Algal Biodiesel via Innovative Harvesting and Aquaculture Systems

The United States needs to reduce its dependence on foreign oil by developing a renewable source of biodiesel fuel that is competitive with petroleum diesel but does not compete for scarce resources such as fresh water, arable land, and existing food crops. Algae are uniquely qualified for this challenge because of their high productivity of oil and biomass. Furthermore, algal biodiesel can be produced from aquaculture systems which absorb carbon dioxide from the air or from industrial flue gases, resulting in a net zero carbon cycle. This project will demonstrate the scale-up of improved, low-cost methods for growing and harvesting algae for biofuel production. In Phase I, a modestly-sized algal aquaculture was used to demonstrate that the harvesting methods were both economical and scaleable. Phase II will demonstrate continuous, year-round, operation of an open pond algal aquaculture system, integrated with semi-continuous harvesting, for the production of an algal concentrate suitable for lipid extraction and biodiesel production. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: A competitive, large scale process for algae biodiesel fuel could replace that portion of the nation¿s fuel supply which comes from foreign oil sources. The proprietary processes and designs resulting from this project could be licensed to a number of companies that would use it for the world­wide production of biodiesel fuel. The technology also could be used for the capture of carbon dioxide