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 algae2. Starve it of

nutrients3. Break Algae open4. 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...