Oilgae Blog - The Latest from the World of Algae Fuels
SRS' New Algae Extraction Pilot Plant Placed in Operation
You are at: Oilgae Blog.SRS' Pilot Plant for algae oil extraction allows SRS to support clients who do not have their own extraction facilities by offering toll processing of large quantities of algae. SRS also has a benchtop system which allows for screening of small samples to identify the true oil (lipid) content of algae species. Both the Pilot Plant and the bench top system employ new techniques for fractionation of algae which were developed by SRS; providing for the highest recovery of lipids for biofuel production.
Organic Fuels Algae Technology Proposes Algae Oil Extraction using Electricity
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Organic Fuels Algae Technology says it has a cheap way to accomplish one of the most expensive parts of getting the oil out of the algae.
Electromechanical forces will do the trick, said Peter Loggenberg, CEO of the joint venture of Houston-based biodiesel producer Organic Fuels and the University of Texas at Austin's Center for Electromechanics.
OFAT's alternative solution involves zapping algae with electricity to disrupt the cell walls. It's a similar concept to that being proposed by Origin Oil, which has proposed using microwaves and ultrasound to break open algae cells.
There are other steps involved, however. For example, while OFAT's "electromechanical lysing" process could work on algae in the very low concentrations that naturally occur in water – about 0.1 percent to 0.2 percent – it would be most cost-effective if that algae concentration can be boosted to 10 percent or so, the company says. That, of course, will take time and energy.
OFAT is seeking to raise about $4 million to build a commercial prototype. Like Origin Oil, the company doesn't want to actually get into the business of growing algae, turning it into fuel and selling it, Loggenberg said.
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Labels: Algae-Oil-Extraction
SRS Company to Construct Demo Plant for Extraction of Oil from Algae
You are at: Oilgae Blog.In a unanimous vote, the Carlsbad City Council approved the purchase of a demonstration plant totaling $625,000 for the extraction of oil from algae.
In March, the city entered into an agreement with Carlsbad-based Center for Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management (CEHMM) to serve as fiscal agent in the administration of a grant obtained from CEHMM from the New Mexico Energy Innovation Fund totaling $1.1 million.
Lynn said CEHMM sought the services of vendors to provide the technologies and equipment necessary to extract oil from algae. He said eight vendors from around the world were contacted, but only one vendor, SRS Company, met the criteria and was able to demonstrate extraction of oil from algae, as well as make biodiesel from it.
The system to be built by SRS will be used to dewater and extract oil from algae at the CEHMM facility located at the New Mexico State University Agriculture Experimental Station located north of the city.
"We believe the bi-products from oil could be even bigger than the oil for fuel," Lynn said. "Our goal is to maximize everything we can to try to bring more jobs to Carlsbad. We don't plan to leave Carlsbad. All 22 of our current employees are from Carlsbad."
Milking Diatoms for Sustainable Energy
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Along with colleagues from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, Dr. Richard Gordon argues in a new paper, titled "Milking Diatoms for Sustainable Energy," that diatoms – a type of algae found in oceans and lakes – could even be engineered to secrete gasoline directly.
Gordon and his scientist colleagues have a problem with the current algae-to-fuel approach, in that it relies on the harvesting of algae as they rapidly reproduce. The harvested algae are then dried – that is, killed – and put through a series of production processes.
They go on to propose a way to alter the cells of diatoms, through genetic manipulation, to "actively secrete their own oil droplets." These engineered diatoms could then be bred in a type of solar panel designed to optimize conditions for photosynthesis and oil production.
As the diatoms gain mass by converting solar energy into oil, they will reach a stage where they automatically secrete oil droplets. Those droplets would then rise to the top, making the oil fairly simple to collect. It would be "very similar to the cream that rises to the top of mammalian milk that has not been homogenized," according to the study, published this month in the journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.
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Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Fuel-Research, Algae-Oil-Extraction
Algae Takes Center Stage As OriginOil Conducts Earth Week Media Blitz
You are at: Oilgae Blog.“Earth Day has presented a fabulous opportunity to cast light on the revolutionary breakthroughs in the algae-to-oil industry, and we are ecstatic that not one, but five prestigious news outlets chose to feature OriginOil to underscore the promise of algae as an alternative to foreign oil,” said Eckelberry.
During the segments, Eckelberry explained OriginOil’s inherently eco-friendly production process by elaborating that nothing goes unused in an algae production system – that is, the process not only purifies dirty water, digests carbon dioxide and produces a biofuel, but even the remaining biomass can be used as a fertilizer.
He also commented on OriginOil’s ability to solve a critical issue for scalable algae-to-oil production: “We’ve pioneered a single-step extraction technology that will get the oil out of the algae in one simple, elegant step. We are taking this solution to market while continuing to enhance our end-to-end system for the growing algae industry,” said Eckelberry.
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OriginOils Single Step Algae Oil Extraction Process
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As pictured above, algae enters one of OriginOil's tanks, and is quickly seperated into biomass and oil afterwards
Last Friday OriginOil applied for a patent. That patent is for a technology that makes extracting oil from algae an efficient, cheap, one-step process.
The business plan for OriginOil is to sell its technology to algae farmers who will use the extraction process to produce oil. Eckelberry says there are about 30 algae companies now, and he expects there to be over a 100 in the next year when he actually commercializes the technology.
If the company can advance this technology, the next step in its business is to sell modular systems to companies with factories throwing off CO2. He says those companies can channel their CO2 into tanks that have algae in them. The algae will grow off the CO2, then it can be processed and turned into fuel.
It's a win-win for companies. They cut back on CO2 emissions, which are pricey in Europe where a cap and trade system exists, and might soon exist in the U.S. And companies also get a new source of fuel for themselves.
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Labels: Algae-CO2-Capture, Algae-Energy-Companies, Algae-Oil-Extraction
Phycal harvests oil from algae without killing it!
You are at: Oilgae Blog.The algae fuel company Phycal is trying to harvest oil from algae without killing the algae. Instead, Phycal bathes the algae in solvents which can suck out the oil. Some strains of algae can go through the process four times or more.
That's interesting.
The Oilgae Academic Edition gives more detailed insights on algal harvesting techniques.
By the way, have you subscribed to the Oilgae Blog?; How about joining the Oilgae mailing list?; and our forum to discuss on with others?Labels: Algae-Energy-Companies, Algae-Harvesting, Algae-Oil-Extraction
Biofuels: The Next Generation - Algae
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The third generation of biofuels comes in the form of the water-based plants known as algae. The ability to transform algae into a biofuel is a burgeoning science, and could hold the future of the biofuel industry, although not without some hurdles to leap over first.
The primary downside to using algal biofuels is that they are not economical to produce, at least not with current technology. EERE says, "Based on conservative estimates, algal biofuels produced in large volumes with current technology would cost more than US$8 per gallon (in contrast to US$4 per gallon for soybean oil today)."
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Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Cultivation, Algae-Oil-Extraction
Professor David Brune,Clemson University uses Brine Shrimp for algae oil extraction
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Professor David Brune and students from Clemson University (CU) are working on extracting oils from algae to convert into biodiesel.They proposed a novel method which uses Brine Shrimp to Extract oil from algae.
Brune said, "The first step in extracting oils from algae starts with the growing of algae at a very high rate. CU uses a paddle wheel-driven system that is used to push the water around in a certain path, which ultimately, increases the aqua growth rate immensely.
Then, the brine shrimp are introduced to start harvesting the algae and easy-to-extract oils are then retrievable.
Trials completed in the designated ponds at CU have shown that brine shrimp, which feed on micro algae, can produce up to 500 gallons of biodiesel per acre per year with little environmental waste."
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Labels: Algae-Fuel-Research, Algae-Oil-Extraction
Sheel White Paper - Harvesting Energy from Algae
You are at: Oilgae Blog.Algae hold great promise as a possible source of biodiesel because they grow rapidly, are rich in vegetable oil and can be cultivated in ponds of seawater, reducing the need for fertile land and fresh water. Many companies are seeking ways to produce algal oil on a commercial scale, but they face significant hurdles, says this Feb 2008 white paper from Royal Dutch / Shell.
Useful details in this brief paper.
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Labels: Algae-Biodiesel, Algae-Harvesting, Algae-Oil-Extraction
OriginOil Files Patent for Breakthrough Algae Oil Extraction Technique
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Press release
LOS ANGELES - (Business Wire) OriginOil, Inc. , the developer of a breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, announced today the filing of its fourth patent application.
The patent application, “Lysing and Extraction System for Microorganisms,” details OriginOil's invention of a method to extract the oil from algae with high energy efficiency, without requiring the use of chemical solvents.
Full press release here
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Labels: Algae-Cultivation, Algae-Harvesting, Algae-Oil-Extraction
Algae oil via diauxic growth methods?
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
A couple of questions asked at the Oil from Algae yahoo group
1. Has anyone tried to get algae to produce more oil via diauxic growth methods on diffrent media (chu#10 ect.)
2. How easy is it to make Nile red cell stain from nile blue and H2S04? The aquatox lab where I work just acquired a photocytometer to count and seperate pathogens, and Im thinking I can use it to seperate low lipid strains from high lipid strains to artificially select a culture with high lipid ratios.
Posted by Jordan S DeVries, original message here
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog; The complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally formed from algae - among other related plants - you think "Hey! Why not oil again from algae!"
Labels: Algae-Nutrients, Algae-Oil-Extraction
Microalgal Oil Extraction and in-Situ Transesterification
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
Microalgal Oil Extraction and in-Situ Transesterification
A research paper presentation from Confex Nov 2006
Justin M. Ferrentino and Ihab H. Farag. Chemical Engineering, University of New Hampshire, Kingsbury Hall, 33 College Road, Durham, NH 03824
High oil species of microalgae cultured in growth optimized conditions of photobioreactors have the potential to yield 5,000 – 15,000 gallons of microalgal oil per acre per year. As with any biological lipid, this is a potential feedstock for making the renewable fuel biodiesel. Photobioreactors have the ability to produce algae while performing beneficial tasks, such as scrubbing power plant flue gases or removing nutrients from wastewater. By coupling algae production with a waste treatment or pollution control process, as is already being done by some companies, the economic viability of microalgal biodiesel is significantly improved. In using microalgal oil to make biodiesel, the extraction of oil from cells is an important but costly step, which often involves toxic solvents. The method of Bligh & Dyer (1959) is a laboratory-scale technique which uses polar and non-polar solvents to extract the corresponding lipid fractions from cells. The drawbacks of using solvent extraction are that it requires extra energy input to recover the solvents, and it has the potential to contaminate the algae solids, thereby restricting options for their end use. The goal of this research is to improve the process economics of producing biodiesel from microalgal oil by making oil extraction simpler and less expensive. This is proposed by relying on only physical oil extraction, or by combining extraction with in-situ transesterification. The project will utilize six strains of high-oil algae already acquired from the SERI-NREL microalgae culture collection at the University of Hawaii. These include two Nannochloropsis sp. strains, Dunaliella tertiolecta, Dunaliella salina, Chlorella salina, and Chlorella sp. These will be screened to determine the species producing the most oil under both nitrogen sufficient and nitrogen limiting conditions. The specific growth conditions are not the focus of this project, and the purpose of screening is to ensure that a reasonable amount of oil be available for extraction (20-50% of the dry mass). Screening for the relative oil contents will be done with a Varian SF330 Spectrofluorometer by the method of Cooksey et. al. (1987) on cell cultures that have been diluted to equal concentrations, as checked with a Bausch & Lomb Spectronic 20 Spectrophotometer. Solvent extraction will be examined by separating algae samples from solution by vacuum filtration with a Buchner funnel and cellulose fiber filters and then dried. Dried samples will be treated using the two-solvent oil extraction technique of Bligh & Dyer (1959) and the improved method developed by Ennsani (1990). The lipid fractions yielded by these methods will be considered the base-line oil content of the cells, which the other extraction techniques will be compared to. To examine alternative extraction techniques, algae samples in their aqueous growth medium will be homogenized with a Sonicel 100 ultrasonic cell disrupter and centrifuged to determine if oil separation will take place without solvent. In-situ transesterification will be examined by adding dried algae samples to a methanol/potassium hydroxide solution and then ultrasonicating them. These will sit to allow the transesterification reaction time to take place, and then be centrifuged to separate the biodiesel from the excess methanol, cell solids, and the byproduct glycerin. After separation, analysis with a Hewlett-Packard Gas Chromatograph Model HP 5890 equipped with a Flame Ionization Detector will be used to determine total and free glycerine. This will be a way to assess if biodiesel has been made. Biodiesel yield from the in-situ transesterification method will be compared to those from the solvent extraction and the ultrasonic disruption/centrifugal extraction techniques.
Original Confex link here
Oilgae Academic Edition showcases case studies on algae research efforts in respective areas such as waste water treatment, CO2 sequestration and power plants.
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog; The complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally formed from algae - among other related plants - you think "Hey! Why not oil again from algae!"
Labels: Algae-Oil-Extraction
Extraction of Triglycerides from Micro-organisms
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
Extraction of Triglycerides from Micro-organisms
Abstract
Oil is extracted from oil containing microorganisms by disintegrating the microorganisms and contacting them in the presence of a water content of at least 70% by weight of that originally present in the cellular material with a water immiscible solvent for the oil, separating the solvent from the microorganisms and recovering the oil from the solvent.
Patent number: 6180376
Filing date: Jan 20, 1998
Issue date: Jan 30, 2001
Inventor: John Macdonald Liddell
Assignee: Zeneca LimitedPrimary Examiner: Vera Afremova
More details on this patent from here
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog; The complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally formed from algae - among other related plants - you think "Hey! Why not oil again from algae!"
Labels: Algae-Oil-Extraction
Method of Rupturing Algae Cells - 1999 Patent
You are at: Oilgae Blog. See the complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.Do you know that oil derived from algae is an exciting renewable fuel possibility? - see Oilgae for more.
Method of Rupturing Algae Cells - 1999 Patent
Abstract
A method for rupturing microalgae in an aqueous suspension is disclosed. In one embodiment the aqueous suspension is passed through a constriction into a liquid phase at a pressure sufficient to rupture the cells by circulating the aqueous suspension through a constriction in a pump loop at a pressure and a percent recycle sufficient to rupture the cells. Cells of the alga Dunaliella salina can be ruptured by the method of the invention to promote froth flotation and mechanical filtration of the cells for recovery of mixed carotenoids.
Patent number: 6000551
Filing date: Dec 20, 1996
Issue date: Dec 14, 1999
Inventors: Jeffrey Scott Kanel, Scott Arthur Guelcher
Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
More details about this patent from here
Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature's way again
Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae
Oilgae Blog; The complete list of Oilgae Blog articles.
algOS - Biodiesel from Algae Open Source
About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally formed from algae - among other related plants - you think "Hey! Why not oil again from algae!"
Labels: Algae-Oil-Extraction
