Algae Biofuels Presented by : Sarah Walsh

What is Algae? “Pond scum” Nearly 30,000 species of algae Range from giant kelp in the ocean to tiny microalgae that grows in freshwater and in marine environments.

How can Algae be used as a biofuel? Algae is able to photosynthesize It converts carbon dioxide into sugar  sugar turns into lipids (oil) This oil is mixed with an alcohol to produce biodiesel The way this is done is through transesterifaction with short-chain alcohols or through esterification of fatty acids.

Benefits of Algae 10x as much oil per acre than traditional biofuel crops Survival in harsh conditions People don’t need them as a food source Have valuable co-products Thrive on carbon dioxide Can double their population in one day with the right conditions About 50% of the plants weight is oil Fuel will be able to be used in not only car but planes and trucks as well Virtually no sulfur content in algae fuels Reduces wear on fuel systems because the oil has superior lubricating properties

Benefits Continued Has a higher combustion efficiency than petrodiesel Safer because its flashpoint is much higher than that of petrodiesel and gasoline Should perform better in the cold than other bio- feedstock. (Polyunsaturates have much lower melting points and algae produce a lot of them) Greenhouse gas mitigation consumes twice its weight in carbon dioxide Requires relatively low technology to grow Removes nitrogen oxide, and some heavy metals and sulfur oxide

Two Ways of Production Photobioreactors Very expensive More protected Easier to control the system The product will be a better quality because you can control the precise strain of algae Open Ponds “raceways” Cheaper way of production Algae is prone to contamination by other strains of algae

Production Process 1.Grow the algae 2.Starve it of nutrients 3.Break Algae open 4.Use solvents to separate the fats from the sugars 5.Evaporate the solvent 6.Transform fat to biodiesel

Current Research Finding the most productive strains of algae Refining and extraction of the oil techniques Genetic modification of algae Direct ethanol production

Maybe one day your car will run on algae...