Novel Liner for Algal Biofuel Production
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09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
Engineering topics
Corpuz, Rodney
Publications and source records attributed to Corpuz, Rodney.
Algae cultivation systems and methods with bore waves
An algae cultivation system includes generating a translating hydraulic jump wave that travels across a gas-liquid interface of an algae cultivation fluid contained in the algae cultivation system. The translating hydraulic jump wave has Froude number greater than 1.
Hazlebeck, David A.↗
Development of Algal Biomass Yield Improvements in an Integrated Process (Final Report)
This project built on the success of Global Algae Innovations Algae Biomass Yield Phase 1 project to accelerate the commercialization of algal biofuels through development of an integrated, economical, photosynthetic, open raceway system to produce algal oil. Two parallel pathways to a biofuel were investigated. In the algal crude oil pathway, highlighted in blue, the dewatered algal biomass slurry is used as a feed to hydrothermal liquefaction to produce an algae crude oil and recycle aqueous stream. In the algal lipid oil pathway, highlighted in green, the algal biomass slurry is dried, and the oil is extracted to produce an algal lipid oil biofuel intermediate and a high protein algae meal co-product. Upgrading to drop-in fuels has been demonstrated for the biofuel intermediates in both pathways. Since the algal lipid oil pathway requires lipid accumulation, the productivity is generally lower than the algal crude oil pathway, but the required productivity for economical algal biofuel production is also lower because the coproduct value is greater. The outdoor cultivation was performed at the Kauai Algae Farm. The project team has expertise across the full breadth strain development, advanced algal cultivation, open raceway contamination control, CO 2 supply, harvesting, dewatering, extraction, hydrothermal liquefaction, technoeconomic analysis and life cycle analysis: Hildebrand laboratory at Scripps Institution of Oceanography – diatom strain development. Mayfield laboratory at UCSD - green algae strain development. TSD Management Associates- CO 2 supply, algal harvesting and dewatering, and algal drying and extraction. Qualitas - large-scale test site for algal harvesting technology. Texas A&M University - algal drying and extraction technology. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - hydrothermal liquefaction technology. GE Water and Power - membrane technology. National Renewable Energy Laboratory - algal techno-economic analysis. Phase 1 of the project resulted in tremendous productivity and pre-processing improvements in an integrated, large-scale, low-cost cultivation and pre-processing process that moved algal technology closer to economic viability for biofuels than ever before. Phase 2 accomplishments further facilitate development of a commercial algal biofuel industry by adding: several top performing strains and strain development tools including breeding; open-pond cultivation innovations that achieved a 30% improvement in overall productivity, an 83% reduction in cost, and a 95% reduction in energy use relative to conventional technology; further improvements in harvesting that led to the Zobi harvester ® as a universal, economical, low energy, commercially available microalgae harvesting solution; breakthroughs in drying and extraction including a new low energy drying process and several new low energy extraction unit operations that together with the Zobi harvester ® achieve a 90% reduction in cost and 97% reduction in energy use relative to conventional technology. These improvements are sufficient to enable economical production of algae biofuel and protein meal co-product if the process were scaled up to a commercial-scale 5,000-acre algae farm.
09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
Algae cultivation systems and methods adapted for weather variations
Algae cultivation systems and methods account for weather variations that can affect algae cultivation. In one system, an open raceway algae cultivation system includes a channel having a high section and a low liquid collection section. The channel is sloped to allow substantially all of an algae cultivation fluid in the high section to flow downwardly into the low liquid collection section. A barrier is removably positioned in the high section and a drain is positioned in the high section such that, when substantially all of the algae cultivation fluid has collected in the low liquid collection section, any rainwater that falls in the high section flows into the drain, without the rainwater mixing with the algae cultivation fluid in the low liquid collection section.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗