Biofuels from microalgae

René H. Wijffels
www.bpe.wur.nl
Contents

„ Microalgae markets
„ Biofuels
„ P t ti l off microalgae
Potential i l
„ Production methods
„ Feasibility
„ Research focus
„ Conclusions
Microalgae markets
Applications Price/Kg Market
Biomass volume

Nutraceuticals (human consumption) €100 €60 million

Nutraceuticals (animal feed) € 5-20

5 20 € 3-4
3 4 billion
Bulk chemicals €1-5 >€ 50 billion

Biofuels < €0.40 > €1 trillion

„ Present market volume: € 1 billion
„ Segment: biomass prices > € 50/ kg biomass
„ Objective: market segment < € 0.40/ kg biomass
 Biofuels
„ Botryococcus
z Alkanes (C34)
z High concentrations (40
(40-70%)
70%)
„ Ather algae
z 20-40% lipids
z 40 60% starch
40-60%
„ High productivity
z Palmoil: 6,000 l/ha/year
z Microalge: 20
20,000-150,000
000 150 000
l/ha/year
z No competition with food
z Salt water
„ Investments in US:
US$ 2.4 billion (NYTimes)
Many new companies
„ A2BE Carbon Capture „ Green Star Products
„ Algaelink „ Infinifuel Biodiesel
„ Algoil „ Inventure Chemical
„ Aquaflow Binomic Corporation „ LiveFuels
„ Aquaflow Bionomics „ OriginOil
„ Aquatic Energy „ PetroAlgae
„ Aurora Biofuels „ PetroSun
„ Blue Marble Energy „ Seambiotic
„ Bionavitas „ Solazyme
„ Circle Biodiesel & Ethanol „ Solena Gro
Groupp
Corporation
„ Solix Biofuels
„ Enhanced Biofuels
&Technologies „ Texas Clean Fuels
„ G
GreenFuel
F l Technologies
T h l i „ Valcent Products
„ Greenshift „ Vertical Algae Biofuel Growing
Hype cycle of biofuels
Potential of microalgae
300
a -1 yr -1)

250 Eindhoven
ass product ivity (ton ha

Bonaire
200

150

100

50
Bioma

0
Ponds Tubular Flat panel Theoretical
maximum

Lipid content algae is 20-40%

Production methods of microalgae

„ Maximum use of sunlight g

„ Inside of the reactor should be
dark
„ Process to be applied in direct
sunlight
„ At high light intensities chane of
photo inhibition
„ Supply of CO2
„ Produced O2 is toxic
Production methods of algae

„ Open systems
z Raceway
z Cheap?
„ Closed systems
z Bubble columns
z Tubular reactors
z Flat panels
z Expensive?
Feasibility study

Raceway ponds

Horizontal tubes

Flat panels
Tubular reactor
Monitor and Control
Unit

Centrifuge

Harvest Nutrient
tank Inlet
DO

Biomass Stack pH
gas Degasser
CO2 25 % T
Pump Headspace

Solar collector Stack gas

/CO2
Biomass production costs in tubular reactor

„ 1 ha system
z 10.62 €/
kg biomass
„ 100 ha system
z 4.02 €/ Centrifuge w estfalia separator AG Centrifuge Feed Pump Medium Filter Unit
Medium Feed pump Medium preparation tank Harvest broth storage tank
k biomass
kg bi Seaw ater pump station Automatic Weighing Station w ith Silos Culture circulation pump
Installations costs Instrumentation and control Piping

z 150 €/GJ Buildings

Carbon dioxide
Polyethylene tubes Photobioreactor
Media Filters
Culture medium
Air filters
Pow er Labor Payroll charges

„ Present value Maintenance General plant overheads

z 10 €/GJ
 Sensitivity analysis

Curacao PE 5%, CO2 Incentive, medium and CO2 free

Mixing 10*, PE 5%, CO2 incentive, mdium and CO2 free

Mixing w ith 10* less energy

PE 5%; CO2 and medium for free, CO2 incentive

No centrifugation
CO2 incentive (15 € / ton CO2)

Photosynthetic Efficiency 5%

Dilution rate 10% v/v per day

Both CO2 and medium for free

CO2 for free

Culture medium for free

-100 -90 -80 -70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0

% Decrease in p
production cost
 Biomassaproduction costs
1 ha 10.62 € / kg biomass

100 ha

4 02 € / kg
4.02 k biomass
bi
Centrifuge w estfalia separator AG Centrifuge Feed Pump Medium Filter Unit
Medium Feed pump Medium preparation tank Harvest broth storage tank 89% decrease
Seaw ater pump station Automatic Weighing Station w ith Silos Culture circulation pump
Installations costs Instrumentation and control Piping
Buildings Polyethylene tubes Photobioreactor Culture medium
Carbon dioxide Media Filters Air filters
Pow er Labor Payroll charges

potential Maintenance General plant overheads

0.4 € / kg
g biomass
15 €/GJ
Comparison of systems (100ha)

Raceway Flat Tubular

Units
pond panel reactor

Biomass pproduction ton /year

y 2071 6363 4141
Photosynthetic efficiency % 1.5 5 3
Light path m 0.2 0.03 0.034
Biomass production costs € / kg DW 5.70 4.03 4.02
Centrifuge air blowers Circulation pump
Main cost factor %
15 % 24% 46%
Present projects

„ Development high-efficiency photobioreactors

„ Ma imi ation of carotenoid prod
Maximization production
ction
„ Strain selection and milking
„ High-cell
g densityy cultures and g growth inhibition
„ The Green Solar collector
„ Photobioreactor performance under high irradiance
„ E
Extraction
i off oilil ffrom lilipid-rich
id i h microalgae
i l
„ O2 inhibition of microalgal growth
„ Gas transfer in large-scale
large scale outdoor photobioreactors
„ Modeling dynamics of photosynthesis
WETSUS research project
„ Funding via Technological Top Institute Wetsus
z 25% Wageningen
g g University
y
z 25% companies
z 50% government
„ Feasibility study used as basis
„ Objective: reduction production costs
„ Biofuels is not the only product
„ Breakthroughs are needed to make systems economically
feasible
„ Joined forces
„ Basis for demonstration projects
Bottlenecks
„ Energy for mixing
„ Productivity/photosynthetic efficiency
„ Lipid productivity
„ CO2 fixation
„ O2 production
„ Making use of waste nutrients
„ Biorefinery: fractionation of proteins
„ Harvesting
„ Extraction
„ Production scenarios
Participating companies

„ Biosoil
„ D
Dow Ch
Chemicals
i l
„ Eneco Energie
„ Friesland Foods
„ Hednesford
„ Ingrepro
„ Hubert/ Landustrie
„ Neste Oil
„ Nuon
„ R
Rosendaal
d lE Energy
„ Syngenta
Projects in development

„ Wetsus: biofuels
z 5-8 projecten
„ EU
z Basis photosynthetic efficiency
„ IWT (Innovation
(I ti ini Science
S i and
d Technology,
T h l Belgium)
B l i )
z Lipid productivity
„ Demonstration reactors
z Proviron: sustainable chemical industry
z Zeeland Soul: integrated aquaculture
z EOS (SenterNovem)
„ Center for Photosynthesis Research
Center for Photosynthesis Research

„ Systems biology of
photosynthetic processes
„ Re-engineering organisms for
optimal photosynthetic energy
conversion into biomass
„ Design of systems for energy-
energy
tapping before it is converted into
biomass
„ Initiative
z Ministry
Mi i t off A Agriculture,
i lt N
Nature
t
and Food Quality
z Wageningen University and
Research Center
z L id U
Leiden University
i it
z VU University Amsterdam
z University of Groningen
Conclusions

„ Production of chemicals and biofuels from

microalgae feasible
„ P d ti it iis hi
Productivity high
h and d th
there iis no competition
titi
with food production
„ Technolog not yet
Technology et well
ell de
developed
eloped
„ Join forces
„ C bi ti off applications
Combination li ti
 www.bpe.wur.nl

Vacancies for PhD students

© Wageningen UR