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The Potential For Biofuels From Algae: Algae Biomass Summit San Francisco, CA November 15, 2007

Microalgae have significant potential as a source of biodiesel and other biofuels due to their high oil productivity compared to traditional crops. However, critical research is still needed to optimize algal strains, cultivation systems, and fuel production processes in order to make algal biofuels cost competitive with petroleum-based diesel. Past research at NREL provides a foundation, and ongoing work at national laboratories and private companies aims to address remaining challenges in developing algal biofuels technologies and realizing their potential at a commercial scale.

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47 views

The Potential For Biofuels From Algae: Algae Biomass Summit San Francisco, CA November 15, 2007

Microalgae have significant potential as a source of biodiesel and other biofuels due to their high oil productivity compared to traditional crops. However, critical research is still needed to optimize algal strains, cultivation systems, and fuel production processes in order to make algal biofuels cost competitive with petroleum-based diesel. Past research at NREL provides a foundation, and ongoing work at national laboratories and private companies aims to address remaining challenges in developing algal biofuels technologies and realizing their potential at a commercial scale.

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Htet Mrak Aung
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The Potential for Biofuels from Algae

Algae Biomass Summit San Francisco, CA November 15, 2007

Philip T. Pienkos, Ph.D. National Renewable Energy Laboratory National Bioenergy Center
NREL/PR-510-42414

The Biodiesel Dilemma


Triglycerides (TAGs) from current oilseed crops and waste oils cannot come close to meeting U.S. diesel demand (60+ billion gal/yr)
The entire U.S. soybean crop could provide approximately 2.5 billion gallons per year. Estimated world-wide production of biodiesel would only yield 13 billion gallons per year. This much agricultural productivity cannot possibly be diverted from the food supply. TAGs also represent an attractive feedstock for biopetrochemicals meaning less would be available for transportation fuel.

Alternative sources of TAGs are needed!

Why Algae?
Much greater productivity than their terrestrial cousins Non-food resource Use otherwise non-productive land Can utilize saline water Can utilize waste CO2 streams Can be used in conjunction with waste water treatment An algal biorefinery could produce oils, protein, and carbohydrates

Microalgal Cultivation
Inexpensive culture systems using shallow (10 cm deep) ponds stirred with paddle wheels in areas of high solar insolation More intensive cultivation systems becoming available Algal cultivation can be 50x more productive than traditional crops Potential for culture in areas not used for crop production Desert land Ocean

Using Waste CO2 from Coal-fired Power Plants


Carbon dioxide rich streams from combustion of fossil fuels or other industrial processes ideal for algae production Double benefit: provide food for algae, and remediate waste stream (recycling of fossil CO2) Carbon credits may become economic driver

Comparing Potential Oil Yields


Crop Corn Cotton Soybean Mustard seed Sunflower Rapeseed/Canola Jatropha Oil palm Algae (10 g/m2/day at 15% TAG) Algae (50 g/m2/day at 50% TAG) Oil Yield Gallons/acre 18 35 48 61 102 127 202 635 1,200 10,000

Source: Wikipedia.org

Fatty acid composition of algal oils suitable for preparation of biodiesel

Algae: Route to Numerous BioEnergy Sources


Microalgae Macroalgae

Intermediate

Hydrogen

Lipids or Hydrocarbons

Carbohydrates

Biomass

Syngas

Methane

Fuel

Hydrogen

Alkanes or Green Diesel

Biodiesel

Alcohols (Ethanol)

FT Liquids

Methane

What Are the Requirements?


Production of algal oil requires:
Land Sunlight Water CO2 Macro- and micronutrients

Resource Requirement: Land (Basis: algal oil needed for 60 billion gal/yr biodiesel)
10@15 Productivity (~1,200 gal/acre-yr) 48,000,000 acres Compare to 74 million acres used for 2005 U.S. soybean crop Using land not currently used for crops 50@50 Productivity (~10,000 gal/acre-yr) 6,000,000 acres

Vast Areas of the Globe Are Not Suitable for High Levels of Terrestrial Agriculture

But could be used for algal culture.

Resource Requirement: Water


Saline aquifers in the U.S.
Water with few competing uses Water resources show many areas of intersection with cheap land and CO2 sources Produced water from oil wells potential source Seawater available in many parts of the world Identify ideal sites with more recent information

Resource Requirement: CO2 and Water (Basis: algal oil needed for 60 billion gal/yr biodiesel)
10@15 50@50 Productivity Productivity CO2 Usage (ton/year) % of US Power Plant Emissions Water Usage (trillion gallons/yr)* 120 16 1.4 billion 56% 0.9 billion 36%

*Compare to ~22 trillion gal/yr saline water extracted in 2000 in U.S. (primarily for power plant cooling) (USGS), and to >4000 trillion gal/yr of water used to irrigate U.S. corn crop (USDA).

What is the Potential?


Overall potential is enormous Scenarios for producing substantial amount of U.S. diesel from microalgae are not unrealistic But would require a major dedicated effort Significant R&D is required to optimize yields in order to realize realistic scenarios of land and water use

NRELs Aquatic Species Program


Research project at NREL from 1978 to 1996 Project cut to focus on ethanol 3000 strains of micro-algae collected and screened 1,000 m2 outdoor test facility (Roswell, NM) 10g/m2/day biomass overall, 50g/m2/day peak Process for lipid extraction and conversion to biodiesel Genetic manipulation of algae in last few years of project Analysis provides stalking horse for all efforts to commercialize technology
See the close-out report at: http://govdocs.aquake.org/cgi/repri nt/2004/915/9150010.pdf

Technology Future Whats Changed Since 1996?


Oil prices at record highs Wholesale diesel $0.60 -> $3+ Increased interest in CO2 capture, carbon trading, etc. Greater emphasis on energy security New photobioreactor designs, advances in material science Explosion in biotechnology Advances in metabolic engineering Genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, bioinformatics, etc.
DOE Joint Genome Institute

Where are the hurdles?


Algal Cultivation
De-watering methods Lipid extraction Purification Costs, energy input Environmental issues Value from residual biomass

Photobioreactor design Capital and operating costs Temperature control Saline water chemistries Makeup water (evaporation) CO2 availability and transport Nutrient requirements Starting species Growth rate Oil content & FA profile Robustness Resistance to invasion Biofouling in closed systems Nutrient induction requirement Environmental impact, containment

Oil (Lipid) Recovery

Process optimization Fatty acid profiles Costs and LCA Fuel characteristics Energy density Carbon numbers Cloud point Stability Consistency Additives required Engine testing ASTM standard

Fuel Production

Critical R&D Elements


1. Algal strains for continuous high-level oil production
Selecting the right starting species Mutation and selection/screening Genomics approaches to understand and control lipid induction

2. Cultivation facility design and operation


Strain characteristics required for cultivation facility Harvesting and extraction technology Use of remaining algae components

3. Fuel production
Selection of preferred triglycerides and conversion technology Optimize catalyst and operating conditions Develop any required pre/post processing

Goal: Produce premium quality fuel from algae at a cost competitive with petrodiesel.

The Right Hand Giveth But the Left Hand Taketh Away
Highly engineered systems can provide better yields but at higher cost Saline aquifers will provide cheap source of water but how will evaporated water be replaced and how will changing water chemistry affect yields? CO2 from coal plants provide economic credits and necessary nutrient but also NOx and Hg Engineered organism offers promise of higher yields but may have difficulty competing and must face containment issues and regulation Underutilized lands can be developed but the development will only be suitable for algal farming Inexpensive resources and byproduct credit can look good on paper but flawed economic analysis will lead to failure

NREL Commitment to Developing Algae Biofuels Technology


Chevron CRADA
Chevron and National Renewable Energy Laboratory to Collaborate on Research to Produce Transportation Fuels using Algae

NREL Programs
NREL Strategic Initiative Infrastructure Development Internally Funded Research Project: Development of a Comprehensive High-Throughput Technique for Assessing Lipid Production in Algae

DOD
Support of AFOSR Algal Biofuels Program

Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels (C2B2) Research Consortium


Establishment of a Bioenergy-Focused Microalgae Strain Collection Using Rapid, High-Throughput Methodologies

Government Agencies Supporting Algae Biofuel Research


Department of Defense
DARPA* AFOSR

Department of Energy
NREL* Sandia* Los Alamos PNNL*

Algae Biofuel Companies


A2BE Carbon Capture* Algae Biofuels Algae Link Aquaflow Bionomic Aurora BioFuels Inc.* Bodega Algae* Community Fuels* Diversified Energy* Energy Farms Enhanced Biofuels & Technologies General Atomics Global Green Solutions* Green Star Greenfuel GreenShift GS Cleantech HR Biofuel* IGV Imperium Renewables* Infinuel Biodiesel Inventure Chemical* Kent SeaTech Corp.* Kwikpower LiveFuels Inc.* OriginOil PetroAlgae (XL Tech Group) SeaAg Inc* Solazyme, Inc.* Solix Biofuels Inc.* Texas Clean Fuels Trident Exploration/Menova Valcent Products XL Renewables*

Summary
Microalgae are unicellular biofactories that can make oil (TAGs) from sunlight and CO2 Algal TAGs can be used to make biodiesel or other refinery feedstocks Algae represent new feedstock for biofuels one that doesnt compete with food/feed/ethanol Potential to supply significant percentage of U.S. fuel demand The NREL Aquatic Species Program provides a unique knowledge and tool base There are many important issues to be addressed and fundamental research is needed Rapid growth in interest in algal oils technologies including renewed efforts at NREL

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