APPLICATIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL BIOTECHNOLOGY- ALGAE BIOFUEL

Submitted by SAAD QUDRAT MSc. Final (evening) Submitted to Dr. Omme Hany

INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF KARACHI

ALGAE BIOFUEL

 Algae are generally described as eukaryotic protists that are distinct from plants but are typically photosynthetic and aquatic.

 They can either be microscopic single-celled microalgae or larger more complex multicellular macro-algae or seaweeds.

Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms which can produce lipids and carbohydrates in large amounts over short periods of time. and therefore can be a source of renewable energy. Microalgae are highly efficient converters of solar energy, fixing five times more solar energy to chemical energy than most terrestrial plants They also have high growth rates, often doubling their biomass in a period as short as a few hours. Algae can grow in salt water, harsh conditions, submerged area and sea water. Biofuel from algae contains no sulfur, is non-toxic and its waste highly bio-degradable. There is a growing interest for biofuel production from algae because of its higher yield non-edible oil production and its fast growth that does not compete for land with food production.

Processes for biodiesel production from algae-oil are similar to food and non-food crops derived biodiesel processes. Genetic modification for any increase in the lipid content of the algae will improve the efficiency of the process substantially. On average 1 kg of dry algae biomass utilizes about 1.83 kg of CO2, thus the microalgae biomass production can help in bio-fixation of waste CO2.

The economics of producing biofuel from algae is currently very high which is the main obstacle, but the future price will depend upon the crude oil prices in the market in addition to optimized biomass yields

A comparison of Algae output with that of other crops Biofuel produced from microalgae has the potential for yields 50 100 times greater than biofuel from crops. Up to 50% of algae weight can be lipid content that can be used to make biofuel.

Algae is capable of yielding 30 times more oil per acre than the crops currently used in biodiesel production.
Oil Yield (gal/acre) - Corn 18 - Cotton 35 - Soybean - Jatropha - Palm - Algae

48 202 635 1200

MAJOR STEPS IN THE PRODUCTION OF BIO-OIL AND BIODIESEL FUEL FROM MICROALGAE

 CULTIVATION METHODS Closed Photobioreactors Systems (PBRs)

 Open Ponds

Effective large-scale bioreactors are also key to produce economically viable solutions.

HARVESTING METHODS
The process of concentrating dilute algal suspensions, removing liquid until a thicker algal paste is obtained is called harvesting. Common harvesting techniques include:

 Settling or Flocculation: either through addition of chemical flocculants or by natural auto-flocculation, it causes cells to aggregate into larger clumps, making further processing easier.

 Filtration: A method of concentrating solutions by passing suspensions over microporous membranes under pressure. Can concentrate very low density cultures, while also avoiding damage to sensitive cells. Suffers from being limited to processing small volumes before the eventual clogging of membranes.

DEWATERING AND CONCENTRATING

Centrifugation: A rapid but energy intensive method employing a centrifuge that separates the biomass using sedimentation by application of a centripetal force to generate thick concentrated pastes. Can be coupled with other devices to potentially separate cellular components e.g. lipids

EXTRACTION OF OIL AND LIPIDS

MECHANICAL EXTRACTION
Algae biomass is subjected to high pressure for rupture and release of the oil. A hydraulic press or a screw press may be used. The screw press is well suited for feedstocks having more than 30% oil content

 PROS: -no chemicals are used for extraction -the process is free of chemicals in the products -the product is safe for storage CONS: -inadequacy in complete lipid recovery -high energy inputs.

SOLVENT METHOD
The mixture of algae lipid dissolved in the solvent is called a miscella and is sent to collection tanks. The various organic chemical solvents employed for oil extraction include benzene, hexane, cyclohexane, acetone, chloroform, ethanol (96%), and hexane-ethanol (96%) combinations.

 Hexane meets many of the requirements of an ideal oil solvent due to it having a high extraction efficiency, a low viscosity, and a low boiling point, and being a nonpolar solvent, is easily miscible with oil and inexpensive.

When a solvent comes into contact with cells it dissolves lipid and can be separated from the oil by distillation of the solvent. PROS - lipid recovery from materials with low oil content up to less than l% by weight. - Can extract up to 98% quantitative of purified fatty acids. CONS - solvent is highly inflammable - high energy requirements - expensive to install

SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION

When a fluid is subjected to temperatures and pressures above its critical temperature and pressure, it becomes a supercritical fluid. Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is the process of extracting oil from oil-containing materials using a supercritical flu id as the extraction solvent. The advantage of supercritical fluids used in oil extraction is their increased solvating power. The added advantages of SFE over conventional solvent extraction are that it provides simple and flexible process control of temperature, shorter extraction times, low cost, and solvent-free product.

 The SFE consists of an SFE solvent tank, solvent and feed pumps, a high-pressure pump, extraction vessels, and restrictor and absorbent vessels. Carbon dioxide is widely used as a solvent in SFE due to its moderate critical temperature (31.1C) and pressure (72.9 atm) In this method, C02 is used as the extracting solvent when it is in a supercritical state (i.e., it has both gas and liquid properties). The supercritical state of CO: can be achieved by liquefying C02 under higher pressure and heating to a particular temperature.

 The important operating parameters considered for optimizing the extraction efficiency of this method are operating temperature and pressure, quantity of C02 supplied, feed particle size, and residence time. Dried algae paste must be used for supercritical extraction; this helps in increasing the contact time between the SFE solvent and the algae paste. CO2 acts as a gas in air at ambient temperature, and can be removed after the extraction and reused again for further extractions.

TRANSESTERIFICATION
The micro-algal biomass now can be used for the production of biofuel, either by pyrolysis (thermochemical liquefaction) in which bio-oil is produced or by transesterification for biodiesel. The extracted oil consists of crude lipids and neutral lipids.

 In this process Fats are converted into Biodiesel

The process of exchanging the organic group R of an ester with the organic group R of an alcohol.

Neutral lipids consist of triglycerides, free fatty acids, hydrocarbons, sterols, wax, sterol esters, and free alcohols.

 Among these, only triglycerides and free fatty acids arc saponifiable (one with an ester functional group, that can be hydrolyzed under basic conditions), and hence can he converted to biodiesel by esterification or transesterification. Crude lipids consist of neutral lipids along with pigments. The triglycerides and free fatty acids are the part of micro-algal lipids that can be converted to biodiesel or bio-oil.