Algae Commercialization Series Lectures UCSD-Scripps Institute of Oceanography March 30, 2009, San Diego California
Algae Biofuels Production – Can We? John R. Benemann
Benemann Associates, Walnut Creek, California,
[email protected] 1 J. Benemann, Algae Commercialization Series, SIO San Diego, March 30, 2009
Kent BioenergyÆ
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Some Introductory Quotes “Nihil Vilior Alga” (nothing is as worthless as algae) Virgil, Poet, 30 BC “...on the arid lands...forests of glass tubes will extend ... inside of these will take place the photochemical processes in [which] the guarded secret of plants, mastered by human industry, will ... make them bear even more abundant fruit than nature” G. Ciamician, Uni. Bologna Science 36: 385, 1912 “Grow edible microscopic organisms in lakes. Every lake will become a kettle of ready-made soup that only needs be heated. Contented people will lie about on the shores having dinner.” Velimir Khlebnikov from Took - The Futurists Drum. Moscow, 1915
“... the problem is not making oil from algae, it is making algae with oil, and, actually, the real problem it is just making algae, productively and cheaply.” Joseph C. Weissman, Algae Biomass 3 Summit, Seattle, October 2008
Is this a vision of our future? San Francisco 2108
Microalgae H2 production in photobioreactors (PBRs) Award winning vision by architects www.iwamotoscott.com, in competition SF+100
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INTRODUCTION : THE CURRENT REALITY Algae include the microalgae and macroalgae (aka seaweeds) Microalgae currently produced commercially in relatively small amounts (world production is ~10,000 tons, ~50% in China), >98% in open ponds, mostly paddle wheel mixed raceway-type, for high value (>$10,000/t biomass) food supplements. Microalgae are also used in wastewater treatment but algal biomass is generally not harvested during such processes, and where harvested not (yet) suitable for biofuels production. US DOE had large microalgae biofuels R&D program 1980-96, the Aquatic Species Program (~$25 million, vs. Japanese 10X that) US DOE had larger (>$50 million) seaweed biofuels R&D effort 1977-84. Seaweed biofuels now of interest mainly outside of US. Seaweeds currently produced in large amounts (~2 million tons, ~80% in China), in near-shore open ocean farms, for high value 6 food ingredients (>$1,000/t organic dry wt of biomass).
China
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Philippines Japan
~2 million tons dw/yrÆ macroalgae. Seaweeds, are produced in much larger amounts and at Åchina much lower cost than microalgae, mostly in China. Seaweed for biofuels not being considered in US, but R&D ongoing in Japan, Korea E.U., elsewhere. Today only microalgae covered
Korea, Republic of
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Korea, Dem. People's Rep Indonesia
Annual World Production of Seaweed
Chile
P roduction annuelle (m illions de tonnes)
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Viet Nam Malaysia
Cambodia
8
Tanzania, United Rep. of Kiribati
Harvest ~12 million tons. worth US$ 1.2 billion
South Africa Mozambique
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Namibia
Russian Federation
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Taiwan Province of China France Fiji Islands
Saint Lucia
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Micronesia,Fed.States of Un. Sov. Soc. Rep. Madagascar Peru
0 1950
Venezuela
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
TOTAL
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Peter Neushull, Technology and Culture, 30:3, 1989
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Peter Neushull, Technology and Culture, 30:3, 1989
navy
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Conceptual Design of a 400 hectare food and Energy Open Ocean Seaweed Farm (1970’s)
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The $50 million ‘Ocean Farm Project” sank without a trace in early 1980’s
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FIRST PROPOSAL AND CONCEPTUAL ENGINEERING COST ANALYSIS FOR ALGAE FUEL PRODUCTION PROCESS
Oswald and Golueke, 11 App. Microbiol., 1960
Microalgae produced commercially today
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1st Commercial Algae Production 1960s: Chlorella In Japan, using circular ponds (do not scale up)
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Current commercial microalgae production: paddle wheel mixed raceway ponds (since 1970s)
for Spirulina production, Earthrise Nutritionals LLC, California (ponds appx. ~0.5 ha ~1.2 acre)
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Another example of paddle wheel mixed ponds for algae production Such plants also in China, India,...
Cyanotech Co. Open, raceway ponds, algae plant in Hawaii. Red ponds for production of Haematococcus (astaxanthin) other ponds are for Spirulina
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Current reality of microalgae biofuels:
small-scale (10,000 gallons/acre-yr. However: SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION WITH PHOTOSYNTHESIS US Southwest solar energy=2 MWhr (7.2 GJ)/m2-yr ~assume 90% reaches the crop/or algae in pond ~45% is PAR (photosynthetic active radiation) ~ 90% photons are absorbed by PS pigments 22% max PS efficiency (photonsÆbiomass energy) ~75% loss to light saturation and photoinhibition ~15% loss to respiration (growth, maintenance) Calculation (best case, year-round algae culture): •7.2 GJ x 0.9 x 0.45 x 0.9 x 0.22 x 0.25 x 0.85 = 0.12 GJ = Efficiency ~1.7% and ~20Gj/mt biomass ~60 mt/ha-yr @~25% oil=15 mt/ha-yr Maximum of ~2,000 gallons oil/acre-year near-term technology 31 2-3 X with long-term R&D PS efficiency (“antenna”
Exhibit #1 Misguided Criticism:“Algae Won't Save World
- VCs not interested in algae biofuel companies” March 6, 2009: VCs John Doerr, Vinod Khosla, and Bryant Tongall not interested in backing any companies working on algae biofuels. “They believe that to get better economics, you need to grow the
stuff in cheap, open-air ponds, not in fancy bioreactors. But that is rough on algae and limits yields.” A little knowledge is a ...
“Mr. Khosla adores liquid alternative fuels, like ethanol. But algae has to be cost-competitive without subsidies and with oil between $45 and $50 a barrel...” BUT lignocellulosic ethanol get $1/gal direct subsidies! Level the playing field!: $ 2/gal algae oil subsidy! “According to a 2004 U. New Hampshire study we'd need a pond the size of South Carolina to ... satisfy our current fuel demands.” Web site “knowledge” is even more dangerous than a little! VCs can’t just rush in and expect to get a free ride, to pluck fruit ready to harvest. There are investment opportunities, but also 32 need to do some R&D first (should have done that for ethanol)
A CAUTIONARY TALE
Not all R&D leads to success Algae make H2! (little bubbles) But after >35 yrs of R&D, not yet demonstrated a truly viable mechanism capable of producing H2 fuel! 33
ANOTHER CAUTIONARY TALE (not all R&D succeeds right away): MICROALGAE WASTEWATER TREATEMENT
Napa, CA, Wastewater Treatment Ponds ~ 300 ac In 1974 I started an R&D project on low-cost algae harvesting by bioflocculation, see later. But problem still with us... should be solvable
Åme in 1974
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A further Cautionary Tale: Algae mass culture not a new story! Carnegie Institute Washington 1953 Book:
Jack Myers
2006, Austin, TX
Bessel Kok
1956, Stanford
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Burlew (ed.) Algae Culture from Laboratory to Pilot Plant, 1953
The Carnegie Inst. Washington Project:
1950 MIT: 1st Algal Mass Culture Pilot Plant Inoculum Tubes
Plastic bag PBRs (photobioreactor) Conclusion: Many problems, but main one was the very high cost of such photobioreactors 36
10 acre design based on MIT Rooftop pilot plant
Fisher (1956), A.D. Little Co. engineering design-cost estimate for 100 acre system: 2009$>1,000,000/acre (plastic tubes ~5% of total) A rather detailed study! 37 Lesson: R&D too often not concluded; it just repeats itself
Final cautionary tale: history repeating itself
GreenFuel Technologies Co. Cambridge MA Roof of MIT at Campus power plant. Claims: these these PBRs captured 85% NOx & 50% CO2, and produce biodiesel at absurdly high production rates. Then tested at in Arizona Public Services power plant (photoshop!), test failed... The saga...
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Another Example of Photoshop: Solix Biofuels
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Next Issue: Photobioreactors (PBRs). Most R&D & Algae Biofuels Companies use PBRs
This paper was in response to many claims that closed photobioreactors were superior to open ponds. NOT SO CONCLUSION: PBRs IMPOSSIBLE FOR BIOFUELS (And 40 not even all that practical for high value products)
Case in Point (one of many): Photobioreactors in Israel (>150 mi tubes!) for a very high value product (astxanthin >$10K/kg, Haematococcus pluvialis). Plant failed, closed down, reopened...
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If H. pluvialis can be grown in ponds, why use expensive PBRS? Cyanotech Co. Open, raceway ponds, algae plant in Hawaii. Red ponds for Haematococcus pluvialis for astaxanthin. others Spirulina NOTE red ponds source of oil used in flight by Continental
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Open ponds only option for algal biofuels production. Paddle wheel mixed high rate ponds used by >90% of commercial algae plants
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Spirulina Culture Expansion (Earthrise Farms)
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Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina)
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Perspective of microalgae production today The world-class Earthrise plant, S. California is no larger than an irrigated alfalfa field
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U.S. Dept. Energy Aquatic Species Program (ASP)
The ~$50 million (current $) . ASP supported extensive R&D on algal mass culture for vegetable oils 1980- 96 ASP, after initial start with PBRs quickly adopted the open pond design as basis for the mass culture R&D. See final report for details, but read with some caution ASP was terminated mainly for economic reasons (oil
