Biodiesel From Microalgae A Solution for a Sustainable San Luis Obospo County - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 43
About This Presentation
Title:

Biodiesel From Microalgae A Solution for a Sustainable San Luis Obospo County

Description:

Up to 70% of algae biomass is usable oils ... Hexane is a neurotoxin. Must be careful when using. Removes oil out of almost all things. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:193
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 44
Provided by: Eri7257
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: Biodiesel From Microalgae A Solution for a Sustainable San Luis Obospo County


1
Biodiesel From MicroalgaeA Solution for a
Sustainable San Luis Obospo County
  • Mike Sass
  • Eric Amendt
  • Ryan Gleim
  • Tim McLenegan
  • Tim Whitacre

April 29, 2005
2
Outline
  • Biodiesel from algae
  • Feasibility of algae
  • Oil collection and refining
  • Application to our county

3
Algae Overview
  • Tim McLenegan
  • Eric Amendt

4
Algae and Biodiesel
  • Algae Biodiesel is a good replacement for
    standard crop Biodiesels like soy and canola
  • Up to 70 of algae biomass is usable oils
  • Algae does not compete for land and space with
    other agricultural crops
  • Algae can survive in water of high salt content
    and use water that was previously deemed unusable

5
Storing the Suns Energy (Photosynthesis)
  • What is needed
  • Sunlight
  • CO2
  • Nutrients
  • Storage of Energy
  • Lipids and oils
  • Carbohydrates

http//www.veggievan.org/downloads/articles/Biodi
esel20from20Algae.pdf
6
What affects oil production?
  • Climate
  • Cold weather reduces algae oil production
  • Overcast days reduce sunlight and lower oil
    production
  • Nutrients
  • Depletion of Nitrogen and Silicate

7
Controlling Nutrients
  • Nitrogen
  • Aids in cell division
  • Silicate
  • Aids in cell wall production
  • Depleting Nutrients
  • Starving the algae of these two nutrients reduce
    the rate of cell division
  • Oil production remains constant
  • Results in an increase in the oil to mass ratio

8
The Algae Pond
http//www.veggievan.org/downloads/articles/Biodie
sel20from20Algae.pdf
9
Mass Production of Algae
http//www.veggievan.org/downloads/articles/Biodie
sel20from20Algae.pdf
10
Choosing an Algae
  • Important characteristics of Algae
  • High of total biomass is oil
  • Maintains a high of oil even under stress
  • Compatible with the San Luis Obispo climate

www.kluyvercentre.nl/content/ documents/Verslag2bi
odieselBaarnschLyceum.pdf -
11
What Type of Algae
  • Botryococcus braunii
  • Converts 61 of its biomass into oil
  • Drops to only 31 oil under stress
  • Grows best between 22-25oC (71-77oF)

www.kluyvercentre.nl/content/ documents/Verslag2bi
odieselBaarnschLyceum.pdf -
12
Where To Grow It
  • Extensions onto our water treatment plants
  • Clean up our waste and generate fuel
  • Agriculture runoff
  • Exploit the countys many farms and vineyards
  • Soda Lake
  • Salt lake east of Santa Margarita
  • Vast open space of Carrizo Plain
  • Only has water in winter/spring months
  • National Monument status may prevent development

13
Feasibility
  • Tim Whitacre

14
Feasibility
  • Is it too good to be true?
  • DOE concluded a 16-year study of algal biomass in
    1996 (and wrote a 328-page report)
  • http//www.nrel.gov/docs/legosti/fy98/24190.pdf
  • Conducted large-scale tests in California, New
    Mexico and Hawaii
  • With good temperatures, could harvest 50 grams of
    algae per sq. meter per day
  • Used a 1,000 m2 pond for 1 year
  • Research stopped due to budget cuts
  • UNH paper may hopefully rekindle research
  • With more research/funding, it can be done

15
Comments from NREL
  • Projections for future costs of petroleum are
    a moving target. DOE expects petroleum costs to
    remain relatively flat over the next 20 years.
    Expecting algal biodiesel to compete with such
    cheap petroleum prices is unrealistic. Without
    some mechanism for monetizing its environmental
    benefits (such as carbon taxes), algal biodiesel
    is not going to get off the ground.

16
Comments from NREL
  • Engineering design and cost studies have been
    done throughout the course of the ASP, with ever
    increasing realism in the design assumptions and
    cost estimates. The last set of cost estimates
    for the program was developed in 1995. These
    estimates showed that algal biodiesel cost would
    range from 1.40 to 4.40 per gallon based on
    current and long-term projections for the
    performance of the technology. Even with
    assumptions of 50 per ton of CO2 as a carbon
    credit, the cost of biodiesel never competes with
    the projected cost of petroleum diesel.

17
Per Barrel
http//futures.tradingcharts.com/chart/CO/M
18
Show Me The Money!!!
  • The current price of diesel is growing
  • What does this mean for Biodiesel?

19
Michael Briggs of University of New Hampshire
  • Production ability
  • 37,500 gallons per hectare of desert land per
    year
  • Pond construction
  • 80,000 per hectare
  • Operating Costs
  • 12,000 per hectare

20
NREL resultsBenemann and Oswald (1996)
  • Capital Investment
  • 69,000 to 104,400 per hectare
  • Operating Costs
  • 21,370 to 32,320 per hectare per year
  • Algal Oil Costs
  • 39 to 69 per barrel
  • 0.93 to 1.65 per gallon
  • 16,000 to 32,000 gallons per hectare per year

21
Cost per hectare
22
(No Transcript)
23
Processing Costs
  • 0.30 to 1.00 per gallon
  • Without taxes or profit
  • Michael Briggs
  • 0.32 per gallon of biodiesel
  • Real World
  • 1.23 - 2.65 per gallon of biodiesel

24
San Luis Costs
  • The startup costs per processing plant would be
    the same as noted in the fall presentation on
    Biodiesel.
  • 15,000,000 per 30,000,000 gallon plants.
  • Our research shows that the cost per algal pond
    would be greater.

25
Assuming 0.10 profit per gallonTotal Costs
26
Oil Collection and Refining
  • Mike Sass

27
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

28
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.

29
Super Critical Oil Extraction
  • Most efficient method.
  • Uses carbon dioxide at critical pressure and
    temperature (CO2 is almost a liquid).
  • Carbon dioxide.
  • Rapid diffusion of the oil.
  • Very expensive process.

30
TAG (triacylglycerol)
  • Three chains of fatty acids attached to a
    glycerol
  • Natural oil from the algae

31
Transesterification
  • Start with triacylglycerol (TAG)
  • End up with ester alcohol (biodiesel)

32
Three ways to produce biodiesel
  • Base catalyzed transesterification with alcohol.
  • Acid catalyzed esterification with methanol.
  • Convert the oil to fatty acids. Then acid
    catalyze to alkyl esters.

33
Base Catalyzed with Alcohol
  • Most common process
  • Most economical
  • Low pressure (20psi)
  • Low temperature (150oF)
  • No intermediate steps
  • High conversion rate (98)

34
General Process
35
Application To Our County
  • Ryan Gleim

36
Current County Bus System
  • CCAT and SCAT

37
Fuel Requirements
38
Biodiesel Requirements
  • Using Biodiesel in current diesel busses

39
Diesel Hybrid
  • GM Hybrid Bus

40
Hybrid Bus Statistics
  • GM Hybrid Bus
  • EP system
  • Clean Hybrid technology
  • Hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide reduction of
    about 90
  • Nitrous oxide reduction of about 50
  • Already in service in many cities
  • Up to 60 improved fuel economy

41
Calculations Adjusted
  • Using Biodiesel in HYBRID diesel busses

42
Conclusion
  • Algae is a very efficient means of producing
    biodiesel
  • The oil production from algae farms is feasible
    and scalable
  • Further research necessary to unlock full
    potential of algae

43
Questions
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com