University of Kentucky CAER-Duke Energy East Bend Algae Demonstration Project

Dr. Jack GroppoUniversity of Kentucky

Center for Applied Energy Research

Lexington, KY

National Coal Council2015 Annual Fall Meeting

November 4-5, 2015

Project Timeline

• 2008 – UK Approached by Kentucky Department of Energy Development and Independence to investigate the techno-economic feasibility of algae based CO2 mitigation

• 2011-2012: Initial Demonstration Work started at EKPC’s Dale Station

• 2012-Present: Demonstration Project at Duke Energy’s East Bend Station

• 2011-Present: Part of US-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC)

• August, 2015: NETL Biological CO2 Utilization Award

• Research Focus Areas– Power Plant Integration

– PBR Design/Operation

– Dewatering

– Techno-economic modeling

– Utilization

• Utilization Focus Areas– Bio-polymers

– Lipid Extraction

– Catalytic Upgrading

– HTL

– Pyrolysis

– Aquaculture

– Anaerobic Digestion

Catalytic Upgrading of Lipids

Gravity Filtration

Fuel Like Hydrocarbons

CO2 as flue gas Cultivation in low cost PBR Flocculation/Sedimentation

M.H. Wilson, J. Groppo, E. Santillan-Jimenez, M. Crocker et al., Appl. Petrochem. Res. 4 (2014) 41

Overall Concept: CO2 Utilization

Bio-Plastics

Current Research Focus

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Solar modeling for optimum photobioreactor spacing

Continuous Dewatering

Flow Chart of Process With Research Focus Areas Highlighted in Blue

• Pilot algae facility at Duke Energy’s East Bend Station in 2012

1st generation UK photobioreactor (top)

• Primary PBR Components3.5” d x 8’ tall clear PET packaging tubesPVC pipe fittings

• Routine Areal productivity≥ 0.25 g/l/day (summer) ≥ 0.10 g/l/day (winter)

• System Volume18,000 L/5,000 gallons

• New “cyclic flow” photobioreactordeployed in 2014 (bottom)

lower costhigher productivitymore robust operation

Field Demonstration

Field Demonstration

Cyclic operation to• reduce energy costs• control biofilm formation

Harvesting/Dewatering Flowsheet

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PRIMARYTHICKENER

HORIZONTAL FILTER/SOLAR DRYER

240 gallons

2' x 8'

0.4 g/l0.04% solids

20 to 30 g/l2% to 3% solids

175 g/l7.5% to 25%

solids

UV STERILIZER

Recycle toFeed Tank

<0.01 g/l<0.001 % solids

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During

• Multifilament nylon media for rapid cake formation and high solids capture (>99%)

• Allows separation and recycling of all free water containing unused nutrients

• Short vacuum pulse after cake formation can improve throughput

• Can produce 10-25% solids for utilization• Solar oven can reach 60oC in summer

Prototype Gravity Filter/Solar Dryer

97.9%

1.5%

0.6%

Distribution of Water in Harvest Cycle

ThickenerOverflow

FilterFiltrate

Filter Cake

Harvest/Dewatering: Typical Results

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0.45 0.170.4

25.3

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Culture Density, g/l

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East Bend TBO May 5 - Aug 30

Flue Gas Bottled CO2 PAR

OutageOutage←← →→

Mass Balance Determination

Reactor MeasurementsTemp, dissolved O2, pH

Flue Gas Measurementsinlet and outlet streamsMRU Flue Gas analyzers

Temp, CO2, O2,NOx, SOx, CO, and CH4.

Data measured every 30 seconds and stored automatically.

Mass Balance Data

Indicates CO2

conversion to O2

via photosynthesis.

Highlights opportunity to optimize CO2

conversion. Targeting 75%

Inlet %

CO2 reduction

O2 production

Mass Balance Data: CO2

CO2 Inlet

CO2 Outlet

Temperature

PAR

Mass Balance Data: SOx

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Algal Biomass Utilization

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Algal Biomass Utilization Pathways

Current UK Concept for CO2 Capture/Bio-product Production

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Proposed Layout of a 3 Acre Photobioreactor

Zhengzhou, China

57,600 tubes265,000 gallons

How Big?1 MW 500 MW

Emissions tons CO2/MW 1 1

Emission rate tons CO2/day 24 12,000

@40% CO2 Capture

tons CO2/day 9.6 4,800

@1.78 tons CO2/ton algae

tons algae/day 5.4 2,697

@35 g/m2/day productivity

g algae/day 139,916 69.96x106

Land Required acres 35 17,287

Why Bother?

• CO2 utilization can be revenue positive– Bioplastics

– Biofuels

• While achieving 40% CO2 capture is unreasonable – Marginal CO2 reductions can be achieved profitably

• Offset reduction requirements

Ongoing Collaborations

Cyanidium merolaeDr. Pete LammersAZ State University

Dr. Jennifer Stewart,University of Delaware

Extremophiles

Culture Adaptation

Bioplastics

• Student Employment / Experiential Learning• Undergraduate Engineers, Scientists, and

Architects contribute to day to day research activities

• Senior Design Projects• CAER researchers act as customer/advisor to provide real world projects for student

teams in Mechanical, Electrical, and Chemical Engineering

• Students get exposed to research and researchers at CAER get prototype equipment and/or models to aid research

• College of Design Studios• Architecture and/or Interior Design students work on developing forward thinking

designs, large scale instillations, next generation research facilities, and creative applications of current research

• Graduate Students / Postdocs

Student involvement is an important focus of the project, leveraging creative problem solving and enthusiasm to solve real world research problems while developing the scientists and engineers of tomorrow.

Student Engagement

KY Department of Energy Development and Independence

Duke Energy

Department of Energy: U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center

The UK algae team:

Dr. Mark CrockerDr. Czarena Crofcheck Tonya Morgan Thomas Grubbs Robert PaceStephanie Kesner Dr. Eduardo Santillan-Jimenez Daniel Mohler Aubrey Shea

and….. ca. 30 students

Acknowledgments

Future Work• Reduce Cost / Increase Productivity

• Optimized photobioreactor design and operation• Batch continuous dewatering process

• Conceptual Design of System Integrated with Power Plant• Mass and Energy Balances

• Power plant integration (heat, flue gas, etc.)

• Life Cycle Assessment

• Techno Economic Analysis

• Biomass Utilization / Valorization• Focus on fuels/chemicals and biopoloymers• Investigate alternative / multi-product utilization pathways• Fate of NOx, SOx, heavy metals

• Systems Biology• Power plant outage mitigation system• Flue gas constituents on biomass composition• Abiotic Parameter Optimization