by Umar Ali (Power Technology) The ENBIO project uses excess energy from wind turbines to power 16 1,000-litre photo-bioreactors which grow algae that can then be used for biofuels. The project demonstrates how green technologies can work together, but can it make algae-derived fuel competitive? We find out more.
The Scotland-based BioEconomy (ENBIO) project builds on findings from the Algal Solutions for Local Energy Economy (ASLEE) project, which developed the Pandora internally-lit photobioreactor in its efforts to investigate the potential of novel algal products at scale.
This bioreactor uses LED technology to produce microalgae, with scalable and modular cultivation systems to allow integration with local renewable energy grids.
The project’s base in Scotland makes use of the renewable energy generation potential in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, which according to ENBIO is some of the best in Europe, without adding to the grid constraints that can hinder economic development in these areas.
ENBIO integrates renewable electricity generation with large scale microalgal production, making use of excess renewable energy from local infrastructures to power the production of algal products and feedstocks by the Pandora photobioreactors.
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A major problem with algae as a fuel source is the high-maintenance growing conditions required to produce the required quantities of algae – the plants need large open ponds, and significant volumes of CO₂ and fertiliser to enable the algae to photosynthesise fast enough at large scales.
Swansea University marine biologist Professor Kevin Flynn wrote in 2017: “The dream has been broken not by failings in engineering, but by the inefficiency of biochemistry. Simulations of microalgal biofuel production show that to approach the 10% of EU transport fuels expected to be supplied by biofuels, ponds three times the area of Belgium would be needed.
“And for the algae in these ponds to produce biofuel, it would require fertiliser equivalent to 50% of the current total annual EU crop plant needs.
“Ironically, such ponds would also need to be located near heavy industry which produces CO₂ to provide the level required by the microalgae for photosynthesis.”
Another issue with algal fuels is energy- with current methods, it takes more energy to produce algal fuels than it would provide as power. This, coupled with the costs needed to produce algae at scale, means that algal technologies in their current state are neither effective nor efficient enough to supplant oil as a renewable energy source.
In response to this disappointment, many companies that started on the idea of algae as an alternative to oil have shifted their business models to algal production of products such as feed and cosmetics. The ENBIO and ASLEE projects have similar goals, integrating renewable energy infrastructures into the manufacturing of bioproducts rather than relying on algae as a fuel source. READ MORE