Page 180 - CW E-Magazine (5-9-2023)

Special Report Special Report

While algae have been used for as a key technology with potential to microalgae. The system is claimed to
Algae-based biofuels – technology developments decades in the niche markets of health greatly increase the volume of algae bio- represent the optimal balance between
and beauty, a more recent focus is on fuel that can be produced by enabling higher-cost PBRs and lower-cost open
ndia’s excessive dependence on invisible to the naked N.S. VENKATARAMAN its ability to use CO from, for instance, algae farms to be located anywhere. ponds for consistent production with-
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import of crude oil and natural gas eye, comprise a variety Director coal-fi red power plants, to make bio- The advanced cultivation and harvest- out interruption by contamination.
Iis a matter of concern. Further, of unicellular algae Nandini Consultancy Centre fuels and protein-rich food products. The ing system will be installed and opera- Since 2009, Cellana has operated its
India needs to have appropriate energy species and a vast Chennai carbohydrates (sugars) from algae can ted for 12 months to demonstrate the Kona Demonstration Facility, a 6-acre,
mix to reduce its emission levels, as the array of evolutionary Email: nsvenkatchennai@gmail.com also be fermented to make additional effi cacy of the process and generate production and research facility, in
country is committed to zero emission groups typically biofuels, including ethanol and butanol, key performance data to validate the Hawaii, and intends to construct and
target by the year 2070. found in freshwater ronment with plenty of light, nutrients as well as other products. The biomass projected minimum fuel selling price of operate commercial facilities.
or marine systems. They are resilient, and a continuous fl ow of CO to grow. leftover can be used for making pyro- $2.50/gallon with over 90% reduction
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While the country is taking steps in fast-growing organisms with potential Keeping out contaminants and con- lysis oil or used for combined heat and in greenhouse gas emissions. Zobi Harvester
this regard by focussing on renewable for large-scale carbon capture from trolling the growth conditions are im- power generation. The Zobi Harvester is an advanced
energy generation, development of a industrial point emissions. As algae portant factors for high-growth yields. Prairie Research Institute, Univer- harvesting platform that produces crys-
hydrogen economy, promotion of elec- can grow in brackish water, including Therefore, closed cultivation using Algae-derived renewable diesel and sity of Illinois, USA tal clear permeate and a 15-20% algae
tric vehicles, and a few other strategies, seawater, its production does not strain photobioreactors and artifi cial LED jet fuel are drop-in fuels that meet all This engineering-scale project will concentrate with exceptionally low
an important, appropriate and obvious freshwater resources. light is becoming an increasingly the specifi cations for the petroleum fuel be one of the fi rst and largest to com- energy use. Algae are harvested at
opportunity is algae-based biofuels. favourable tool, compared to open they replace and can be used without bine CO from a coal-fi red power plant ambient pressure without exposure to
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Microalgae are rich in protein pond systems. any engine modifi cations. with nutrients from wastewater treat- high centrifugal forces or shear. The
Algae crop and algae biofuels have and produce lipids such as omega-3. ment plants to cultivate algae for animal scalable system is available in sizes
high level of relevance to Indian tropi- In fact, they are the only natural Microalgae cultivation is faster in Selected technology development feeds. The project aims to demonstrate from 5-gpm to 200,000-gpm.
cal conditions. Algae need only carbon source of omega-3 oils, producing it smaller batches, as the effi cient distri- efforts that producing algae for commodity
dioxide (CO ), nutrients and bright sun- through photosynthesis. Fish, on the bution of light, CO and nutrients be- animal products can be cost-effective This harvesting system uses ad-
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shine for cultivation. It yields algae oil, other hand, cannot produce omega-3 comes more diffi cult with scale. Large ExxonMobil, USA and has added environmental benefi ts. vanced membranes to achieve 100%
apart from other useful fuels including by themselves, but eat microalgae systems have lower yields and slower ExxonMobil and Viridos are carry- harvest effi ciency and eliminates the
methane and ethanol. in the natural food chain, thus accu- growth rates, which also results in less ing out a basic research programme to Algenol, USA need for secondary dewatering. It attains
mulating these valuable oils in their relative carbon uptake in the growth develop advanced biofuels from algae. Algenol’s proprietary technology is up to 15-20% concentrate in primary
A number of international com- bodies. process. Algae can yield almost fi ve The purpose is to design, bio-engineer, claimed to yield high algae production harvesting, with a crystal clear permeate
panies and research bodies are work- times more fuel per acre than from and deploy microalgae to produce algae rates and is signifi cantly cleaner than that has 10 times lower turbidity than
ing on developing algae technology Microalgae need an aquatic envi- sugarcane or corn. oil at scale. Using advanced cell engi- open pond systems. U.S. drinking water standards.
and some tangible achievements have neering techniques, the research team
already been seen. most recently modifi ed an algae strain Seambiotic Ltd., USA New technology that detects algae
to enhance oil content from 20% to Seambiotic says it has developed crop health
While there have been discussions more than 40%. an innovative solution for algae bio- Chemists at the University of Cali-
on the potential for algae in India and solar energy conversion to two feasible fornia San Diego have developed a
the Government here has initiated some The programme builds on the in- bio-fuel products, bio-diesel and bio- technology for monitoring the health of
R&D programmes in this domain, sights obtained since the alliance was ethanol. The fuels are produced from algae crops.
nothing substantial has happened so announced in 2009, and aims to identify marine microalgae cultivated using
far to enable the setting up of com- the best pathways to produce 10,000 smokestack fl ue gas. MicroBio Engineering, Inc. (MBE),
mercial plants for producing algae- barrels of algae biofuels a day by 2025. USA
based biofuels, and it remains a largely Cellana, USA MBE is a consulting and engineer-
ignored opportunity. Among the few Global Algae Innovations, USA Cellana, a developer of algae-based ing fi rm specializing in the design and
initiatives is the one by the Tata group, Global Algae Innovations claims bioproducts, uses marine microalgae to construction of algae ponds for waste-
which has taken signed an agreement to have developed algae production photosynthetically produce its ReNew water reclamation, biofuel production,
with the CSIR-Central Salt and Marine technologies aimed at achieving com- line of Omega-3 EPA and Docosahexae- microalgae feeds and specialty products.
Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR- mercially viable production of algae noic acid (DHA) oils, animal feed, and It provides full services from R&D plans
CSMCRI), Bhavnagar, to develop biofuel and protein meal. Algae culti- biofuel feedstocks. Cellana’s patent- and project development, to detailed
algae biofuel technology. vation is based solely on CO supplied ed Alduo system is a series of photo- engineering designs, training, and opera-
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through direct-air-capture (DAC), with bioreactors (PBRs) coupled with open tions manuals. The company claims it
Cultivation of microalgae no separate CO concentrating or dis- ponds, and enables economic and conti- has a complete line of algae raceways
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Microalgae, microscopic algae Fig. 1: Schematic of biofuel production from microalgae tribution system needed. DAC is seen nuous production of diverse strains of ranging in size from 0.5-m to 101-m .
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180 Chemical Weekly September 5, 2023 Chemical Weekly September 5, 2023 181

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