Project reduces cost of creating biofuel from

microalgae
01 February 2009

At APP's International Algae Congress held in Amsterdam towards the end of

2008, there was a consensus that the capability to cultivate microalgae
in sufficient volumes for biofuel production on a commercial basis was
nearing reality. But one of the biggest pinch points that remains is how
to extract the oil from the microalgae biomass in an efficient, cost
effective manner. How, after all, can one extract such a small quantity
of oil from each microbial algae cell?

Global Companies like Neste Oil and UOP have the ability to process and convert the algal oil within the
microalgae biomass to JP-8 and other high grade fuels.

Traditional methods have been considered but these are neither efficient nor economic. These also seek to extract
the oil by using external energy to break down the microbial cell walls. The amount of energy required to achieve
this makes the whole process too costly.

The solution appears to come from a biomass pre-treatment technology that is used to break down biomass feed
stocks prior to anaerobic digestion. The microbes in anaerobic digesters break down organic material generating
biogas. The smaller the particle sizes of the feedstocks entering the digester, the more efficient the digestion
process. A UK company, Eco-Solids International Ltd, has been trialling a new proprietary patent pending process
called Cellruptor with utility Yorkshire Water, to enhance biogas production at one of its wastewater treatment
sites.

Cellruptor effectively gives the sewage sludge being treated at the site “the bends” before the sludge enters the
digester. As deep sea divers are aware, it is critical that they do not rise to the surface too quickly after a deep sea
dive, otherwise the CO2 within their bodies expands too rapidly rupturing their internal organs. Cellruptor replicates
these conditions within its own reactor. The CO2 that is used comes from the biogas that the digester generates.

Biogas typically contains 40% CO2 by volume. The biogas itself is mixed with the sludge under pressure prior to
the digestion process and during a short residence time, the CO2 permeates through all the microbial cells. The
pressure is then suddenly dropped and the carbon dioxide within the cellular material expands very rapidly. The
cell walls are unable to withstand this rapid expansion and the cell structures rupture. Enhanced biogas production
then results when the material is fed into the digester. Importantly, the CO2 coming out of solution is recycled back
into the reactor. Thus the process uses internal expansion energy to break open the microbial structures, which
provides significant advantages compared with existing external energy technologies.

Eco-Solids holds the rights to the Cellruptor technology for pre-treating biomass prior to anaerobic digestion, and
has been working with the licensor in the US to develop the capability to extract algal oil from microalgae biomass.
The potential of Cellruptor to do this has been recognised by General Atomics, a multibillion dollar organisation
that has secured US Defence Agency funding to develop affordable algal-derived JP-8 jet fuel.