Sustainable production of microalgae biomass

Sustainable production of microalgae
biomass - integrated waste conversion or
genetic engineering
Stefan Leu - MBL
Global Climate Change – Our Worst
Nightmare
• Exponential growth of CO2 concentration drives exponential
temperature increase.
• Temperature increase is enhanced and accentuated by land
use change (deforestation) and positive feedback
mechanisms: Release of CO2 and Methane from thawing
permafrost, lower ice albedo, increased exposed water
surface, more irrigation etc.
• The major negative feedback mechanism to greenhouse
warming - cloud formation - is inhibited by deforestation.
Biofuels as Mitigation Option?
The poles are melting
Recent Predictions
Prediction 2008
Last Observation
2012
3.41 mio km2
IPCC IS wrong – but in the other direction!!!
A 20 Mio km2
habitat disappears!
And nobody has even
started modeling the impact
of that!
Biofuels: Solution or Problem?
Yield Consideration of Major Oil Crops:
OIL CROP
OIL YIELD PER HECTARE (KG)
TIMES WORLDS CROPLAND
Castor
1413
1.6
Sunflower
952
2
Safflower
779
3
Soy
446
4.5
Coconut, Jatropha
2689
0.8
Palm
5950
0.3
Algae (BGU estimate)
25000
0.06
Biofuels can provide either
•
•
•
•
Environmental
Macro-economic
Socioeconomic
Strategic benefits
Best - all of them!
But:
They are not suitable to improve corporate
profits!
The Truth about Biofuels is more Complex
Conventional Biofuels
Competition for farmland
Pressure on food prices
Maize
High water consumption
Castor
Toxicity
Eutrophication
Deforestation
High carbon footprint
Canola
Jatropha
Palm-Oil – Massive Deforestation
Palmoil
→ Deforestation → Global
Warming
Example Jatropha – Tropical Savannas
High inputs and pollution, poor yields!
seeds in S’de Boker
plantation in Rajastan
Land type
Area
(mio km2)
Natural
Productivity
(tons of carbon
fixed per
hectare and
year)
Fuel and
yield
(tons per ha
/ GJ per ha)
% area of
correspondin
g ecosystem
required to
cover 2030
demand
Tropical and
subtropical
evergreen forest
10.5
10.7
Palmoil
biodiesel
(5 / 189)
110%!!!
Tropical and
Subtropical Dry
Forest
4.7
7.67
Jatropha
biodiesel
(1.5 / 56.7 )
765%!!
Tropical
Savanna,
Woodland
6.7
6.65
Cane-ethanol
(4.34 / 116)
270 %!!
Mid lattitude
forests,
abandoned
croplands
14
5.30
Miscanthus
cellulosic
ethanol*
(4.4 / 120)
95 %!!
Warm
Shrubland/grassl
and or desert
33
1 – 3.50
Algaebiodiesel
(20 / 756)
5.4 – 8.2 %
Covering world fuel demand by conventional crops will require the
whole available ecosystem areas;
Only algae can do that on less than 10% of available dryland areas!
Sapphire Energy
Location
Columbus, NM
Feedstock(s)
CO2/Algae/Sunlight/
Non-Potable Water
Size
56 metric tons of CO2 per
day; 300 cultivated acres
121 hectares
Primary Products
Capacity
GHG Reduction
Operations
Jet fuel and diesel
1 million gallons per year
of finished product
3.78 mio liters
~3000 tons per year
24 tons per ha
60-70% reduction
compared to traditional
fossil crude
IS THAT SO?
Phase 1 began with the
inoculation of the first 100
acres of pond systems
The true cost of oil to the US taxpayer
• Including all of the following aspects to the price the individual US consumer pays
at the pump makes the cost of a gallon of imported gas approximately $26 dollars.
This amounts to about $15,400 per year for the average car in the US, or 70% of
the median household income given 2.3 cars per household.
• The true cost of importing oil to the US includes the following aspects:
• The cost of the oil ($2.50)
• Oil-related defense expenditures ($3.79)
• The loss of domestic employment and related economic activity due to cash
outflow for oil ($3.23)
• The reduction in investment capital ($10.85)
• The loss of local, state and federal tax revenues ($1.18)
• The economic toll periodic oil supply disruptions impose on the domestic economy
($3.65)
• Federal subsidies for oil & gas industry ($0.69)
• The market cost of carbon ($0.18)
Pricing shown per US tax payer; assumes $60 per barrel of oil and $20 per ton of CO2
Source: Testimony of Milton R. Copulos, President, National Defense Council Foundation, before the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, March 30, 2006; IMF, 2008; EIA; CleanTech Group, 2007; US Census Bureau;
Experian Automotive; Paper presented to Congressional staff members by NDCF President Milt Copulos,
January 8, 2007
(Source: http://www.sapphireenergy.com/learn-more/59518-the-true-cost-of-oil-to)
Problems create opportunities
•
•
•
•
•
•
Municipal waste
Waste water
Nutrient runoff
Forestry residues
Agricultural residues and manure
Industrial CO2 emissions
Water
800 - 1600 m3 evaporation per ton
biodiesel,
2030 demand for liquid fuels would be
5.55 billion tons
5.55 bln times 1600 = 8800 billion m3
Recovery of 25% of projected water
demand in the form of waste and
drainage water would suffice to produce
20% of projected global fuel demand.
90% of developing World’s Water untreated!
Conventional treatment costs energy, dissipates nitrogen and biomass!
Acting now for establishing infrastructure!!
Nutrient Run-Off and Dead Zones
Many areas around the world are suffering from the problem of eutrophication. The
Gulf of Mexico, Caspian Sea, Bering Sea and Arabian Sea. The Gulf of Mexico already
has a huge Dead Zone which the scientists warn could expand further.
Phytoplankton concentration along the North American Coastline
Efficient Use Of Fertilizers
Most fertilizers contain Phosphorus and Nitrogen on which these algae thrive hence
it is that we use fertilizers that a) are biodegradable and b) contain lesser quantities
of these elements. Also the farmers need to irrigate their lands in a scientific manner.
Each crop requires a definite amount of water to give the best yield hence the
farmers shouldn’t over-irrigate their lands since it could lead to more voluminous
Integrated Algae Production Facility Sde Boker
Harvesting
Biogas
CO2-nutrients
350 l tubular
reactor
8 x 250 l raceways
Greenhouse
for inoculum
Freshwater recycling
2 x 40 m2
raceways
Panel reactors
1000 l
17
outdoor 370 L - 5cm panel
outdoor 500 L - 7 cm panel
(September 2012)
(September 2012 )
6
6
5
5
4
4
AFDW gr/L
AFDW gr/L
Hybrid cultivation
3
3
2
2
1
1
0
0
0
5
10
15
Days
20
25
0
5
10
15
20
25
Days
outdoors cultivation of Nannochloropsis sp2 outdoors in a 5 cm panel (left,
0.27 g l-1day-1) and a 7 – 8 cm wide panel (right, 0.25 g l-1day-1) during
September 2012.
Record growth observed so far in small raceway ponds, early July 2013;
the actual aerial productivity was about 28 g m-2 day-1 over 2.5 days;
Large scale cultivation outdoors
400 l panel reactors (left) and the 5000 l raceway pond (partly shaded) growing
Nannochloropsis sp2 outdoors.
This hybrid approach can yield over 20 tons of biodiesel per ha and year!
Integrated Resource Recovery Microalgae
Nutrient, CO2, water and electricity supply from waste resources
2
Cultivation of Scenedesmus on Biogas Effluent
A local Scenedesmus strain displays similar maximal growth rates in
mBG11 as in conditioned 1:20 diluted biogas effluent. No bacterial or other
contaminations were observed in the effluent during 10 days of cultivation,
resources were exhausted after 6 days (picture right).
100 ha standard unit
Inputs:
• 20000 tons CO2 from gasification of 4000 tons algal residue
and 10000 tons bio-waste;
• All nitrogen and nutrient needs covered;
• 3 mio cubic meters wastewater (50000 inhabitants plus
corresponding industry and agriculture)
Outputs:
• to 15 Gigawatt-hours electricity (at 30% efficiency. bio-char
or compost;
• 7000 tons algae - ; 2000 tons fuel – 1000 ton high protein
feed;
• 100 units in Israel would cover 10 % fuel and 3% electricity
demand;
All technologies existing!
Sustainable Sea Water Management
• Biological Seawater treatment on site avoids
any emissions, and safes infrastructure costs!
• Evaporation compensated by wastewater;
• 5 pond volumes capacity, 10 m deep = 2% of
facility area!
creates further opportunities
and can contribute to culture thermoregulation!
Cooling tower and cooling aggregate required for cooling of the panel
reactors during spring, summer, and fall (in the background).
LCA Impact of best practice analyzed
Lardon et al 2009
Abiotic
Depletion
Eutrophication
Global
Warming
Potential
Emission of
toxic
substances
into the
environment
Emission of
toxic
substances
into the
sea
Preliminary impact analysis of our approach
But we need real numbers from
a significant pilot plant!
Zero or
negative:
We recover
more than we
use!
Negative:
Negative:
We avoid
nutrient
runoff from
waste and
waste water
We avoid
methane
and N2O
emissions;
Strongly
reduced;
Only from
Combusti
on and
materials
Strongly
reduced;
Only from
Combusti
on and
materials
Negative:
Our
products
reducing
land use
change 1:5
«World Overshoot Day»:
After only eight months mankind has exhausted the
resources earth can replenish in one year!
There is no lack of resources, there is a lack of resource management
(= “wild west” capitalism)
Thank you for your attention