Download Microalgae culture for biofuel production - Asia

Microalgae culture
for biofuel production
Dr Navid R Moheimani
BSc, MSc, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Smorgon Fuels Pty Ltd
email: [email protected]
Fats or Oils
+
Methanol
+
Catalyst
FAME
&
Glycerol
Our capacity is = 100,000,000 L/y
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mauna_Loa_Carbon_Dioxide.png
Methods of CO2
removal (CDR):
Injecting liquefied CO2 into the deep
sea or burying CO2 underground
Biofixation of CO2 by
photosynthetic organisms
Why Microalgae?
• Slow growth of
higher plants
• High fresh water
requirement of
higher plants
• High cost of land
for growing
higher plants
• No competition
with food supply
Potential species
• There are many marine and
freshwater species
• Photosynthetic, calcified, etc
• High Lipid productivity
• High growth rate (45-180 times
canola)
1950’s
MIT Feasibility tests for CO2 Conversion
1970’s
UC Berkeley wastewater treatment systems
First commercial open pond algal farms in US
US DOE initiates $50 million flue gas/algae program
1980’s
UC Berkeley wastewater treatment systems
First commercial open pond algal farms in US
US DOE initiates $50 million flue gas/algae program
1990’s
Japan MITI $200 million bioreactor program (discontinued)
German and other EU government programs
Commercialization in Australia, Israel, and China; nutraceuticals production
exceeds 4,000 tons/year
Greenfuel
Technology
Founded
2001
2001- 2004 design and experimentation
2004: Gen1 deployed at MIT Cogeneration Facility
2005: Gen2 installed at 1000 MW power plant in Southwest; Instigated first
International license with The Victor Smorgon Group
2006: Developing coal (NYSERDA) and other applications (eg oil, waste
water treatment, etc.) ; Building Gen3 Pilot Project
Algae Biotechnology transforms
Carbon Management from a Cost
into a Revenue
Algal Biotechnology Converts Flue Gases & Sunlight into
Biofuels through Photosynthesis
“Used” Algae have Multiple
Potential Uses
Cleaned
Gases
Co-Firing
Sunlight
Power Plant /
Energy Source
GreenFuel bioreactor
Esterification
Flue
Gases
NOx + CO2 from
combustion flue gas
emissions
Fermentation
Green Power
Aus$60/t
Biodiesel
Aus$700/t
Ethanol
Aus$380/t
Protein Meal
Aus$400/t
Patented Algal
Biotechnology
Potential Uses for Micro-Algae
HARVEST
Algae Harvested
from Bioreactor
DRYING
ANIMAL FEED
High in Omega 3
Fatty Acids (High
Value)
OIL SEPERATION
Co-Fired for
BURNER FUEL
(Low Value)
BIOGAS
Ferment Biomass
for ETHANOL
Competing with Gas
(Low Value)
(Equivalent Value to
Animal Feed)
Digest Biomass
Protein Meal
ANIMAL FEED
denatured by heat
(Low Value)
Manufacture
BIODIESEL
(High Value)
Aims of Project
• Identify suitable species and cultivation
system
• Optimise the growth on site
• Optimise C fixation
• Assess economics of large scale
culture
• Scaling up
How to be successful in Algae for
biofuel production?
Finding algae
Finding Photobioreactor
Dewatering
Post Harvesting Methodologies
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Comparison of productivity
of microalgae
60
Closed photobioreactors
Open ponds
50
40
30
20
10
0
Limits to productivity of
Microalgae

Physical factors such as light (quality and
quantity), temperature, nutrient, pH, O2 and
CO2

Biotic factors including pathogens, predation
and competition by other algae, and

Operational factors such as: shear produced
by mixing, dilution rate, depth and harvest
frequency
Costing of Microalgae
CO2 Mitigation
The Emissions to Biofuels technology is based on a Profit rather than Cost model
Tonnes of CO2 Sequestered
per Year / Hectare
Carbon-Dioxide Mitigation ($ / ton)
50
700
High
Sunlight
40
600
30
500
Kyoto
Cost
20
Low
Sunlight
400
300
10
Possible
Cost in
Aust
Geoseqestration
Potential
Trading /
Penalty
200
GreenFuel
100
Forest Sequestration
GreenFuel
Sequestration
+
+
http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/trial-plant-to-transform-emissions-into-biofuels/2006/11/12/1163266412354.html
Closed Cycle Biomass Carbon Management
Fuel Carbon
(100%)
Open Cycle Carbon
Clean
Gases
Fuel Carbon
(60%)
Gross Calorific Value
measures 27 MJ/kg for
our current microalgae
Algae Biomass as Fuel Source (40% Fuel Carbon)
Closed Cycle Carbon
Management
Development Process
On-Site Evaluation
Phase 1
• Feasibility Unit conducts 3-6
week on-site test for optimal
algae production
• Field trial requires only
slipstream of gas from
emission stack
Pilot Program
Phase 2
Full Scale
Phase 3
• Installation of Mini Pilot onto
¼ acre facility
• Build out pilot program with
modular expansion
• Confirmation of all hardware,
design, operability with
scalability validation
• Project optimised for
maximum Biofuel yield and
ROI
• Additional results: Biofuels
for internal use
Biomax trial at Hazelwood





Microalgae selection (on going)
Testing flue gas on freshwater and
seawater algae
Testing the suitability of water
resources
Measuring productivity
Building ESU, floating bioreactor
(20-25 g/m2/d)
Vertical system
(Gen 3)
BASED ON
1000 HECTARE
300
tonnes per hectare per annum
ACHEIVEMENTS
• Engineering
Design$
65% Scale
$ Unit Developed,
400 /t Proprietary
Meal
78,000,000
• 3D35%
Matrix Bioreactor
includes
equipment for Algal
$ setup820
/t Oil
$ Harvesting,
86,100,000
Dewatering, and Water Recycling
Revenue
$ 164,100,000
• Introduction of Bulk Flue Gases
Opex
$
173 /t Algae
$
51,900,000
$
112,200,000
• Consistent Growth Rates achieved at an annualised rate of over
300t per annum of Algal Biomass.
EBITDA (not incl. Overheads)
• Proved conceptual economic model for Capex v Opex v Growth
Rate
Capex
$ 750,000 1000 hectare $ 750,000,000
• 660 Tonnes of CO2 sequestered per hectare installed
ROFE
15%
ISSUES
• Materials
Discovery
/ Development not adequate for commercial 660,000
CO2
Tonnes
Sequestred
Rollout
Litres of Raw Material for Biodiesel
116,666,667
• Harvesting issues due to materials used for 3D Matrix not releasing
Algae easily
Tonnes of Protein Meal
195,000
Horizontal system
(Gen 4)
BASED ON
1000 HECTARE
100
tonnes per hectare per annum
ACHEIVEMENTS
$
400 /t Meal
$ 26,000,000
• Thin
for
35% Film$Bioreactor
820 setup
/t Oil includes equipment
$ 28,700,000
Algal Harvesting, Dewatering, and Water Recycling
Revenue
$ 54,700,000
utilising Bulk Flue Gases
65%
Opex
$ reduced
274 Capex
/t Algae
• Significantly
$
27,372,009
• Economic
Commercial
Scale project $ 27,327,991
EBITDA
(not incl.
Overheads)
• Consistent
achieved
annualised
Capex
$ Growth
203,696Rates
1000
hectare at$an203,696,000
rate of over 100t per annum of Algal Biomass.
ROFE
13%
• 220 Tonnes of CO2 sequestered per hectare installed
CO2
Tonnes Sequestred
ISSUES
• Reduced sequestration / growth rates
Litres
of Raw Material for Biodiesel
Tonnes of Protein Meal
220,000
38,888,889
65,000
Uncertainties







Microalgae selection
Bioreactor geometry
Growth rate of microalgae
Contaminants
Water quality
Flue gas quality
Weather profile of each site
Show video
300 tons algae biomass/ha/y
1/3 of biomass = oil
100 tons of oil /ha/y
At Hazelwood = 1000 ha = 100 Mt of oil
1 kg of biomass = 0.5 kg of “C”
27% of CO2 is “C”
555 Kt of CO2 fixed/y
1 Black balloon = 50 g of CO2
BioMax will save 11.1 billion black balloons per year
1L of diesel = 2.67 Kg of CO2
Ref: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/420f05001.htm
Biodiesel reduces net emissions of CO2 by 78.45%
Ref:NREL/SR-580-24089 UC Category 1503
1L of Biodiesel will save 2.09 Kg of CO2
100 Mega L of Biodiesel will save 209 Kt of CO2
1 Black balloon = 50 g of CO2
Biomax will save 4.2 billion black balloons per year
Acknowledgments
• The Victor Smorgon Group (Biomax™)
• Hazelwood International Power