Algae Biodiesel Algae Biodiesel Oil

Frequently Asked Questions - Algae Biodiesel

Can algae be used for Biodiesel production?
Yes, algae or algal are very quick growing and can be grown in a variety of conditions.

Is algae production less expensive per gallon than soy vegetable oil production?
Yes, algae production uses less water than soy production per gallon of oil produced.
Algae also grow more Biodiesel fuel usable fats and oils than soy by more than 20 times as much per acre. Algae paste is also used as an animal feed and or fertilizer.

Can you really start an Algae Biodiesel Farm in your own back yard?
Definitely! Check out the only book out there on the subject at Making Algae Biodiesel at Home at this Biodiesel 101 E-Library here:
http://www.70centsagallon.com/elibrary.html

What do I do with the algae paste after I extract the oil out of it?
You can sell it in the marketplace if it is an edible variety or use it as a fertilizer.

Algae oil is an interesting sustainable feedstock for biodiesel manufacturing. It is an alternative to popular feedstocks, like soybean, canola and palm. Ultrasonication improves the extraction of oil from the algae cells and the conversion to biodiesel.

In comparison to traditional oil-seed crops, algae yields much more oil per acre. While soybean typically produces less than 50 gallon of oil per acre and rapeseed generates less than 130 gallon per acre, algae can yield up to 10,000 gallons per acre. In particular diatoms and green algae are good sources for the production of biodiesel.

Like other plants, algae stores energy in the form of lipids. There are various methods for extracting the oils, such as pressing, hexane solvent wash and ultrasonic extraction.

Ultrasonic Extraction
Intense sonication of liquids generates sound waves that propagate into the liquid media resulting in alternating high-pressure and low-pressure cycles. During the low-pressure cycle, high-intensity small vacuum bubbles are created in the liquid. When the bubbles attain a certain size, they collapse violently during a high-pressure cycle. This is called cavitation. During the implosion very high pressures and high speed liquid jets are produced locally. The resulting shear forces break the cell structure mechanically and improve material transfer. This effect supports the extraction of lipids from algae.

The table to the right shows typical power requirements for various volume flows. The ultrasonic system is generally integrated inline. The ultrasonication reactor can be easily retrofitted into existing facilities, improving algae extraction.
Flow Rate Power
20 - 100L/hr 1kW
80 - 400L/hr 4x1kW
0.3 - 1.5m³/hr 4x4kW
2 - 10m³/hr 6x16kW
20 - 100m³/hr 62x16kW

Ultrasonic Preparation for Cold Pressing
In particular for the purpose of pressing, good control of the cell disruption is required, to avoid an unhindered release of all intracellular products including cell debris, or product denaturation. By breaking the cell structure, more lipids stored inside the cells can be released by the application of outside pressure.

Ultrasonic Solvent Extraction
The high pressure cycles of the ultrasonic waves support the diffusion of solvents, such as hexane into the cell structure. As ultrasound breaks the cell wall mechanically by the cavitation shear forces, it facilitates the transfer of lipids from the cell into the solvent. After the oil dissolved in the cyclohexane the pulp/tissue is filtered out. The solution is distilled to separate the oil from the hexane. For the sonication of flammable liquids or solvents in hazardous environments Hielscher offers FM and ATEX-certified ultrasonication systems, such as the UIP1000-Exd.

Ultrasonic Enzymatic Extraction
Strong synergetic effects can be observed when combining enzymatic treatment with sonication. The cavitation assists the enzymes in the penetration of the tissue, resulting in faster extraction and higher yields. In this case water acts as a solvent and the enzymes degrade the cell walls.

Biodiesel from Algae Oil
The application of ultrasonication to the production of biodiesel from algae is not limited to the extraction of oil from algae. Biodiesel is made from algae oil by a chemical conversion process called transesterification. Despite the use of heat, mechanical agitation and catalytic chemicals, this conversion takes approx. 4 to 6 hours. Ultrasonication improves the mixing and increases the chemical reactivity of the reactants. This reduces the time needed for the chemical conversion by up to 90% leading to a whole new perspective on biodiesel making. Instead of pumping from batch to batch, the reactants are mixed continuously and subsequently pumped through a reactor column. A residence time of approx. 1 hour is sufficient for the conversion to complete. A centrifuge separates the glycerin from the biodiesel. After washing and drying of the biodiesel, it is ready to be used. Other benefits include a more complete transesterification of the tri-glyceride molecules, meaning that more oil is actually converted into biodiesel. Also, it requires less alcohol and catalyst - reducing production costs and improving the environmental effect.

Algae Biodiesel Benefits

Algae remove massive amounts of CO2 (Carbon dioxide) from the air. Algae farms are glutton eaters of CO2 gas providing a means for recycling waste carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion. It is possible to sequester as much as one billion tons of CO2 per year from algae farms. The United States has one energy plant that produces 25.3 millions tons of CO2 by itself. This new technology has attracted companies that need inexpensive CO2 sequestration solutions. Algae was responsible for creating the Earth's oxygen atmosphere three billion years ago and it took around two billion years to form the modern atmosphere with 20 percent oxygen. Without algae we would not be here.

Algae are not food crops

Algae are not food crops and there has been a huge debate and more focus on the food vs. fuel question. Some critics say agricultural based crops are not sustainable as a fuel source. Corn and Soybeans are being used currently as Biofuel which some say are the blame for higher food prices. For example; some waste collections companies have seen the cost of WVO (Waste vegetable oil) or yellow grease increase to an all time high worth as much as $3.50 cents per gallon. Hey!! Correct me if my math is a little off, but isn't that almost the same price as a gallon of diesel fuel? Algae farms can produce 100 times more oil per acre than traditional oil crops (such as soy oil), which can be converted to Biodiesel.

The best news about Algae Engergy Production is "At Last! No More Collecting and Filtering Dirty Waste Oil The World Can Make Algae Biodiesel and Produce Unlimited Energy%u2026"
Did you know you could start an Algae Biodiesel farm in Your own back yard?

Algae makes good jet fuel. Good enough that Boeing is heavily promoting algae. From the Seattle Times:

"It makes extremely good jet fuel," said Darrin Morgan, Boeing's director of business analysis for environmental strategy. ...

"It grows naturally in an aquatic environment; it doubles in mass every day; it's very plant-oil dense," he said.

Morgan said the algae - grown either in shallow ponds or closed tanks - is so productive that the entire supply of fuel for the world's fleet of commercial jets could be provided in a cultivated area about the size of West Virginia.

"Of course, West Virginia may not be the right place," he deadpanned. He envisages ideal cultivation areas in such places as Australia or the desert Southwest of the United States, where crops won't grow and salty aquifers or the sea provide reusable water. ...

Morgan said Boeing isn't planning to go into the fuel business, but it will do everything it can to promote research so extracting oil from algae becomes commercially viable on a large scale. ...

Boeing's rosy forecast is that as much as 5 to 10 percent of aviation fuel could come from this source by 2015.
My question is why only 5 to 10% in seven years? Why not more faster? Is it the cost or is it the lack of production capacity?
http://www.70centsagallon.com/jet%20fuel.html For more information on Algae Based Jet Fuel today.

Biofuels came a very long way following the times of Rudolph Diesel. He was acknowledged for his work in the advancement of the diesel engine, his initial diesel engines had been created initially to work on vegetable oil as gasoline. In reality, his first diesel engines were run on biomass oil. Although these fuels have been not immediately preferred, throughout 2008 rapid rises in oil energy prices and as concerns about oil reserves, brought about much more widespread use of biomass oil as bio-diesel fuel energy.

Biofuel manufacturing has increased in current years, and in that same period of time a brand new issue has risen up "Food vs. Fuel" is a matter relating to the danger of diverting farmland or land crops for bio-fuels production at the cost of damaging the world food supply. This is a matter that has reached global significance as oil stores start to dwindle and biofuels turn into a mainstay.

Ethanol producers fight over food industry claims that the cost of every little thing from popcorn to your favorite soft drinks are increasing due to the fact of the rising cost and need for corn to produce renewable biofuels.

Since then, a new pioneering technology employing algae has become popular. Algae biomass has been dubbed the "Next Substantial Bio-Fuel" and here are the leading reasons why.

1.Algae grow quicker than every other farm crop
2.Algae can create a lot more oil than another crop per acre
3.Algae can absorb harmful C02 and Nitrogen from the atmosphere
4.Algae releases Oxygen back into the atmosphere

So if you're a biofuels producer how can you take advantage of this Algae oil to fuel energy your home or business? Till recently, 1 of your largest complications was the lack of facts on the topic for the laymen Build it yourself person. Prior to this to obtain all the info, you had to collect a dozen unique books, from a dozen different and competing fields, some extremely technical, andimmerse your self into a world of very technical-jargon which incorporates Micro-biology, cell cultivation tactics, petro-chemical engineering.

Author David Sieg has evolved all of that. His literary works within the Biofuels marketplace has given everyday people the confidence to start their own personal Algae Biofuel projects. David has the capability to explain fairly complicated topic matter in basic terms covering subjects like: Growing algae, Algal strain choice, Building algae photo-bioreactors, and Algal oil extraction.

The transformation of algae into a biofuel from race way ponds or algae photo-bioreactors has been considered a lot more environmentally friendly than the process to create petroleum diesel. Algae as a biofuel can run your vehicles and heat your home, so the next time you see a stagnant pond full of algae, take a sample and make some algae fuel at your home!
Want to find out more about algae energy then study this site regarding how to make biodiesel. for your needs.