Biodiesel production from micro-algae

used microorganisms like Algae to produced bio-fuel

1. Dr. Amer Alzobaay
Baghdad University

2. What is Microalgae ?
•Algae
–Eukaryotic
–Most live in water
–Freshwater and Marine
–Photosynthetic
•Capture light energy
•Convert inorganic to organic matter
–Use lipids and oils to help float in
water
–Range from small, single-celled species
to complex multicellularspecies, such
as the giant kelps

3. Types
•Red Algae
–Macro
•Green Algae
–Chlorophyll a
and b
–Freshwater
•Brown Algae
–Kelp
–Marine
•Diatoms
–Single celled
–Silica cell wall
•Blue Green Algae
–Fix N
2from air
–Freshwater
•Dinoflagellates
–Toxic; suck out
O
2
–Organic matter

4. Background
•Location
–Most habitats
•How many
–Over 36,000 species
•How does it feed?
–Photosynthesis
–All have chlorophyll
•Uses
–food, fertilizer, footstock,
pharmaceutical, pollution control,
water treatment, dyes, agar, Fuels

5. Importance
•Algae is easy to grow
•Can produce a high yield of oil
•Oil can be processed into biodiesel
•Help to solve dependence on fossil fuels
•Can be better for the Earth

6. Integrated with Wastewater
Treatment and CO
2capture

7. Grown under conditions which are unsuitable for
conventional crop production
(marine water, wastewater, open ponds)
Adaptability to a range of
environment

8. Historically, The first cars group in the USA operated
on the ethanol fuel (bioethanol).
Then the inventor Dr. Rudolf diesel at 1900 used the
first diesel engine and operated it by peanut oil.
Biodiesel History

9. Biodiesel History
•From 1978 to 1996 the U.S. Department of
Energy funded a program to develop
renewable transportation fuels from algae
•The main focus of the program was known as
the Aquatic Species Program (or ASP)
•Production of biodiesel from high lipid-
content algae grown in ponds
•Utilized waste CO
2from coal fired power
plants

10. Why make it a fuel?
•Algae can be used to make biodiesel
•Produces large amounts oil
–When compared to terrestrial crops grown for
the same purpose
–Algae contain anywhere between 2% and 40%
of lipids/oils by weight
–Once harvested, this oil can be converted
intofuels for transportation, aviation or
heating
•High growth rate and easy to grow
–Warm Seasons
•Amphora sp.
•Tetraselmissuecica
–Cold Seasons
•Monoraphidiumminutum
–Use of diatoms and green algae

11. Oil Yields of Various Microalgae

12. Production…
•Oil yield
Crop
Oil Yield
(L/ha/year)
Biodiesel
Productivity
(Kg/ha/year
)
Crop
Oil Yield
(L/ha/year)
Biodiesel
Productivity
(Kg/ha/year
)
Rapeseed 1190 962 Sunflower 952 946
Oil Palm 5950 4747 Jatropha 1892 656
Corn 172 152
Microalgae
a
58700 51927
Soybean 446 562
Microalgae
b
136900 121104
a Algae contain 30% oil (/wt) in biomass. b Algae contain 70% oil (/wt) in biomass. Source:

13. Higher oil yield
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
Soybeans Sunflower Canola Jathropha Palm Oil Microalgae
Oil yields
(barrels/ha-yr)

15. How to obtain fuel from algae?
•Picking up the best algae
•Growing the algae
•Harvesting
•Generating the fuel product

16. •Culture and Isolation
•Is isolation a good?

17. Large-Scale Production
•Ponds
–Less expensive setup
–Large biomass
production
–Evaporation
–Contamination
–Land area

18. Open systems

20. Closed systems
Also referred as Photobioreactors
Tubular PBR Flat plate PBR

21. Closed systems
•Photobioreactors
–More controlled
–Limited
contamination
–High biomass
concentration
–Less land area
–Expensive setup

35. Biodiesel from algae
Cultivation of Microalgae species
Harvesting of Microalgae
Extraction of Oil from Microalgae
Transesterification
Biodiesel

36. Pressing oil from the algae
•Dry the algae and press the oil from it.
•Can retrieve up to 70% of the oil.
•While drying must prevent the algae from
becoming contaminated.
•Cheapest and simplest method

37. Chemical Oil Extraction
•Use hexane solvents to remove the oil.
•Hexane is a neurotoxin.
•Must be careful when using.
•Removes oil out of almost all things.

38. Super Critical Oil Extraction
•Most efficient method.
•Uses carbon dioxide at critical pressure and
temperature (CO
2is almost a liquid).
•Carbon dioxide.
•Rapid diffusion of the oil.
•Very expensive process.

39. Three ways to produce biodiesel
•Base catalyzed transesterificationwith
alcohol.
•Acid catalyzed esterificationwith methanol.
•Enzymes methods
•Convert the oil to fatty acids. Then acid
catalyze to alkyl esters.

40. Base Catalyzed with Alcohol
•Most common process
•Most economical
•Low pressure (20psi)
•Low temperature (65
o
C)
•No intermediate steps
•High conversion rate (98%)

41. Triacylglycerides(TAGs)
•It’s a lipid
•Found in the
membrane and in
the cytoplasm
•High energy

42. Transesterification

46. Benefits of Algae Farming
•Year-round
production
•Fast biomass
production
•Less land area
•Does not compete
with food crops
•Higher fuel output
•Can use brackish
water
•Carbon neutral

47. •Algae derived biodiesel could replace fossil fuel
based diesel fuel
•530 million m
3
of biodiesel annually for the
United States
•Oil content of algae can exceed 80% of dry mass
•Oil prices are high
•Should cost about $0.50/L to be competitive with
petroleum diesel, cost about $0.35/L
•Current unrest in the Middle East
Benefits of Algae Farming

48. National Biodiesel Board 48
US Biodiesel Production0
100,000,000
200,000,000
300,000,000
400,000,000
500,000,000
600,000,000
700,000,000
Gallons
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
700 Million
Gallons

49. Growth
•More than 100 companies are working on
algae fuels, especially in USA and UK
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
# of companies

50. Investments
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
2006 2007 2008 2009
(in million dollar)

52. 52
Questions?
Thank you …