ABO Blog

Got Salt Water? Algae Biofuels’ Sustainability Advantage

A new study from UC-San Diego shows that algae can be grown in salt water and be just as effective producers of biofuels as they would in fresh water.

Since using water supplies for fuel production is a major concern for any energy crop, the new findings show a big advantage for those looking to harness the power of algae in the hunt for renewable supplies of diesel, gasoline, jet fuel and ethanol.

The latest research also answers one of the key questions asked by the National Academies of Sciences their recent report on the sustainability concerns that will come with large-scale algae production. The NAS committee highlighted the possible impacts on freshwater that big algae farms might have, but in the words of Stephen Mayfield, a professor of biology at UC San Diego, who headed the research project:

“What this means is that you can use ocean water to grow the algae that will be used to produce biofuels. And once you can use ocean water, you are no longer limited by the constraints associated with fresh water. Ocean water is simply not a limited resource on this planet.”

ABO’s statement, which also notes a recent PNNL study that found sufficient saltwater and land resources already exist in the U.S., can be found here.

For more on the story check out Biofuels Digest and Greenwire (subscription required).

Algae Biomass Organization Hails New UCSD Study Showing Saltwater Algae Viable for Biofuels

Findings remove key sustainability concern for wide-scale algae production and suggest potential use of up to 10 million acres of land otherwise unsuitable for agriculture

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (November 26, 2012) The Algae Biomass Organization, the trade association for the U.S. algae industry today hailed the findings of a University of California at San Diego study that concludes, for the first time, that marine (saltwater) algae can be just as capable as freshwater algae in producing biofuels. The research is documented in a peer-reviewed paper published online in the current issue of the scientific journal Algal Research.

“What this means is that you can use ocean water to grow the algae that will be used to produce biofuels. And once you can use ocean water, you are no longer limited by the constraints associated with fresh water. Ocean water is simply not a limited resource on this planet,” said Stephen Mayfield, Ph.D., a professor of biology at UC San Diego, who headed the research project.

The availability of significant saltwater environments for algae production has been documented in recent years. According to a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL) report, algal fuels grown in saline water from existing aquifers and recycling nutrients would be able to provide up to twice the goal for advanced biofuels set under the Energy Independence and Security Act (roughly 40 billion gallons or 20 percent of annual transportation fuel demand).

Yet until today’s report, no public research had demonstrated the capability of algae to thrive in a saltwater environment.

“The results of Dr. Mayfield’s research should remove concerns about the exclusive use of fresh water to scale commercial production of algae for fuel and other co-products,” said Mary Rosenthal, ABO’s executive director. “Although leading algae production companies are already leveraging saline aquifers and ocean water, this publicly-available paper will update the current body of research on the topic of sustainability of algae production.

Dr. Mayfield estimates that there are about 10 million acres of land in the United States alone that are no longer suitable for traditional agriculture given high salt content in the soil, but that could support algae production facilities.

The paper’s authors also believe their research will determine how algae grown in these environments could also be used for animal feed, noting: “We hope to eventually determine whether whole algae, post-oil extraction, may be used as a feed additive to improve animal feeds. Animal feed is a relatively high volume market that may be able to benefit from algae-produced proteins as a feed additive.”

The UC San Diego biologists collaborated on the research with scientists from Sapphire Energy, Inc., an algae company that is operating a saltwater algae farm in Columbus, New Mexico that is expected to be producing 100 barrels per day of Green Crude oil in 2013.

About the Algae Biomass Organization

The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) is a 501 c(6) non-profit whose mission is to promote the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable commodities derived from algae. Its membership is comprised of people, companies and organizations across the value chain. More information about ABO, including its leadership, membership, costs, benefits and members and their affiliations, is available at the website: www.algaebiomass.org.

Finding and Using CO2 Feedstocks

Any algae producer knows that CO2 supplies are a vital component to operations, and industrial waste gases high in CO2 concentration are frequently examined as potential feedstocks.

Charles Clerecuzio, President of Solutions4CO2 (U.S.), Inc. and one of ABO’s newest corporate members, recently had the chance to discuss his company’s innovative waste gas platforms and how they are applied to the algae industry.  Charles describes how some of the challenges around separating and using those gas streams are being overcome by Solutions4CO2.

Solutions4CO2, Inc. has operations in Canada and the US. Can you tell us a little about the company’s focus and its relation to the algae industry?

S4CO2 is an industrial developer of waste gas, water, and biomass to co-product platforms utilizing both proprietary and licensed technologies. S4CO2 has developed the Integrated Biogas RefineryTM (IBR) platform that processes agriculture and municipal organic waste via an anaeraobic digester (AD) into biogas, power, water and digestate. S4CO2’s Biogas Purification and Infusion SystemTM (BPIS) separates more than 85% of the CO2 and more than 95% of the H2S from the biogas and infuses these gasses into water for use in the continuous flow Algae Cultivation System (ACS) consisting of modular 10,000 gallon photo bioreactors (PBRs).  This method of delivering CO2 results in 2-3X enhanced algae biomass growth rates versus traditional fine bubble spargers. The final stage in the process is the harvesting, dewatering and extraction system (HES) which results in an algae oil co-product for use in the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, biofuel or specialty chemical markets.

The IBR platform addresses the economic and environmental challenges faced by the algae industry as the CO2, power, water and digestate from the AD are utilized as the inputs to balance of the platform reducing operating expenses and sequestering greenhouse gases.

Using waste gas as a feedstock is getting quite a bit of attention these days. What are some of the challenges to capturing and separating these gases that you have been able to overcome?

There are numerous solvent based scrubbing technologies currently in use to treat waste gas streams from a wide variety of industrial processes. The challenge with capturing and separating these gases from flue gas, particularly CO2, for downstream use in microalgae production is really economic. The flue gas streams vary widely in the volume of CO2 and contain a variety of contaminants such as mercury and particulate that limit the co-products made from the algae.

S4CO2 is focused on waste gas streams from ethanol plants and ADs with high CO2 yields and low contaminants that can be readily separated using our Biogas Purification and Infusion SystemTM. The BPIS utilizes a membrane technology to efficiently separate more than 85% of the CO2 and more than 95% of the H2S from biogas utilizing fresh, briny, waste or salt water.

Please describe how the Solutions4CO2 process can be integrated with algae cultivation.

The Integrated Biogas Refinery is a fully integrated modular platform that utilizes the waste CO2, water and digestate from the AD to cultivate microalgae. The BPIS meters nutrients and CO2 fully dissolved in water to the continuous flow Algae Cultivation System (ACS) consisting of a series of 10,000 gallon PBRs. The Harvesting and Extraction System (HES) harvests the biomass and extracts the oil to complete the process. The IBR is easily integrated with any AD technology and with any algae cultivation system.

The algae industry is moving quickly, and several large-scale demonstrations are well underway. What are the pathways to commercialization you see for Solutions4CO2?

S4CO2 is developing the first commercial IBR, due for completion in Q1 2013, in New Brunswick, Canada utilizing agricultural waste. A second IBR is planned for completion in Q2 in Ontario, Canada utilizing municipal organic waste. Other opportunities to partner with AD developers in the U.S. are also being developed.

Where do you see the algae industry heading and the role of the ABO?

The algae industry will continue to gain momentum to mainstream commercialization as numerous large scale demonstration projects come on line. The ABO is in a unique position to be the primary advocacy group supporting the development of the industry facilitating innovation, partnerships and government support. S4CO2 is very excited to be a new member of this very vital organization and the energetic network of companies to which it provides access.

Algae Supplements Maker Wins Innovation Prize

Using algae to produce renewable biofuels is an application of our industry that gets a lot of attention. But algae are far more than tools for fuels. They can also be used to produce chemicals, feeds and food supplements.

Just this week one company, Algal Scientific Corp., won the top prize at the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition for their technology that uses algae to produce food supplements. CBS Detriot has the details, with one paragraph that illustrates the opportunity the company is looking at:

“The company originally proposed converting concentrated food and beverage industry process streams into bioproducts worth $500 to $1,000 a dry ton. Now, the company is concentrating on beta-1.3-glucan, estimated to be worth $10,000 to $100,000 a ton. Beta glucan helps boost the immune system of animals, encouraging more rapid growth and weight gain.”

A host of other companies are using algae to produce feeds, fertilizers and even to treat waste water. Given algae’s incredible efficiency and versatility we can expect more news like this in the future.

You can read more about Algal Scientific Corp and their award here.

 

EPA Keeps Renewable Fuels Levels in Place after Considering State Requests

On Friday the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the agency has not found evidence to support a finding of severe “economic harm” that would warrant granting a waiver of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). The decision is based on economic analyses and modeling done in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

 For details on the decision, visit the EPA website at: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/notices.htm