaChile of Corfo, consists in establishing a pilot plant in Mejillones to grow microalgae for biofuel production. The construction of the plant will take five years and require a total investment of $6.836 million, of which InnovaChile will contribute $3.245 million.
This R&D project will allow the companies forming Algae Fuels S.A. to contribute to the development of a local, renewable energy source, thus helping to reduce CO2 emissions, while creating new opportunities within their respective industries.
Second generation biodiesel production does not require vast arable land and has no impact on global food production. On the contrary, microalgae are capable of growing quickly in confined spaces. They represent a continuous and inexhaustible source of energy which is also capable of trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by thermoelectric power plants in order to utilize it for their growth.
THE PROCESS
The process for second generation biodiesel production involves a first stage of "prospection, isolation, purification and selection of microalgae strains" which starts with collecting microalgae from the Second Region sea, then analyzing them in Santiago and finally singling out the strains most likely to develop in the climate conditions of the Atacama desert. The following stage of "microalgae biomass cake production" involves shipping the algae to a field lab in Mejillones, where they are placed in photobioreactors for the algae to feed from the CO2 emitted by the chimney of a thermoelectric power plant. Thanks to the excellent thermal radiation conditions, the photosynthesis process is accelerated. This phase includes moving the microalgae from the photobioreactors to pools where they continue to develop and reproduce. The following step is "harvesting"; the algae species are subject to several chemical processes (flocculation) and centrifugation, in order to obtain the algae biomass cake. Finally, the product is dried in special ovens and chemically processed in order to obtain biofuels, among other components.
The project is currently in an early stage that involves the selection of microalgae strains that are most useful for the process. Also the field lab, including the photobioreactors, cultivation pools, centrifuge and drying machines is currently under construction. After this stage is completed, the pilot plant of an approximate surface area of 2 hectares will be opened in order to produce biodiesel on a larger scale while increasing its consumption of CO2.
The Algae Fuels partners share the hope that they will make a significant contribution to the country's biotechnology industry by producing sustainable fuel and, eventually, exporting this pioneering technology to countries with similar climate conditions as the Atacama Desert, and with power production centers similar to Mejillones.
Moreover the initiative will represent a source of employment primarily for the local workforce.
OTHER APPLICATIONS
Biodiesel doesn't only benefit the environment. The production process yields by-products that can also be developed by Algae Fuels S.A.; for instance, algae biomass flour, used in the production of fertilizers, cosmetics and the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries. Given the nutritional value of microalgae flour obtained from selected strains, the company will also evaluate its potential use in the food industry for animal consumption or in the functional foods market.
Source : E-CL
In what is considered a pioneering initiative in Chile, the corporate technological consortium Algae Fuels S.A., formed by E-CL, Copec, Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile, Rentapack and Bioscan, presented a project today to produce second generation biodiesel from microalgae.
The initiative currently supported by InnovaChile of Corfo, consists in establishing a pilot plant in Mejillones to grow microalgae for biofuel production. The construction of the plant will take five years and require a total investment of $6.836 million, of which InnovaChile will contribute $3.245 million.
This R&D project will allow the companies forming Algae Fuels S.A. to contribute to the development of a local, renewable energy source, thus helping to reduce CO2 emissions, while creating new opportunities within their respective industries.
Second generation biodiesel production does not require vast arable land and has no impact on global food production. On the contrary, microalgae are capable of growing quickly in confined spaces. They represent a continuous and inexhaustible source of energy which is also capable of trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by thermoelectric power plants in order to utilize it for their growth.
THE PROCESS
The process for second generation biodiesel production involves a first stage of "prospection, isolation, purification and selection of microalgae strains" which starts with collecting microalgae from the Second Region sea, then analyzing them in Santiago and finally singling out the strains most likely to develop in the climate conditions of the Atacama desert. The following stage of "microalgae biomass cake production" involves shipping the algae to a field lab in Mejillones, where they are placed in photobioreactors for the algae to feed from the CO2 emitted by the chimney of a thermoelectric power plant. Thanks to the excellent thermal radiation conditions, the photosynthesis process is accelerated. This phase includes moving the microalgae from the photobioreactors to pools where they continue to develop and reproduce. The following step is "harvesting"; the algae species are subject to several chemical processes (flocculation) and centrifugation, in order to obtain the algae biomass cake. Finally, the product is dried in special ovens and chemically processed in order to obtain biofuels, among other components.
The project is currently in an early stage that involves the selection of microalgae strains that are most useful for the process. Also the field lab, including the photobioreactors, cultivation pools, centrifuge and drying machines is currently under construction. After this stage is completed, the pilot plant of an approximate surface area of 2 hectares will be opened in order to produce biodiesel on a larger scale while increasing its consumption of CO2.
The Algae Fuels partners share the hope that they will make a significant contribution to the country's biotechnology industry by producing sustainable fuel and, eventually, exporting this pioneering technology to countries with similar climate conditions as the Atacama Desert, and with power production centers similar to Mejillones.
Moreover the initiative will represent a source of employment primarily for the local workforce.
OTHER APPLICATIONS
Biodiesel doesn't only benefit the environment. The production process yields by-products that can also be developed by Algae Fuels S.A.; for instance, algae biomass flour, used in the production of fertilizers, cosmetics and the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries. Given the nutritional value of microalgae flour obtained from selected strains, the company will also evaluate its potential use in the food industry for animal consumption or in the functional foods market.
Source : E-CL
December 2, 2010
Algal Biomass Organization Publishes First Descriptive Language Guidelines for the Algae Industry
"The absence of common descriptive language has led to a lack of harmony among technologists, researchers, life cycle analysis specialists and entrepreneurs as they evaluate and promote algae technologies," said Mary Rosenthal, Executive Director of ABO. "This confusion has made it hard for others to truly capture, analyze and quantify algae technologies relative to one another. With a common language, such as the one we and many volunteer stakeholders have proposed, we hope to bring more clarity to the industry."
The newly-released document was authored by the ABO's Technical Standards Committee chaired by Jim Sears of A2BE Carbon Capture. The committee works to develop standards and best practices for the algae industry and facilitate the flow of information among industry stakeholders. More than 20 industry experts and organizations reviewed and commented on the document, including individuals from industry associations, national labs, companies and research institutions. It provides a set of metrics and variables for estimating and measuring the economic and environmental footprint and economic impact of an algal production facility, including all inputs and outputs.
ABO's efforts at standardizing language for the algae industry come as the industry continues to demonstrate significant growth. Between 2005 and 2009, the number of algae-to-biofuel start ups more than tripled. A leading analysis of the algae industry projected that the industry would grow by nearly 50 percent annually over the coming decade.
Source : Press Release