Biodiesel producers support bill to define renewable diesel

Stakeholders in the biodiesel industry are rejoicing now that a bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to protect biodiesel producers from losing out to big oil. But the battle over federal tax credits is not over yet.
Federal lawmakers – primarily on the Democrat side of the aisle – want to close loopholes in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that allow large oil companies to qualify for tax credits intended for small businesses in the biodiesel industry.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-TX, introduced the Responsible Renewable Energy Tax Credit Act of 2007 on May 17, to protect the original intent of the tax credits, which was to promote growth in the production of renewable fuels.
Big oil companies wedged themselves into the program by blending biofuel into their petroleum supplies. That qualified them for tax credits intended for biodiesel producers.
“Unless the abuse of this tax credit is prohibited, it will have the exact opposite effect of what Congress intended – it will discourage the creation of real renewable diesel fuel – and all on the taxpayer’s dime,” Doggett, senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee said in a statement released by the National Biodiesel Board. “Green energy initiatives must not be converted into public boondoggles.”
With 58 co-sponsors consisting of 56 Democrats and two Republicans, the bill aims to disallow the tax credit for companies that practice “co-processing,” literally mixing bio material – not refined biodiesel – into petroleum diesel. Although the result of co-processing includes renewable fuel sources, the tax credit is intended for biodiesel producers to bring their products to market.
An example of what the bill aims to stop is a recent deal struck between ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods to co-process chicken fat into petroleum diesel and call it biodiesel.
National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe said fixing the problem is sound energy policy.
The tax incentive for producers has already helped grow the industry, doubling production each year since 2004 from the starting point of 25 million gallons per year, according to the biodiesel board.
Biodiesel plants around the country grew from a handful to more than 80, with another 25 under construction. U.S. production of biodiesel will soon top 864 million gallons of fuel per year, Jobe said.
Doggett’s bill – HR2361 – has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.


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Could Glycerin -- A Biodiesel Byproduct -- Be Used As Cattle Feed?

Could Glycerin -- A Biodiesel Byproduct -- Be Used As Cattle Feed?

Biodiesel is in high demand. The byproduct of this alternative source of energy, glycerin, is next, according to an agriculture scientist at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

In a study that began this month, Monty Kerley, professor of ruminant nutrition in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, is examining the effectiveness of glycerin as cattle feed. Through November, the MU researcher will monitor the growth habits of 60 calves from various breeds to determine if bio-leftovers provide a healthy main course to cattle. The study has two main priorities: first, to determine if glycerin has a positive or negative effect on calves' growth performance, and second, to assess its impact, if any, on meat quality.
The cows have been separated into groups of three, each consuming differing amounts of glycerin during their daily diet. The amounts are 0, 5, 10 and 20 percent. In addition to monitoring feeding limits and growth patterns, Kerley also is analyzing how cattle metabolize the varying amounts of glycerin. Unlike the dry feeds they are accustomed to eating, Kerley said the glycerin is liquid based and comes mostly from the processing of soybean oil. He also said it meets stringent FDA regulations.
"We're really looking at the energy value and how it compares to corn," Kerley said. "When the animal consumes glycerin, it's absorbed, and the glycerin is used to make glucose. Actually, it's like feeding sugar to a cow. Because it's liquid, there are two things we worry about - one, how much can be used in the diet before it changes the form of the diet; and two, is there a limit to how much glycerin can be processed by the animal? We'll feed it to them for a period of 160 to 180 days."
Kerley said developing usages for glycerin necessitates this type of research. In recent years, academic scientists and private-sector companies have been racing to find solutions and applications for the byproduct. An alternative food source for cattle is but one possibility. However, it's likely only a short-term option for the cattle industry.
"We probably have a three- to five-year window to use this for animal feed at a reduced cost," Kerley said. "This glycerin is a wonderful starting compound for building other compounds that can be applied to numerous industrial purposes. After three to five years, you'll see industrial applications utilizing this glycerin, and that may price it out of the animal feed industry."
He said economics are another factor because glycerin is currently less expensive than corn, which is most commonly used as cattle feed. Glycerin is about 4 cents per pound; corn costs around 8 cents a pound.
"Originally, the biodiesel plants were concerned with just getting rid of this material, but data shows that glycerin has energy feed value equal to corn," Kerley said. "If you can get glycerin for less than corn, that's obviously a sizeable savings."


Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by University of Missouri-Columbia.

Video of a Algae Bioreactor

Algae Bio reactors could be one of the best sources of algae for making bio diesel. They provide a supper accelerated growth region and in large plants, factories etc they could be deployed with ease.

An algae photobioreactor on the roof of MIT university.The clear polycarbonate tubes are approx 3 meters high, and 10-20 centimeters in diameter.It removes up to 86% of the NOx and 40% of the CO2 of the smokestack emissions that are bubbled through it. The algae are feeding on exhaust with 13% CO2 content. This size algae photobioreactor can't handle the entire exhaust emissions, it would need to be much larger for that.This photobioreactor you see here on the roof of MIT, has since been dismantled and reassembled in Naboomspruit (now called Mookgopong) South Africa at a biodiesel plant.

Another news:-(http://www.csrwire.com/News/8500.html)

GSPI demonstration facility is located in Montana and is one of the largest demonstration facilities in the world.Phase I objective in this project is to determine the ability of the GSPI Algae Process System to solve the daunting operational problems for microalgae production, which have plagued the algae production industry for years.Phase I now is complete and has been successful in controlling the most important variables in algae production, i.e. temperature of water in large systems, salinity

So at last algae is making moves in the bio diesel front

Spectacular Growth of the Green Energy Market

LONDON, May 23

The Green Energy sector is growing at breathtaking speed, driven by the challenges of climate change, surely unprecedented in our time.Globally, it has already become a multi-billion dollar industry, with very high growth potential which is attracting record investment. Over the last few years, eco-industries in the European Union have grown to such an extent that they have now become a prominent force across the entire European economy. Today they represent about 2.1% of its Gross Domestic Product and account for 3.5 million jobs.Frost & Sullivan Green Energy experts are analysing all the key segments of this market, both in Europe and globally. There is no doubt that this area is expanding at an extraordinary rate and - based on their research - Frost & Sullivan analysts forecast that revenues are set to double, triple or increase even more over the next few years.Biodiesel.Biodiesel is surely one of the fastest-growing areas in the chemical industry and in the Green Energy sector.

year in Europe we consumed 3.89 million tonnes of biodiesel, generating revenues of EUR2.93 billion. By 2013 the total EU biodiesel market is forecast to be 9.75 million tonnes in terms of unit shipments while revenues are forecast to be EUR7.46 billion, based on current biodiesel market prices. The average growth over the forecast period will be 14 percent.Renewable Energy.New analysis from Frost & Sullivan European Renewable Energy Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities reveals that this market earned EUR8.89 billion in 2005 and estimates this to reach EUR14.54 billion in 2010. Even in China, the Government feels there is an urgent need to take action and is stepping up efforts to accelerate the development of clean energy. Frost & Sullivan research analysts reveal that the Chinese Renewable Energy Markets earned revenues of $6.9 billion in 2006, and that these are likely to reach $17.9 billion by 2013. Amongst the market segments, solar PV will be one of the fastest growing renewable energy sources in China until 2013, with its growth exceeding even that of wind power.

The Biomass power industry has great revenue potential, not only because of sufficient Government funding but also due to the adequate availability of feedstock fuels.Green Buildings.Buildings are responsible for 40% of Europe's total carbon-dioxide emissions. Climate Change is the EU's top priority according to the European Commission and Member States are committed to cutting down on CO2 emissions to meet the Kyoto Protocol targets. Despite all their efforts, Member States keep on wasting a significant proportion of their energy due to inefficiency. Therefore, if the EU is to achieve its targets, reducing energy use in all buildings is essential. According to Frost & Sullivan, if more stringent standards are applied to new buildings and renovations, the EU will achieve a significant cut in greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, any efforts will be in vain if they are not accompanied by a change in consumer behaviour.Hybrid vehicles.Reducing emissions below 140 g/km of CO2 will be possible mainly with the help of alternative fuels and hybrids (micro, mild and full). While original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are aware of this fact, further development or market acceptance of these alternative fuels and hybrids is restrained by the distribution network, availability and high implementation costs. According to Frost & Sullivan analysis of the Alternative Fuels and Hybrid Technologies, while advancements in engine technology have helped reduce emissions to an average of 160 g/km, hybrids, ethanol, biofuels, compressed natural gas (CNG), hydrogen and fuel cells are necessary to reduce them further. The main priority of OEMs today is to reduce emissions, which will require the help of local governments and fuel suppliers to promote alternative fuels and hybrids in a cost-effective manner.Waste Management and Recycling.An estimated 1.3 billion tonnes of waste is generated annually in the EU and this still continues to rise. The overall volume of waste is growing at rates proportional to the economic growth rate of the EU25. Amongst the various streams of waste generated, management of hazardous and municipal waste alone costs the EU an estimated EUR75 billion annually. This translates to the waste management and recycling industry earning huge revenues that are expected to increase enormously over the next few years. Frost & Sullivan finds that the European Waste Management and Recycling market earns total annual revenues of EUR100 billion.As we have seen, the market is growing and investments are accelerating dramatically. To face this new challenge Frost & Sullivan is combining its expertise across four Business Units - Energy, Environment, Chemicals and Automotive - to offer the broadest and fullest coverage of the Green Energy Sector."It is clear that this is a period of truly booming growth in the Green Energy sector and this is an issue that is here to stay," says John Raspin, Frost & Sullivan Energy & Environment Practice Director. "We are seeing double-digit growth in many segments of the market and companies of all shapes and sizes are positioning themselves to exploit the growth opportunities. Frost & Sullivan is uniquely positioned to have analyst teams working across the entire breadth of the Green Energy sector and we are extremely excited to be launching this new offering that pulls all of that expertise together into a single strategic platform."Frost & Sullivan

Source:-http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,110395.shtml

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Bulgaria expat to invest in local biodiesel plant

A biodiesel plant will be built near Polski Trambesh, a city located in a major sunseed-producing region in Northern Bulgaria, the local press reported on Tuesday.The 15 mln euro project will be implemented by Zerol, a joint venture between the Polski Trambesh municipality and Sofia-registered company HR Management. The bulk of the investment financing will be provided by Koicho Belev, a Bulgaria-born emigrant living in Switzerland.The municipality will provide a 8.0 ha land plot for the construction of the plant in the village of Petko Karavelovo. The biofuel plant should be completed in 2 years and will employ 50.Investment in local biofuel installations is expected to triple from 2008, association of biofuel producers chairman Dimitar Zamfirov said recently.The existing 25 or so biodiesel and bioethanol plants operated at only a third of their capacity due to weak demand



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High school students produce biodiesel fuel

May 23, 2007 1:44 AM ET
PONTIAC, Ill. (AP) - Students at Pontiac High School in Pontiac are taking high gas prices into their own hands.
The teens in Paul Ritter's ecology class are converting vegetable oil in a biodiesel generator to create biodiesel fuel.
Ritter says they've already produced about forty gallons of fuel that's been used successfully in both a tractor and a pick-up truck.
He says the project is an important step towards relief at the pump. Gas prices across the state have reached new highs recently, with prices in the Pontiac area reaching about $$3-50-cents a gallon.
Ritter says he's hoping to continue the project next year.



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Biodiesel Production from Algae Oil

Biodiesel Production from Algae Oil
The major problem associated with the use of pure vegetable oils as well as oil from algea as fuels for diesel engines is caused by high fuel viscosity (Viscosity – from Physics Hypertextbook) in compression ignition. Algal oil, as well as vegetable oils, are all highly viscous, with viscosities ranging 10–20 times those of no. 2 Diesel fuel. Amongst vegetable oils in the context of viscosity, castor oil is in a class by itself, with a viscosity more than 100 times that of no. 2 Diesel fuel (MSDS of No.2 Diesel Fuel – PetroCard). Due to their high viscosity and low volatility, they do not burn completely and form deposits in the fuel injector of diesel engines. Furthermore, acrolein (a highly toxic substance) ( Acrolein – from EPA) is formed through thermal decomposition of glycerol (Glycerol – from Info Please).

Dilution, micro-emulsification (Emulsions & Emulsification – from Wikipedia), pyrolysis ( Pyrolysis Definition from AFR) and transesterification are the four techniques applied to solve the problems encountered with the high fuel viscosity. Amongst the four techniques, chemical conversion of the oil to its corresponding fatty ester is the most promising solution to the high viscosity problem. This process - chemical conversion of the oil to its corresponding fatty ester, and thus biodiesel - is called transesterification.

Transesterification of Algal Oil into Biodiesel

Transesterification of algal oil is normally done with ethanol and sodium ethanolate serving as the catalyst. Sodium ethanolate can be produced by reacting ethanol with sodium. Thus, with sodium ethanolate as the catalyst, ethanol is reacted with the algal oil ( the triglyceride) to produce bio-diesel & glycerol. The end products of this reaction are hence biodiesel, sodium ethanolate and glycerol. This end-mixture is separated as follows: Ether and salt water are added to the mixture and mixed well. After sometime, the entire mixture would have separated into two layers, with the bottom layer containing a mixture of ether and biodiesel. This layer is separated.

Biodiesel is in turn separated from ether by a vaporizer under a high vacuum. As the ether vaporizes first, the biodiesel will remain. The biodiesel from algae is now ready for use!

Centrifuges

A centrifuge is a useful device for both biolipid extraction from algae and chemical separation in biodiesel.

Centrifuge Applications

There are several steps in the biodiesel production process where centrifugation is useful.

· Feedstock preparation - In this case, algae must first be separated from its medium, then the oil extracted from the algae.

· Separation of transesterification products – Biodiesel and glycerine must be separated, and any leftover reactants removed.

· Water wash – Biodiesel can be washed of soap and glycerine using a centrifuge.

· Magnasol solids removal - As an alternative to water washing, it may be possible to wash the biodiesel in Magnasol.

The parameters to be considered while evaluating the ideal algae processor are:

· Capacity/throughput of the system
· Speed/density



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Renewable fuel producers urge Congress to close loophole that favors oil companies

Renewable fuel producers and oleochemical manufacturers urge Congress to close loophole that favors oil companies
Glenn Hess
Federal tax incentives meant to encourage the production of renewable biofuels are having the unintended consequence of threatening the continued existence of the U.S. oleochemical industry, according to an industry official.
Joined by small biodiesel refiners, oleochemical makers say they are under threat by large integrated oil companies that have gained access to a federal tax incentive designed to stimulate renewable diesel production. The two groups have teamed up to support legislation to stop oil companies from partaking in the tax incentives.
In early April, the Internal Revenue Service approved a request to expand the definition of "renewable diesel" in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to include the addition of small amounts of biomass to conventional refinery processes. As a result, oil companies that add raw vegetable oils and fats at their existing refineries now qualify for a $1.00-per-gal tax credit.
"This is bad energy policy, bad agricultural policy, and bad fiscal policy," says Joe Jobe, chief executive officer of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB). "If Congress lets this stand, our government will be handing over U.S. taxpayer money to some of the richest companies in the world."
"Ironically, a historically 'green' industry is facing elimination by the subsidization of a new one," says Dennis Griesing, vice president of governmental affairs for the Soap & Detergent Association (SDA), referring to the oleochemicals industry.
SDA and NBB are backing legislation introduced on May 17 by Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) that would overturn the IRS ruling and prevent big oil from cashing in on the federal subsidy.
Doggett says the credit was originally designed to encourage the production of "clean-burning, biodegradable diesel fuel that is fully independent of petroleum products." Under his bill, producers making biodiesel solely from renewable agricultural resources would continue to be eligible for the credit.
"Unless the abuse of this tax credit is prohibited, it will have the exact opposite effect of what Congress intended. It will discourage the creation of real renewable diesel fuel—and all on the taxpayer's dime," Doggett says. "Green energy initiatives must not be converted into public boondoggles."
NBB says the ruling was made to benefit ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods. On April 16, the two companies announced an agreement to make a "renewable" diesel fuel by adding beef, pork, and poultry by-products and animal fat to the oil refining process (C&EN, April 23, page 25). ConocoPhillips said the fuel would not be commercially viable without the tax break.
Jobe says the bill already has 50 cosponsors, including many members of the tax-writing House Ways & Means Committee. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who is drafting a companion measure, asserted at an April 19 Senate Finance Committee hearing that ConocoPhillips and Tyson tried to "go around" Congress and that the tax credit needs to be "reexamined."
SDA is backing the legislation because it is concerned about the future availability of animal fats for oleochemicals production. Griesing says the legislation is a step toward "restoring a balance between biofuel production and other green industries, such as the domestic oleochemical industry, which have historically relied on some of the same raw materials."
Griesing says government subsidies for biodiesel and ethanol production have driven up the cost of tallow more than 80% since late 2006 by diverting the key raw material away from its traditional uses. In the U.S., oleochemicals such as fatty acids are primarily based on tallow, an animal fat. Unlike the production of corn and soybeans, the main raw materials for ethanol and biodiesel, tallow production is relatively fixed, usually fluctuating less than 2% from year to year, according to SDA.
"From what we can determine, subsidized ‘coproduction renewable diesel' on the part of large oil companies poses the greatest issue because it directly threatens the availability of tallow, not just its price," Griesing says.
"While there has been a great deal of attention on the impact of biofuel subsidies on food prices, the oleochemical industry is also being hurt," he adds. "If tallow becomes unavailable, the oleochemical industry will be lost to overseas producers, and the U.S. will lose yet another traditional industry."

Biofuel Producers: Ethanol and Biodiesel Not Enough to Meet Bush's Targets

May 21, 2007


Leading producers of ethanol and biodiesel Friday says their industries face serious barriers to meeting the 2017 growth targets outlined this week by President George W. Bush to reduce dependency on gasoline. "The current solutions won't get you there," Jeff Trucksess, executive vice president of Green Earth Fuels LLC, a biodiesel developer, told an industry gathering here Friday morning. Following up on prior pledges on energy policy, Bush Monday outlined additional measures to boost alternative energy development, limit gasoline consumption and comply with a recent Supreme Court ruling on global warming.

plan included a goal to produce 35 billion gallons of renewable and alternative fuel by 2017, many times above current levels. A Bush administration official Friday defended the viability of the president's goals, but the discussion at the Houston event underscores the magnitude of the challenge facing the U.S. as it struggles to feed its growing energy needs in an increasingly carbon-limited world.

I've yet to meet anyone who thinks more than half could be from ethanol and biodiesel," Pearce Hammond, an analyst at Simmons & Co. International, says of the targets. He says total production of ethanol and biodiesel could reach 17.5 million gallons by 2017. Hammond says there could be other solutions to the conundrum, such as coal-to-liquids technology or the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel. But Hammond, who emceed some of the sessions Friday, also warned that U.S. gasoline demand is forecast to grow by some 35 million gallons a day over the next decade. "It just touches on how big the challenge is to penetrate and change the fueling habits," he says. Friday's event was heavily attended by finance and energy professionals, underscoring the growing interest in alternative energy in Houston.

gathering was sponsored by the law firm Haynes & Boone. Speaking with reporters after a luncheon address, Paul Dickerson, an Energy Department official, says the administration's goal is realistic. He pointed to other fuels under development, as well as to leading-edge technologies being funded chiefly by private-venture capital. "We're more bullish on the output than some of the folks here," says Dickerson, the chief operating officer for the department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. "Looking at our new reality, what's really needed is to get our new technology off the shelf and to the businesses," he says. "The market can handle a lot of what we're trying to do." Bill Spence, president of Standard Renewable Energy, which owns a stake in a Galveston biodiesel facility, predicted U.S. biodiesel production would climb from today's level of under 1 billion gallons a year to 2-4 billion. "Our basic problem is there isn't enough feedstock," says Spence, whose plant runs on soybean oil. Scientists are looking at genetically modified crops as a possible feedstock, but it will take a "game-changing" technological breakthrough to significantly boost output, he added. Pamela Beall, a vice president at Marathon Petroleum Corp., pointed to industry statistics that show ethanol production rising from 5 billion gallons a day in 2006 to 8 billion in 2008 and potentially up to 15 billion by 2017.

says that the industry's ability to grow beyond 15 billion gallons would be constrained by feedstock limitations and infrastructure concerns. Producing 15 billion gallons a year can be reached "easily" - even before the deadline, she says. But going beyond that requires identifying feed stocks other than corn, testing conventional automobile engines to identify the maximum amount of ethanol that can be successfully blended with gasoline and building infrastructure so that the southeastern U.S. can access the fuel.



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Biodiesel From Pig Excreta.

Researchers at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, led by Dr. Yuanhui Zhang, have developed a system that converts pig manure into crude oil on an industrial scale. This development is the culmination of a ten year research and development project that, in effect, makes a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

The technology works by a thermochemical process that uses heat and pressure to break down the pig manure hydrocarbon chains. The end product consists of methane, water, carbon dioxide, water, and oil. The new pilot plant allows the conversion of pig manure in a continuous process, rather than a batch at a time, making the production of “pig oil” more feasible.

Pig manure has advantages over raw materials, like wood sludge, because the pig has already done most of the work. The pig has already biologically done most of the necessary processing.

A typical hog on a modern American farm produces about six gallons of body waste per day. While some of this product is used for fertilizer, the storing and processing of the stuff has been a major environmental problem on modern hog farms. When manure leeches into a water supply due to runoff it harms aquatic life by decreasing the oxygen available to fish, water plants, and other organisms. And, of course, the smell can be just overpowering.

If Dr. Yuanhui Zhang is correct, a typical hog would be able to produce 3.6 gallons of crude oil per day using his process. With a hundred million hogs on American farms, it takes very little math to determine that “pig oil” could make a significant dent in the energy needs of the United States. And a farmer could add up to ten dollars of profit per pig.

Dr. Yuanhui Zhang and his team now propose to build a pilot plant to test the conversion system, to make sure that his numbers in the lab can be replicated on the farm. Research is also ongoing to find out if other farm animal manure, cow and chicken for instance, could be used in the process. Human waste is already chemically similar to pig manure and could be used in the process without too much trouble.

While a process has been tested to refine the “pig oil” into something resembling diesel oil, more research is also necessary to see if the “pig oil” can be refined into other petrochemical products. The “pig oil” is similar, but not identical to the kind of oil that is pumped out of the ground.

Growing algae in huge tube for Biodiesel

PHOENIX - Algae may seem like one of life's little annoyances, but researchers hope the green, slimy stuff will one day replace one-third of the natural gas used to power an electric plant run by Arizona Public Service.
For a year, researchers watched algae multiply in huge, bubbling test tubes beneath the hot Arizona sun so they could find just the right strand of the microscopic single-celled plant.
The experiment has been so successful that it's about to expand into greenhouses on the plant grounds, and in time, be grown in such large quantities that it could be converted into fuel, cutting down on harmful greenhouse gases

It works like this: Algae ingests carbon dioxide and releases oxygen in the photosynthesis process. Algae is laden with oils that can be used to produce biodiesel, starches that can be transformed into ethanol and protein that could have a market niche in cattle and fish feed.
Rocket scientist's ideaThe idea was born three years ago, when Isaac Berzin, a rocket scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was experimenting with growing algae on the International Space Station.
GreenFuel Technologies of Cambridge, Mass., which Berzin founded, then struck a deal with Arizona Public Service to conduct a demonstration project beginning last year.
"There is lots of sunshine, plenty of land, and since algae doesn't need potable water to proliferate, we were in business," said GreenFuel CEO Cary Bullock.
Construction is about to begin on a series of greenhouse-like buildings about 30 feet wide by 500 feet long that will house the algae.
"Our scientists think that we can get maybe even 200 tons of algae per acre annually during mass production," Bullock said, adding that commercial production is expected to begin in 2008 in Arizona and other sites in Australia and South Africa that the company has targeted.
Obstacles on algae roadBut before the unique fuel can be produced on a mass scale, there are a few problems, including figuring out how to provide enough light to maximize algae growth and how to get the carbon dioxide in the water, where algae grows, fast enough to allow for maximum growth.
Qiang Hu, an assistant professor of applied biological sciences at Arizona State University, worked for two years on what Japanese scientists had hoped would be an algae-to-energy project in the late 1990s.
"I wish GreenFuel all the best," Qiang said. "But there were many technical problems in Japan, the most serious of which being that the algae would attach to the microfibers that were necessary to produce more light for growth inside the growth containers ... Much more energy was wasted and it turned out that the costs were just too great."
Bullock said he thinks those problems have been worked out during the past year of experiments but declined to discuss what he called "trade secrets."

Biocrude? Algae-to-oil project.

Sandia National Laboratories researcher Todd Lane withdraws a sample for analysis from a
A California company and a Department of Energy research lab have announced that they're teaming up to make oil out of algae — a potential fuel source that would be low on greenhouse gas emissions tied to warming.
LiveFuels Inc. says it will fund dozens of projects at Sandia National Laboratories with the aim of producing economically feasible "biocrude," aka biodiesel, by 2010.
Sandia's investment in related research goes back five years, says Grant Heffelfinger, a senior manager at the lab, providing time to build up expertise in "the challenge of understanding how and under what conditions" the process will work.


Algal oil is similar to soybean oil, which can also be used to produce biodiesel, but can be grown on marginal lands unsuitable for food crops and even in brackish water, LiveFuels said.
The company estimates that all U.S. oil imports could be replaced by biocrude grown on 20 to 40 million acres of marginal lands that exist across the country.
Sandia spokesman Mike Janes echoed that view. "Recent studies using a species of algae show that only 0.3 percent of the land area of the U.S. could be utilized to produce enough biodiesel to replace all transportation fuel the country currently utilizes," he said.
"In addition, barren desert land, which receives high solar radiation, could effectively grow the algae, and the algae could utilize farm waste and excess carbon dioxide from factories to help speed the growth of the algae."
Prices still prohibitiveBut not any algae will work. The cost-effective kind — as in making biocrude for less than $60 a barrel — is high in fats.
Commercially grown algae like Spirulina are high in protein and starch but low in fat. A few high-fat species of algae are promising, LiveFuels said, but the fats — at prices around $1,200 a pound — are cost prohibitive.
"'Fat algae' doesn't sound like a biocrude oil feedstock, but the petroleum we use today is derived from prehistoric biomass (including algae)," LiveFuels said in a statement announcing the joint venture. "Nature's biomass decomposition process occurred over millions of years under conditions of enormous heat and pressure. Much of the petroleum we use today began some 200 million years ago in the Carboniferous Period. The deposits of oil pumped from the North Sea, for example, consist partly of decomposed haptophyte algae called coccolithophorids."
"The challenge," LiveFuels said, "will be growing and transforming algae cheaply into biocrude within days rather than millennia."
LiveFuels Chief Executive Officer Lissa Morgenthaler-Jones says her company hopes to "grind down costs" across the process — from finding the right strains, to harvesting and final production.
"Other countries are ahead of the U.S. in biocrude research, but other countries were once ahead of us in the space race too," she said in announcing the venture. "America put a man on the moon in eight years, and America can make its own biocrude in four."
Greenhouse, biodiesel benefitsJanes said that algae offers environmental benefits in terms of greenhouse gases and as a more efficient fuelstock than biodiesel from crops like soybeans.
“The amount of greenhouse gasses generated are relatively small since most of the carbon dioxide emitted during the burning process is simply recycling that which was absorbed during plant growth," he said.
As for other biodiesel sources, Janes said that "a complete transition to biofuels could require boundless amounts of land if traditional crops are used."
But algae breaks that barrier. "With an oil-per-acre production rate 250 times the amount of soybeans," he said, "algae offers the highest yield feedstock for biodiesel."
Source:-http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15250836/

Algea: Utah State University

Utah State University researchers are using an innovative approach that takes oil from algae and converts it to biodiesel fuel.

USU is currently conducting research on algae and plans to produce an algae-biodiesel that is cost-competitive by 2009. Algae, plainly referred to as pond scum, can produce up to 10,000 gallons of oil per acre and can be grown virtually anywhere.

“This is perhaps the most important scientific challenge facing humanity in the 21st century,” said Lance Seefeldt, USU professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

“There are several options for solving the world’s energy problem, but at this point, none of them are realistically viable for long-term use.”

Biodiesel is a clean and carbon-dioxide-neutral fuel that is becoming more popular, but most of the current product comes from soybean and corn oil. As supply and demand grows, so does the price of soybeans and corn. People and animals rely on soybean and corn as a food commodity, eventually causing competition between commodities and growing enough product. Meeting this demand would require the world to use virtually all of its arable land, said Seefeldt.

The world today relies on fossil fuels to supply much of its energy, and there are currently 13 terawatts of energy used per year. A terawatt is 1,000 billion watts, and Seefeldt said usage is predicted to double to 26 terawatts by the year 2050. Fossil fuels are expensive, finite and generate greenhouse gasses that many believe are harming the environment, said Seefeldt.

“This has moved from a purely environmental issue to a global economics issue,” said Seefeldt.

Sir Nicholas Stern, chief economist for the World Bank, said that climate change presents a unique challenge for economics and that it has the potential to be the world’s greatest and widest ranging market failure ever seen.

“Business as usual will result in a five-to six-degree warming of the Earth by 2100,” said Stern. “This will result in a five to 10 percent loss in global gross domestic product, having a direct impact on human health and environment.”

Seefeldt, along with several fellow USU professors, formed the Biofuels Program to develop new and emerging technologies that will produce methane, biodiesel, hydrogen and alcohols from renewable, carbon-dioxide-neutral energy sources, such as consumer and agricultural waste and sunlight.

The state of Utah sees so much promise in the research that it has given the USU Biofuels Program $6 million for five years through the Utah Science and Technology Research Initiative. USTAR makes highly-selective, strategic investments in research with the potential to benefit Utah’s economy.

The research has already set in motion several spin-off and industry relationships, and one patent has already been issued, with four others pending.

“We are looking toward the world’s future energy solutions and USU is part of it,” said Seefeldt.

The research takes a tremendous amount of investment and energy, but the payoffs will be worth it, he said

Making a Methanol Recovery System at home

What we have with us is a Mixture of liquids with different boiling points.In Such a mixture of liquids the boiling point of the mix will lie somewhere in the middle, and this will depend on the relative concentrations of each liquid. Pure water boils at 100 deg C, and pure methanol boils at 64.7 deg C, but a mixture of water and methanol will boil at some point in between. The major point about distillation is that when a mixture like that boils, then the vapour given off is richer in the most volatile component, and when that vapour condenses then the resulting liquid has a lower boiling point than the mix it came from. By repeating this boiling and re condensation process up a column, using packing to hold the condensed liquid at each stage, you can separate the components to higher grades of purity.

When you heat the mixture, it will heat up until the new intermediate boiling point is reached. When you first start a distilling run, the packing in the column will be at room temperature, so vapour given off by the boiler condenses on the first cool packing it reaches. In condensing, the vapour gives up a lot of heat, and this warms that packing until the liquid on it boils again. However, this liquid is richer in volatiles than the mix in the boiler, so its boiling point is lower. When it does boil again, from the heat given off by more condensing vapour, what you get is even richer in those most volatile components.

This process of boiling and condensing continues up the column and, because the condensed liquid is always getting richer in volatiles, the temperature gradually falls the higher you go. The temperature at any point is governed solely by the boiling point of that particular liquid mix. You'll notice that once boiling, the temperature of the vapour at the top of the column gradually increases, this is because the mixture is being slowly depleted of the most volatile components.

This temperature needs to be monitored constantly so as to keep purity of methanol at its best.
Ready made distilling columns can be bought, otherwise you can use common stuff to device one. The quality of the methanol can be increased by repetition of the process over and over again.

Reusing key components will help reduce the overall cost of Bio diesel produced.

This same process can be used to separate Methanol before wash or after wash. The dynamics will vary though.

Algae can produce 50 to 100 times more oil per acre than oil crops

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Green Star Products, Inc. (OTC:GSPI) (OTC:GSPI.PK), announced that biodiesel from agricultural crops can only replace a small percentage of the World’s increasing need for diesel.
Algae can produce 50 to 100 times more oil per acre than oil crops (i.e. oil from soybean, corn, cotton, hemp, euphorbia, mustard seed, sesame, safflower, rice, tung oil tree, sunflower, peanuts, rapeseed, olives, jojoba, jatropha, coconut, palm oil, Chinese tallow, etc.). You can hear the interview by using the following link http://www.wallst.net/audio/audio.asp?ticker=GSPI&id=3382.

A documentary on the same.

China-India to exchange technology in Jatropha cultivation

Chennai, May 18: To enhance renewable energy business ties with India, the Chinese government has chalked out a new plan to exchange technology and ideas on Jatropha cultivation in both the countries.In this connection, a 13-member business delegation from China, headed by Dachang Lu, deputy director general of Guizhou development and reform commssion, was here today to explore the possibility of cultivating Jatropha in both the countries in order to produce bio-diesel.During an interactive session with the South India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) Mr Dachang Lu said that this was a follow up of the recent visit of Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr Montek Singh Aluwalia to China. Mr Ahluwalia had signed an agreement on renewable energy with the Director General of land reforms commision of China.He pointed out that Jatropha and Pongamia trees were excellent to produce non- edible oils and capable of producing high caliber lubricant oils.''We already cultivated Jatropha in China in an area of two lakh acres, which could produce between 10,000 tonnes and 20,000 tonnes biodiesel annually'', he said, adding ''our visit is mainly to enhance the Jatropha project both in China and India to produce high quality bio-diesel''.''Bio-diesel fuel is bio-degradable and hence does not produce any ecological waste, which will also help to earn carbon credit'', he said.


Source:-http://www.newkerala.com/news5.php?action=fullnews&id=30980
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Zimbabwe to have Biodiesel

THE Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has so far disbursed $2,9 billion for the national biodiesel project from the $3 billion availed by Government last year.
Responding to questions from parliamentarians in Harare yesterday, RBZ governor Dr Gideon Gono said a total of $2,937 billion has so far been disbursed for the biodiesel project leaving a balance of $62 million.
The Government allocated $3 billion for the national biodiesel project in March last year.
Finealt Engineering, a registered company wholly owned by the Government, is running the project, said Dr Gono.
Said the central bank governor: "Disbursements have been allocated to plant design equipment, vehicle expenditure, recurrent expenditures, salaries, office furniture and stationery and consultancy fees."
He further noted that site preparation, which included soil tests, site clearing, environmental impact assessment, topographical survey and erection of the site offices had been completed.
"Civil works at the site are in progress. However, there is a challenge of financial resources to pay the contractor.
"Procurement of equipment, which includes steel vessels, oil expellers, lab and workshop equipment, earthing and pumping material have been delayed largely due to shortages of foreign currency," added Dr Gono.
A total site area of 102 hectares, which includes 50 hectares targeted for the production of seedlings and the Jatropha plant has been set aside.
Finealt Engineering has also applied for clearance to plant Jatropha cuttings along the major roads of the nine districts in Mashonaland East from the Department of Works in the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development in an effort to increase national production of the high oil-yielding plant.
Currently, Finealt is in the process of purchasing Jatropha seed for processing once the plant is set up.
Relevant Links Southern Africa Zimbabwe Energy Sustainable Development Economy, Business and Finance Since 2005, the Government through the Ministry of Energy and Power Development and the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe has been stepping up efforts to promote the production of the Jatropha curcas plant as an alternative source of biodiesel to avert fuel shortages in the country.
Apart from extracting biodiesel fuel from Jatropha, the Government is also collaborating with Triangle Limited to reopen the ethanol blending plant which is expected to reduce the country's fuel imports by 10 percent when it becomes operational later this year.
Currently, farmers are selling a tonne of Jatropha seeds for $60 000 but they would earn more when the price of a litre of the processed biodiesel is equated with that of crude oil.

Source:-http://allafrica.com/stories/200705180176.html

Biodiesel from Soyabean Oil not for India

Rapidly expanding production of bio-diesel from Soybean oil is contributing to a projected 6 per cent increase in domestic soy oil disappearance.
Bio-diesel production is projected to use 19 per cent of total soy oil production for 2007-08 as compared with 13 per cent in 2006-07.

Soy oil is widely used in the US for bio diesel production. An interesting fact is that:-

One of the most important characteristics of diesel fuel is its ability to auto ignite, a characteristic that is quantified by a fuel’s cetane number or cetane index, where a higher cetane number or index means that the fuel ignites more quickly.7 U.S. petroleum diesel typically has a cetane index in the low 40s, and European diesel typically has a cetane index in the low 50s.
Graboski and McCormick8 have summarized several experimental studies of biodiesel characteristics. The reported cetane number for bio diesel ranges from 45.8 to 56.9 for soybean oil methyl esters, with an average of 50.9. In comparison the cetane index for petroleum diesel ranges from 40 to 52. They imply that careful production control could result in bio diesel products with cetane numbers in the high end of the range, whereas petroleum diesel tends toward the low end of the range.

In India soybean ranks third in oil seeds after groundnut and rapeseed/mustard.Soybean is considered to be a most economical and valuable agricultural commodity as, it has good adaptability towards a wide range of soil and climate. On an average dry matter basis, Soybean contains about 40% protein and 20% oil.But the down side to using Soybean is that it is very nutritious - the protein and oil components in soybean are not only in high quantity but also in high quality. Soy oil contains high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, so it is also a healthy oil using some thing like this for producing oil when we still need more oil to feed the nation wont be justifiable. But if we can have new farms cultivating soybean for the sole purpose of bio diesel it can be a little more attractive option but in the overall picture it can turn out to be negative by leading to increase cost of Soybean oil for the common man.

So the last word would be that we have better options like Jatropha, algae, rubber seed and many other types of lower nutritional or inedible oils. In India due to its population we cannot think of using food to make bio diesel unlike what they do in The EU or US.

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Biodiesel and Indian Energy Security

Development of biodiesel as an alternative fuel holds significant advantages for the country in the field of agriculture besides ensuring energy security
A target to meet 5 per cent of energy needs through bio diesel could generate 2.4 million jobs besides ensuring cultivation of 2.8 million hectares of waste land and an additional combined yearly farm income of Rs 42 billion from the fourth year onwards, a CII-Rabobank report has said.
Biodiesel initiatives can lead to considerable improvements for the rural population. Deploying wasteland for bio diesel production in the country in a micro business unit model should be given more importance as that will help in reducing the gap between the poor and the rich as currently the worlds fuel revenue are enjoyed by a very small group but if from the start we can promote the production, conversion and sale of bio diesel in a small scale industry model that can be achieved. I would say a system like what we have for milk production and distribution should be followed.

The US Agricultural Department puts India's 2006-07 oilseed productions at 29.5 million tonnes, which includes rapeseed, soybeans and sunflower seed. India is among the largest soybean producers in the world at 7.3 million tonnes.

The Planning Commission has also said with 7 million hectares, a potential bio diesel production of 7 million tones could be realised, equal to more than 10 per cent of the country's projected diesel consumption in 2011-12. The planing commission should decide now itself (when this industry is still in infancy) to promote it in a decentralised manner. Such a decision will have far reaching effect , it will give India fuel independence and also will help reduce the influence of people controlling the current fuels assets as the country will be producing the fuel as a whole and not companies producing fuel.


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Earthrace back at sea after rejecting Indian biodiesel

Earthrace back at sea after rejecting Indian biodiesel
Thursday, 17 May 2007
ROSS GIBLIN/Dominion Post
BAD RUN: NZ trimaran Earthrace captain Pete Bethune and crew are still battling bad luck and bureaucracy in their global record bid.
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The NZ trimaran Earthrace is still battling bad luck and bureaucracy in its bid for a global record for circumnavigating the world.
It left Cochin on India's west coast today, three days later than expected, after being let down by its biodiesel supplier in India.
It is on a 2592km trip to Salalah in Oman to refuel for a 3611km leg to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
At Cochin, the boat had to fill up with conventional diesel, for the second time during its trip, after rejecting a truckload of biodiesel which did not meet specifications for the boat.
A spokeswoman for the project, Devann Yata, said the crew had to battle monsoon headwinds all the way from Indonesia to Cochin, and arrived exhausted from sleep deprivation.
During the trip Earthrace suffered further mechanical failures, the most serious being three broken mounts on the starboard engine, for it to travel for a full day on one engine at reduced speed.
Within a day of arriving in Cochin on Sunday, the crew repaired the mounts with help from a local dealer for the engine, but found that the biodiesel fuel had not even left Hyderabad, 1000km away.
"We were assured it would be here a week before our arrival," captain Pete Bethune, of Auckand, said. To compound things, three team members, including the captain, fell ill, suffering diarrhoea, vomiting, muscle aches and lethargy.
After days of frustrating phone calls, the truck left Hyderabad, but bureaucratic red tape at customs stopped it entering Cochin province. When it arrived at the port three days later, "it was of such poor quality that crew were forced to reject it," Ms Yata said.
"This is despite the fuel apparently coming with paperwork indicating it meets quality standards".
Earthrace has to return to San Diego by June 21 to break the 75 day record for a global circumnavigation.



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Student make Biodiesel for less than 5 Rs/l

Students experimenting with biodiesel
By LAURA TODE Of The Gazette StaffThe gray 1973 Mercedes in the Skyview High parking lot isn't your ordinary teenage project car, even though it has a snazzy blue, fire-winged falcon decal on the hood and metal-flake painted wheels.The old car has the characteristic knock and rattle of a diesel engine, but it has undergone a major transformation that for the past two years has been the work of about 20 Skyview students and two dedicated teachers.Students converted the vehicle to run on the biodiesel they make from used cooking oil, alcohol and potassium hydroxide.The project began two years ago with a simple chemistry formula. About 10 students in chemistry teacher Fred Michels' class got together after school several days a week to research and design a biodiesel processor, which Michels built last summer.45 cents a gallon After testing the processor and running more than 250 batches, students found they could efficiently make biodiesel for about 45 cents a gallon."In chemistry class you can do only so much in school and for this we got to do actual applications rather than just experiment in a lab," said Kevin Laborda, 18.Standardizing biodiesel Laborda took chemistry as a sophomore and is ready to graduate. He plans on pursuing a career in chemical engineering and, if he can, continuing to work on making biodiesel a standard in the automotive industry.This last year, when it came time to put the biodiesel to use, another team of 11 students jumped on board. Trevor Brown, a Skyview senior, took the lead in the mechanical conversion. He's hoping to go into welding and has been taking classes at the Career Center. He figured the challenge would be fun."It sounds silly, but I heard that the exhaust smells like french fries and I wanted to smell it - and yes it does," said Brown.The car was donated by Bob Dillon, and 17 local businesses provided materials and expertise in making biodiesel and converting the car.


The students worked on the project after school, and tech ed teacher Kurt Wosley and Michels were not paid for the time they spent with the students."It's real science," said Michels. "It's true problem solving. It's not learning content out of a book and filling it in on a test. It's trial and error and problems come up constantly, and you're trying to learn new solutions to problems as you go."The biodiesel gels at about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. So to make the engine work in Montana's climate, the students designed the car to start on regular diesel. The biodiesel is sent through a warming coil in a tank in the trunk. When the fuel is warmed, the driver flips a switch and the vehicle runs exclusively on biodiesel.The biodiesel car will make its first public appearance Wednesday at the Laurel Aviation Week at Laurel High School. After that, it should be a regular at Skyview sporting events, parades and other events to promote biodiesel."We're hoping that the project will turn some heads in the community toward alternative energy and help them make up their minds to move forward on it," Michels said.



Source:-
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/05/08/news/local/30-biodiesel.prt

You might make your own biodiesel, but have you got what this 15-year-old's got?

Steven Henderson, a 15-year-old "hopeless" student who learned about climate change in school, decided to do some serious extracurricular activity: he built a large biodiesel processing system in his family's barn.

That barn is now more like a warehouse full of biofuel processing equipment , according to the BBC reporter who went to meet Henderson. The boy's biofuel powers his father's farm equipment. Henderson makes about 1,000 liters a day out of waste oil from local restaurant kitchens.

What prompted a kid to get his dad to spend about £10,000 for all the equipment - six huge tanks, pumps, etc. - to make biodiesel using the tank settling method?

"I was worried about global warming and climate change," he said. "And it saves quite a bit of money."

The family Land Rover was the first "victim" for the young man's biodiesel, and his dad was worried at first about running it in a vehicle. Now, though, the father says the engines run better on biodiesel.

Even though the waste oil is free, and the Henderson's don't sell the biofuel, they still have to pay 27.1 pence tax on each liter they make. Still, the family saves between £300-400 a week compared to buying diesel at the pump. Also, Steven pumps hot water from the barn processing facility into the house; now the family's hot water bills have dropped to nothing.

What's next? Henderson says he "would like to be a really big oil producer" (which BBC thought deserved the Dallas theme music as an underscore).

You can listen to Henderson's story on BBC 4 Radio or read it over at the The Evening Chronicle. The mostly right-wing crowd (check their signatures) over at the Free Republic sees Henderson as an example of why home schooling beats public education and a Brit who is not a "mind-numbed Socialist."

Farmer's Take on Bio Diesel

A farmer explains his views on bio diesel

Bioethanol Production

Ethanol can be produced from biomass by the hydrolysis and sugar fermentation processes. Biomass wastes contain a complex mixture of carbohydrate polymers from the plant cell walls known as cellulose, hemi cellulose and lignin. In order to produce sugars from the biomass, the biomass is pre-treated with acids or enzymes in order to reduce the size of the feedstock and to open up the plant structure. The cellulose and the hemi cellulose portions are broken down (hydrolysed) by enzymes or dilute acids into sucrose sugar that is then fermented into ethanol. The lignin which is also present in the biomass is normally used as a fuel for the ethanol production plants boilers. There are three principle methods of extracting sugars from biomass. These are concentrated acid hydrolysis, dilute acid hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis.

Concentrated Acid Hydrolysis Process
The Arkanol process works by adding 70-77% sulphuric acid to the biomass that has been dried to a 10% moisture content. The acid is added in the ratio of 1.25 acid to 1 biomass and the temperature is controlled to 50C. Water is then added to dilute the acid to 20-30% and the mixture is again heated to 100C for 1 hour. The gel produced from this mixture is then pressed to release an acid sugar mixture and a chromatographic column is used to separate the acid and sugar mixture.
Dilute Acid Hydrolysis
The dilute acid hydrolysis process is one of the oldest, simplest and most efficient methods of producing ethanol from biomass. Dilute acid is used to hydrolyse the biomass to sucrose. The first stage uses 0.7% sulphuric acid at 190C to hydrolyse the hemi cellulose present in the biomass. The second stage is optimised to yield the more resistant cellulose fraction. This is achieved by using 0.4% sulphuric acid at 215C.The liquid hydrolates are then neutralised and recovered from the process.
Enzymatic Hydrolysis
Instead of using acid to hydrolyse the biomass into sucrose, we can use enzymes to break down the biomass in a similar way. However this process is very expensive and is still in its early stages of development.
Dry Milling Process
The dry milling process involves cleaning and breaking down the corn kernel into fine particles using a hammer mill process. This creates a powder with a course flour type consistency. The powder contains the corn germ, starch and fibre. In order to produce a sugar solution the mixture is then hydrolysed or broken down into sucrose sugars using enzymes or a dilute acid. The mixture is then cooled and yeast is added in order to ferment the mixture into ethanol. The dry milling process is normally used in factories producing less than 50 million gallons of ethanol every Year.
Sugar Fermentation Process
The hydrolysis process breaks down the cellulostic part of the biomass or corn into sugar solutions that can then be fermented into ethanol. Yeast is added to the solution, which is then heated. The yeast contains an enzyme called invertase, which acts as a catalyst and helps to convert the sucrose sugars into glucose and fructose (both C6H12O6).The fructose and glucose sugars then react with another enzyme called zymase, which is also contained in the yeast to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide. The fermentation process takes around three days to complete and is carried out at a temperature of between 250C and 300C.

Fractional Distillation Process
The ethanol, which is produced from the fermentation process, still contains a significant quantity of water, which must be removed. This is achieved by using the fractional distillation process. The distillation process works by boiling the water and ethanol mixture. Since ethanol has a lower boiling point (78.3C) compared to that of water (100C), the ethanol turns into the vapour state before the water and can be condensed and separated.

What are the benefits of Bioethanol?

Bioethanol has a number of advantages over conventional fuels. It comes from a renewable resource i.e. crops and not from a finite resource and the crops it derives from can grow well in the UK (like cereals, sugar beet and maize). Another benefit over fossil fuels is the greenhouse gas emissions. The road transport network accounts for 22% (www.foodfen.org.uk) of all greenhouse gas emissions and through the use of bioethanol, some of these emissions will be reduced as the fuel crops absorb the CO2 they emit through growing. Also, blending bioethanol with petrol will help extend the life of the UK’s diminishing oil supplies and ensure greater fuel security, avoiding heavy reliance on oil producing nations. By encouraging bioethanol’s use, the rural economy would also receive a boost from growing the necessary crops. Bioethanol is also biodegradable and far less toxic that fossil fuels. In addition, by using bioethanol in older engines can help reduce the amount of carbon monoxide produced by the vehicle thus improving air quality. Another advantage of bioethanol is the ease with which it can be easily integrated into the existing road transport fuel system. In quantities up to 5%, bioethanol can be blended with conventional fuel without the need of engine modifications. Bioethanol is produced using familiar methods, such as fermentation, and it can be distributed using the same petrol forecourts and transportation systems as before.

What is Bioethanol?

The principle fuel used as a petrol substitute for road transport vehicles is bioethanol. Bioethanol fuel is mainly produced by the sugar fermentation process, although it can also be manufactured by the chemical process of reacting ethylene with steam.
The main sources of sugar required to produce ethanol come from fuel or energy crops. These crops are grown specifically for energy use and include corn, maize and wheat crops, waste straw, willow and popular trees, sawdust, reed canary grass, cord grasses, jerusalem artichoke, myscanthus and sorghum plants. There is also ongoing research and development into the use of municipal solid wastes to produce ethanol fuel.
Ethanol or ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) is a clear colourless liquid, it is biodegradable, low in toxicity and causes little environmental pollution if spilt. Ethanol burns to produce carbon dioxide and water. Ethanol is a high octane fuel and has replaced lead as an octane enhancer in petrol. By blending ethanol with gasoline we can also oxygenate the fuel mixture so it burns more completely and reduces polluting emissions. Ethanol fuel blends are widely sold in the United States. The most common blend is 10% ethanol and 90% petrol (E10). Vehicle engines require no modifications to run on E10 and vehicle warranties are unaffected also. Only flexible fuel vehicles can run on up to 85% ethanol and 15% petrol blends (E85).




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Biofuels Good Idea Bad Practice

The biofuel can come from non-edible tree crops jatropha in India, for example- grown on wasteland, which will also employ people. This fuel market will demand a different business model.
Now that the reality of climate change has been accepted even by its strongest sceptics, there is a rush to find answers. The latest buzz is to substitute the use of greenhouse gas-emitting fossil fuels with biofuels- fuel processed from plants.
Unfortunately, the way we are going about implementing this "good" idea could mean we are headed from the frying pan to the fire.
There are two kinds of biofuel: ethanol, processed from sugarcane or corn, and biodiesel, made from biomass. Climate-savvy Europe gave the first push to biofuel, mandating they should contribute 6 per cent of fuels used in vehicles by 2010 and 10 per cent by 2020. The bulk of biodiesel comes from domestically grown rapeseed. But to meet its growing needs, it is looking at importing soyabean-based fuel from Brazil and Argentina, and palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia.
US President George Bush has this year called on his country to produce 132 billion litres of biofuel by 2017, to cut dependence on foreign fuel. The US' favourite biofuel is ethanol, which it produces from corn starch. Brazil, the world's largest ethanol producer, mostly uses sugarcane. It is estimated that ethanol plants will burn up to half of the US' domestic corn supplies in the coming few years. In addition, its biofuel industry is looking to make fuel out of soya and other crops to feed the automobile industry's growing hunger.
Already, the repercussions of this switch are beginning to show. Late last year, Mexico saw its tortilla wars, as people found the price of their staple-corn-had doubled. The hike was a result of the crop's new market as a source of vehicle fuel and the control over the crop and its uses by corporate USA. In this case, one company, Archer Daniels Midlands, has dominant interests in the corn and wheat market and is the largest ethanol processor in the region. In addition, it has a financial stake in a Mexican company that makes tortillas and refines wheat. In other words, the company benefits when corn price increases and consumers switch to wheat. Or when the switch takes place from food to fuel, they benefit.
Similarly, Cargill, the agribusiness multinational, is now the big name in the biofuel market. In this scenario, prices of other food commodities- wheat, soya, palm oil-are rising as well, in turn, impacting the poorest consumers globally. The projections are that food prices will increase between 20-40 per cent in the next 10 years or so because of this switchover.
The problem is compounded by the fact that this "switch" will do little to avert climate change. It is clear that all the biofuel in the world will be a blip on the total consumption of fossil fuel. In the US, for instance, it is agreed that if the entire corn crop is used for ethanol, it can only replace 12 per cent of current gasoline-petrol-used in the country. A recent paper in the US journal Foreign Affairs estimates that filling a 95-litre fuel tank with pure ethanol will require about 200 kg of corn, which has enough calories to feed a person for a year.
If we factor in the fuel inputs that go into converting biomass to energy-from diesel to run tractors, natural gas to make fertilisers, fuel to run refineries- biofuel is not an energy-efficient option. It is estimated that roughly 20 per cent of corn-made ethanol is 'new' energy. This does not account for the water it will take to grow this new crop. There is also evidence that rainforests will be cut to expand the cultivation of soya, sugarcane and palm oil, which in turn will exacerbate climate change.
Don't get me wrong: I am in favour of biofuel. But the question we need to ask is how to use it to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, though we are only interested in maximising corporate profits, we believe rather naively that social objectives are being met.
Firstly, let us be clear that biofuels cannot substitute fossil fuels; but they can make a difference if we begin to limit the consumption of the latter.
If this is the case, governments should not provide subsidies to grow crops for biofuel, as is being done in the US and Europe, but spend to limit their fuel consumption by reducing the sheer numbers of vehicles on their roads. If this is done, biofuels, which are renewable and emit less greenhouse gases, will make a difference. Otherwise, we are only fooling ourselves.
Secondly, the question is where will the biofuels be used? Let us be clear that the opportunity for a massive biofuel revolution is not in the rich world's cities, to run vehicles-but in the grid-unconnected world of Indian or African villages. It is here that there is a scarcity of energy-electricity to power homes, fuel to cook, to run generator sets to pump water and to run vehicles. It is also here that the use of fossil fuels will grow because there is no alternative.
Instead of bringing fossil fuel long distances to feed this market, this part of the world can leapfrog to a new energy future- from no fuel to the most advanced fuel. The biofuel can come from non-edible tree crops- jatropha in India, for example- grown on wasteland, which will also employ people.
This fuel market will demand a different business model. It cannot be conducted on the basis of the so-called free market model, which is based on economies of scale and, therefore, demands consolidation and leads to uncompetitive practices. In today's model, a company will grow the crops, extract the oil, transport it first to refineries and then back to consumers.
The new generation biofuel business needs a model of distributed growth in which we have millions of growers and millions of distributors and millions of users. Remember, climate change is not a technological fix but a political challenge. Biofuel is part of a new future.
The writer is Director of Centre for Science & Environment

Source:-http://www.centralchronicle.com/20070509/0905301.htm


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Bi-o-diesel: The San Francisco City announces B20 use, Biofuel Recycling Program

The City of San Francisco is now the largest city to use a 20
percent blend of biodiesel (B20) fleet-wide. This announcement, made by Mayor Gavin Newsom
at a biodiesel retail pump today, appropriately comes just two days after Earth Day.
“Every City bears responsibility for taking local action to address our global climate crisis, and
vehicle emissions are a major source of greenhouse gases,” said Mayor Newsom. “When it comes to
the use of alternative fuels, renewable energy sources and greening our city fleet, San Francisco is
demonstrating leadership and commitment on every front.”
“The city of San Francisco departments have announced various strategies using biodiesel to
reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases, and to use local resources to produce biofuels,” said
Randall von Wedel, a biochemist representing the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) in state
regulatory affairs, based in the San Francisco area. “We are grateful to Mayor Newsom for his
initiative,” said von Wedel, “and we hope that San Francisco will serve as a model for other
large cities on how to make a difference in reducing air pollution, greenhouse gases and
dependence on petroleum fuel.”
The city’s “Biofuel Recycling Program,” also announced today, will collect waste grease and
cooking oil from area restaurants. Regional biodiesel plants will process the separated cooking
oils into biodiesel, while the grease will be fed to anaerobic digesters to produce methane gas for
electric power generation at the city’s waste water treatment plant.
The city started the pilot program using B20 in various locations such as the San Francisco
International Airport and the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) in 2006. The program
tested the fuel in the Bayview Hunters Point area, which has some of the poorest air quality in
San Francisco. This B20 use complies with the mayoral directive, “Climate Action Plan,” for city
diesel vehicles to run on B20. So far, all the public works vehicles, street sweepers, utility trucks
and more are running on B20. The city also announced all 325 of the waste management
company’s trucks are running on B20. That is in addition to the 2,000 city-owned vehicles that
will be running on B20 by the end of this year.
Other plans to increase biodiesel use in San Francisco include an EPA grant program, through
the City College of San Francisco and local biodiesel firms; to train distributors and fleet
managers. New biodiesel retail pump stations are set to open, with several other initiatives as
well. Partners in the city’s goals have included the Region 9 Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and various city agencies. Today’s biodiesel announcement is part of a series of
environmental initiatives touted by the Mayor at yesterday’s Annual Mayor’s Earth Day
breakfast.
Representatives of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, EPA and the San Francisco
Department of Environment spoke at today’s event, held at the Olympian fleet fueling station at
3rd Street and 23rd. In previous years, this station served as the nation’s first B100 (pure
biodiesel) retail pump in the continental United States. Tellurian Biodiesel, a member of NBB,
now manages the distribution of B20 to the station, part of a network of new B20 stations
planned for that pollution-impacted area of the city.
"The city of San Francisco has made great progress on its goal of converting 100 percent of its
diesel fleet to B20 by the end of the year,” said Eric Bowen of Tellurian. “It is ahead of schedule
with almost 40 percent of the fleet already running on biodiesel. San Francisco is leading the
way toward a more sustainable future," he said.
During the National Biodiesel Conference held in February in San Antonio, NBB honored
firefighters from the San Francisco department for their personal influence in starting SFFD on
B20. Mike Ferry and Brie Mathews received NBB’s “Inspiration” award for their efforts.
Mathews used biodiesel in her personal vehicle and Ferry developed and managed the B20 pilot
program for city fire engines and emergency vehicles, on the committee instituting city-wide
B20 use.
Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that can run in any diesel engine in blends of 20 percent or lower,
blended with diesel fuel. It can be made from any vegetable oil or animal fat through a chemical
process that removes the glycerin. Biodiesel has added fuel refining capacity to the U.S. with
more than 105 biodiesel plants operating currently. Biodiesel significantly cuts harmful
environmental emissions, including carbon monoxide and life cycle carbon dioxide. Production
tripled between 2005 and 2006, from 75 million gallons to about 250 million gallons.Source:-http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/pressreleases/fle/20070425_sanfranb20.pdf

Korea Makes Strides in Bio-Fuel Technology

In Korea, interest in renewable resources is growing amid record international oil prices.
As global awareness of the need to develop sustainable energy is growing due to global warming, Korean industries are taking their first steps in the development and production of bio-diesel. April 13 saw the launch of the ¡°Seoul Eco Station" in Sonjeon-dong, Seoul. The gas station provides biodiesel 20 (BD 20) which is blended from 80 percent diesel and 20 percent bio-diesel made from soybean oil.

The black, pine-nut-sized seeds of the Jatropha tree are a source of bio-diesel. 156 official vehicles including garbage trucks and construction vehicles in seven districts will run on BD 20. The city government is considering a plan to convert all 2,000 of its cars to run on bio-diesel. Bio-diesel cars can reduce emissions of poisonous pollutants such as formaldehyde and carbon gas by between 13 and 21 percent compared with ordinary diesel cars. Other local governments are also considering introducing BD20.

Domestic businesses have started producing bio-diesel sources in Korea. Three local governments -- the Jeolla provinces and Jeju Island -- started growing rape on 4.95 million sq.m of idle farmland. The local government plans to purchase all rape produced by local farmers with national and local government funds of W2.6 billion (11.8 Crore Rs) over the next three years.
Some Korean businesses are turning overseas to secure bio-diesel sources such as Cassava and Jatropha. Cassava(Tapioca) is a root vegetable similar to sweet potato; the starchy root is used to produce bio-ethanol. Jatropha, whose seed is a source of bio diesel, grows in tropical parts of India and Africa.

It is a Korean company that developed technology to enhance the productivity of the Jatropha tree. Oh Jea-chun, president of a horticulture company Namuworld is quoted to have said, "We have developed a technology to increase the fruit-bearing productivity of Jatropha. Jatropha trees are prone to six or seven kinds viruses, and we remove all of them by tissue culturing methods. We are ahead of Indian companies in this sector."


You will find interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Korea Makes Strides in Bio-Fuel Technology

In Korea, interest in renewable resources is growing amid record international oil prices.
As global awareness of the need to develop sustainable energy is growing due to global warming, Korean industries are taking their first steps in the development and production of bio-diesel. April 13 saw the launch of the ¡°Seoul Eco Station" in Sonjeon-dong, Seoul. The gas station provides biodiesel 20 (BD 20) which is blended from 80 percent diesel and 20 percent bio-diesel made from soybean oil.

The black, pine-nut-sized seeds of the Jatropha tree are a source of bio-diesel. 156 official vehicles including garbage trucks and construction vehicles in seven districts will run on BD 20. The city government is considering a plan to convert all 2,000 of its cars to run on bio-diesel. Bio-diesel cars can reduce emissions of poisonous pollutants such as formaldehyde and carbon gas by between 13 and 21 percent compared with ordinary diesel cars. Other local governments are also considering introducing BD20.

Domestic businesses have started producing bio-diesel sources in Korea. Three local governments -- the Jeolla provinces and Jeju Island -- started growing rape on 4.95 million sq.m of idle farmland. The local government plans to purchase all rape produced by local farmers with national and local government funds of W2.6 billion (11.8 Crore Rs) over the next three years.
Some Korean businesses are turning overseas to secure bio-diesel sources such as Cassava and Jatropha. Cassava(Tapioca) is a root vegetable similar to sweet potato; the starchy root is used to produce bio-ethanol. Jatropha, whose seed is a source of bio diesel, grows in tropical parts of India and Africa.

It is a Korean company that developed technology to enhance the productivity of the Jatropha tree. Oh Jea-chun, president of a horticulture company Namuworld is quoted to have said, "We have developed a technology to increase the fruit-bearing productivity of Jatropha. Jatropha trees are prone to six or seven kinds viruses, and we remove all of them by tissue culturing methods. We are ahead of Indian companies in this sector."


You will find interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Wanna find JOBS in the bio diesel Industry ???

This is the place you should be goin to

http://www.biodiesel-jobs.com/



You will find intresting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

India's Big Plans for Biodiesel

Researchers are developing new methods for cultivating a plant called jatropha.
By Michael Fitzgerald
Biodiesel could be an important renewable substitute for fossil fuels. And, in certain parts of the world, governments and some corporations consider the jatropha plant, common in hot climates, one of the most promising sources of biodiesel. The plant can grow in wastelands, and it yields more than four times as much fuel per hectare as soybean, and more than ten times that of corn. But the commercial-scale cultivation of jatropha, which has not previously been grown as a crop, raises several significant challenges. ........................
Read complete article on:- http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/17940/






You will find interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Vedio of methanol recovery system for biodiesel.

Want to know what Bio Diesel is ? Click Here
You will find intresting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

A test to see how well reacted Biodiesel is using nothing more than biodiesel and methanol.

The 3/27 Methanol test is an easy test to see how well reacted Biodiesel is using nothing more than biodiesel and methanol.

What is bio Diesel? click here to find out



You will find intresting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

A News Video on how 4Refuel is saving Canadian businesses millions of dollars every year.

What is bio Diesel? click here to find out

Bio Diesel in Duncan:Video on The city of Duncan Going Enviroment Friendly

What is bio Diesel? click here to find out


You will find intresting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Video on Bio Diesel in Myanmar

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1415492764876671607&q=bio+diesel
Want to know what Bio Diesel is ? Click Here


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Video on Drag Racing with Bio Diesel as the Fuel

Want to know what Bio Diesel is ? Click Here




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Alaskan's go fishing to find new auto fuel

Now the science that turns vegetable oil into fuel can do the same with fish.

The Alaskan fish-processing industry generates some 3.5 million gallons of fish-oil byproduct that's discarded as waste each year. Authorities would like to be able to turn that into a viable clean-energy source. Pacific Bio diesel is converting 5,000 pounds of Alaskan fish oil into bio diesel from the Alaska Energy Authority for a pilot project funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy. The authority is trying to gain insight into how well raw fish oil works for bio diesel, which is well-established nationwide as a viable fuel source.

The bio diesel from fish oil will be blessing to the remote villages in Alaska as it can be made locally for use in their generators, vehicles etc. The project is expected to be complete by July. Afterward, a number of different scenarios could then unfold, one of which is a bio diesel processing plant in Alaska that could be built by Pacific Bio diesel. The Alaska Energy Authority first wants to see test results. Pacific Biotech, considered an authority on bio-diesel fuel, offers two basic plant configurations.





You will find interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Bio Diesel from Fish Oil

The by-products of the production of Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil which is a waste otherwise can be used to produce Bio Diesel coastal regions like Kerala, where many fish processing plants are situated should be using this as a raw material.

Here is a link to a potetial supplier in India (Kerala) for fish oil.
http://arbeefishoil.com/pro_re.htm

will be posting more articles on fish oil based Bio Diesel soon




You will find intresting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Video for beginners to Bio Diesel

Intresting website Jatrophaworld.org

http://www.jatrophaworld.org/

Where do Algae Grow?

Algae are some of the most robust organisms on earth, able to grow in a wide range of conditions.

Algae are usually found in damp places or bodies of water and thus are common in terrestrial as well as aquatic environments. However, terrestrial algae are usually rather inconspicuous and far more common in moist, tropical regions than dry ones, because algae lack vascular tissues and other adaptions to live on land

As mentioned above, algae grow in almost every habitat in every part of the world. The following are examples of non-marine habitats.

• Animals: Reported substrates include turtles, snails, rotifers, worms, crustacean, alligators, three-toed sloths, aquatic ferns, freshwater sponges and some other animals.
  Aquatic plants: Algae grow on and inside water plants (including other algae)
  
• Artificial substrates: Wooden posts and fences, cans and bottles etc. all provide algal habitats.
  
• Billabongs & lagoons: Rich micro algal habitats, particularly for desmids. (Kerala has these in plenty, India in general )
  
• Bogs, marshes & swamps
  
• Farm Dams (Hydroelectric Projects could be used)
  
• Hot springs
  
• Lakes
  
• Mud and sand
  
• Ponds (ephemeral), puddles, roadside ditches and rock pools
  
• Reservoirs (Major water reservoirs in India can be utilised)
  
• Rivers
  
• Rock (internal & surface)
  
• Saline Lagoons (These too are there in Kerala and India in general)
  
• Saline Lakes & Marshes
  
• Salt marshes and salt lakes
  
• Sewage
  
• Snow
  
• Soil
  
• Streams
  
• Terrestrial plants - tree trunks, branches, shady sides of trees, damp walls, surface of and inside leaves.

In fact, the habitats of algae are so numerous that a more justified title for this page would be “Where Don’t Algae Grow” instead of “Where Do Algae Grow?”

Cultivation of Algae Strains for Biodiesel

Like plants, algae require primarily three components to grow: sunlight, carbon-di-oxide & water. Like plants again, they use the sunlight for the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is an important biochemical process in which plants, algae, and some bacteria convert the energy of sunlight to chemical energy. This chemical energy is used to drive chemical reactions such as the formation of sugars or the fixation of nitrogen into amino acids, the building blocks for protein synthesis. (see Photosynthesis – from Wikipedia). Algae capture light energy through photosynthesis and convert inorganic substances into simple sugars using the captured energy.

Finding algea strains to grow isn't too difficult. Cultivating specific strains of algae for biodiesel could be however a bit more difficult, as they can require high maintenance and could get easily contaminated by undesirable species.

Since algae need for their growth sunlight, carbon-di-oxide and water, they can be cultivated in open ponds & lakes. Due to the fact that these systems are "open", they are much more vulnerable to being contaminated by other algal species and bacteria. The real challenge with open air bioreactors (like a pond) is that the species of algae that have the highest oil content are not necessarily the quickest to reproduce. This creates a problem where other species take over the pond. Undesirable algal species taking over specific strains is one of the more significant problems in algaculture, with the possible exception of spirulina which in of itself is extremely aggressive and also grows at a pH that is extremely high, thereby eliminating the possibliity of contamination to some extent. For this reason, the number of species that have been successfully cultivated for a given purpose in an open system is relatively small. In addition, in open systems there is relatively less control over water temperature, carbon-di-oxide concentration & lighting conditions. These imply that the growing season is largely dependent on location and, aside from tropical areas, is limited to the warmer months. While the above are the disadvantages with “open systems”, some of the benefits of this type of system are that it is one of the cheaper ones to produce - at the most basic you only need to dig a trench or pond.

A variation on the basic "open-pond" system is to close it off, to cover a pond or pool with a greenhouse. While this usually results in a smaller system, it does take care of many of the problems associated with an open system. It allows more species to be able to be grown, it allows the species that are being grown to stay dominant, and it extends the growing season, only slightly if unheated, and if heated it can produce year round. It is also possible to increase the amount of carbon-di-oxide in these quasi-closed systems, thus again increasing the rate of growth of algae.

The ponds in which the algae are cultivated are usually what are called the “raceway ponds”. In these ponds, tha algae, water & nutrients circulate around a racetrack. With paddlewheels providing the flow, algae are kept suspended in the water, and are circulated back to the surface on a regular frequency. The ponds are usually kept shallow because the algae need to be exposed to sunlight, and sunlight can only penetrate the pond water to a limited depth. The ponds are operated in a continuous manner, with CO2 and nutrients being constantly fed to the ponds, while algae-containing water is removed at the other end.

Alternatively, algae could be grown in closed structures called photobioreactors, where the environment is better controlled than in open ponds. While the costs of setting up and operating a photobioreactor would be higher than for those for open ponds, the efficiency and higher oil yields from these photobioreactors could be significantly higher as well, thus offsetting the initial cost disadvantage in the medium and long run.

Photobioreactors

A photobioreactor is an equipment that is used to harvest algae. A photobioreactor is basically a bioreactor that incorporates some type of light source. The term photobioreactor is more commonly used to define a closed system, as opposed to an open pond. A pond covered with a greenhouse could also be considered a photobioreactor. Because these systems are closed everything that the algae need to grow, (carbon dioxide, water and light) need to be introduced into the system.

Photobioreactors can be set up to be continually harvested (the majority of the larger cultivation systems), or by harvesting a batch at a time (like polyethlyene bag cultivation). A batch photobioreactor is set up with nutrients and algal seed, and allowed to grow until the batch is harvested. A continuous photobioreactor is harvested either continually, as daily, or more frequently.

Some types of photobioreactors include:
· glass or plastic tubes
· tanks
· plastic sleeves or bags

Growing algae at home

Take a container and add a small amount of algae culture. If your plans for growing algae are towards producing biodiesel feedstock, you will need to find specific algae strains. Adding an aquarium bubble stone increases growth and circulates the algae. The only requirements for this type of system are CO2, (ambient CO2 is sufficient, though you're growth rate will be slower), nutrients, such as fertilizer or manure, and a light source. The optimal temperature range will depend on the strain you are using.

Some questions found at a message board re growing algae at home: Is it possible to grow the required algae on a small scale? How much know-how do you need? How high are the initial costs? Would growing algae be very complicated? Could they even grow it indoors?..Do you know of any websites that give instructions for do-it-yourself biodiesel (or even ethanol?)...

See also: Can Oil-producing Algae be Grown at Home? – Biodiesel Now Forum, In-home Photosynthetic Bio-reactor

Lighting

Some sources that can be used to provide the light energy required to sustain photosynthesis include

· Fluorescent bulbs
· LEDs, or
· Natural sunlight

Some more thoughts on algae growth and cultivation

· It could also be worth thinking about how (or if) marine algae could be grown – perhaps through iron fertilization - in otherwise unproductive (high-nitrogen-low-chlorophyll) regions of the open oceans.

Research on Algae Cultivation

· The NREL (national Renewable Energy Laboratory, part of the Department of Energy) conducted research into algae production. NREL favoured unlined “raceway” ponds which were stirred using a paddle wheel, and had carbon dioxide bubbled through it. The water used for these ponds is wastewater (treated sewerage) freshwater, brackish water, or salt water, depending on the strain of algae grown. The algae should be a native to the region.
· Other countries, notably Japan, are interested in closed systems; however these systems (at least from NREL perspective) are very expensive.

Oil Extraction From Algae

Oil extraction from algae is a hotly debated topic currently because this process is one of the more costly processes which can determine the sustainability of algae-based biodiesel.

In terms of the concept, the idea is quite simple: Extract the algea from its growth medium (using an appropriate separation process), and use the wet algae to extract the oil. (Note: The algae need not be dried before oil extraction)

There are three well-known methods to extract the oil from oilseeds, and these methods should apply equally well for algae too:

1. Expeller/Press
2. Hexane solvent oil extraction
3. Supercritical Fluid extraction

Expeller/Press

Expression/Expeller press-When algae is dried it retains its oil content, which then can be "pressed" out with an oil press. Many commercial manufacturers of vegetable oil use a combination of mechanical pressing and chemical solvents in extracting oil.

While more efficient processes are emerging, a simple process is to use a press to extract a large percentage (70-75%) of the oils out of algae.

Hexane Solvent Method

Algal oil can be extracted using chemicals. Benzene and ether have been used, but a popular chemical for solvent extraction is hexane, which is relatively inexpensive. The downside to using solvents for oil extraction are the inherent dangers involved in working with the chemicals. Benzene is classified as a carcinogen. Chemical solvents also present the problem of being an explosion hazard.

Hexane solvent extraction can be used in isolation or it can be used along with the oil press/expeller method. After the oil has been extracted using an expeller, the remaining pulp can be mixed with cyclo-hexane to extract the remaining oil content. The oil dissolves in the cyclohexane, and the pulp is filtered out from the solution. The oil and cyclohexane are separated by means of distillation. These two stages (cold press & hexane solvent) together will be able to derived more than 95% of the total oil present in the algae.

Supercritical Fluid Extraction

This can extract almost 100% of the oils all by itself. This method however needs special equipment for containment and pressure

In the supercritical fluid/CO2 extraction, CO2 is liquefied under pressure and heated to the point that it has the properties of both a liquid and gas. This liquefied fluid then acts as the solvent in extracting the oil.

Other Less Well-known Extraction Methods

Enzymatic extraction - Enzymatic extraction uses enzymes to degrade the cell walls with water acting as the solvent, this makes fractionation of the oil much easier. The costs of this extraction process are estimated to be much greater than hexane extraction.


Osmotic shock - Osmotic shock is a sudden reduction in osmotic pressure, this can cause cells in a solution to rupture. Osmotic shock is sometimes used to release cellular components, such as oil.

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction - Ultrasonic extraction can greatly accelerate extraction processes. Using an ultrasonic reactor, ultrasonic waves are used to create cavitation bubbles in a solvent material, when these bubbles collapse near the cell walls, it creates shock waves and liquid jets that cause those cells walls to break and release their contents into the solvent.
References for Ultrasonic-assisted extraction – see here, Ultrasound – A New Technique to Harvest Microalgae? (PDF), Sonochemistry – from Food Technology Centre, Ultrasonic Irradiation for Synthesis of Biodiesel Fuels

See also: www.cyberlipid.org

Biodiesel From Algae An Introduction

Biodiesel has usually been made from the oil pressed from agricultural crops such as corn, soya, and rapeseed. However there is not enough arable land on the earth's surface to grow sufficient corn to replace the amount of fossil fuel oil we use today, let alone tomorrow. There are alternatives such as Jatropha, an amazing plant which grows on the worst soils and has seeds with an oil content of well over 30%, but again enormous swathes of the planet's land would have to be dedicated to growing this crop.

What we need is an incredibly fast growing, biodegradable crop with enormous oil yields. Algae therefore came forward as potentially the most efficient crop to grow for biodiesel. It's oil content is a whopping 50+% formed as it converts carbon dioxide from the air and sunlight into energy, and it has enormous growth rates. Studies suggest that algae is capable of yielding 30 times more oil per acre than the crops currently used in biodiesel production. Algae can create 5,000-20,000 gallons of oil per acre per year, far in excess of palm oil which yields a paltry 635 gallons despite being one of the best crops presently for biodiesel production.Algae can also be economically converted into solid fuels, methane gas, or bio-ethanol. It can also be used to generate electricity which in turn can be used to obtain hydrogen fuel to power hydrogen fuel cells. Another advantage is that algae can even be fed on liquid human sewage and on streams polluted by fertilizer run off reducing pollution.
Pictured above is a schematic diagram showing the process flow from growth of algae to its processing into transportation fuels and its use to generated electricity. This scheme proposed by GreenFuel takes CO2 from smokestack emissions and uses it to feed the algae having the ancilliary benefit of reducing emissions - NOx by 86% and CO2 by 40%.

Pressing Jatropha to get the oil.

Jatropha is a high oil-yield crop grown around the world for biodiesel production.Jatropha trees develop fruit during the winter the leaves have fallen - however in optimal conditions (warm temperatures and moist soil) several crops per year are possible. The fruits form in buches of around 10 and are initially olive green in colour. Over the following three or so months, the seeds contained within the fruits mature while the fruit changes from green to yellow to black.At this stage the fruits should be harvested either by hand or using olive harvesting equipment. The fruit is made up of a husk (seed coat) which must be removed (can be composted), and the jatropha seeds which hold the oil. After a couple of days of sun-drying the seeds can easily be popped out of the fruits by hand. Seeds must be well dried before pressing since moist seeds can develop mould and can also jam the pressing equipment. Pressing of the seeds is carried out by a mechanical seed press human-powered or with an electric or diesel motor. Where a direct injection diesel motor is used to power the seed press, pressed oil can be used directly as a fuel - typically around 5% of the pressed oil would be used in this way. There is no need to heat the seeds - warm ambient temperatures are sufficient to obtain high yields with cold pressing.The seeds fall down from the hopper and are crushed by a revolving screw which presses out the jatropha oil The oil drips down and can be captured in a container.

Intresting story:Soy-based biodiesel reliable in frigid cold - study

CHICAGO - Soy-based biodiesel has been dependable during this winter's arctic US temperatures, confirming recent data, and bolstering calls for its use as an alternative to foreign oil, researchers said.
Click on the link below to read full article.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/19848/story.htm

Facts about Jatropha.

Jatropha is seen by many to be the perfect biodiesel crop. It can be grown in very poor soils actually generating top soil as it goes, is drought and pest resilient, and it has seeds with up to 40% oil content.

Here are some facts and figures about Jatropha relating to its growth as an oil product:-

• Jatropha grows well on low fertility soils however increased yields can be obtained using a fertilizer containing small amounts of magnesium, sulphur, and calcium.
• Jatropha can be intercropped with many cash crops such as coffee, sugar, fruits and vegetables with the Jatropha offering both fertilizer and protection against livestock.
• Jatropha needs at least 600mm of rain annually to thrive however it can survive three years of drought by dropping its leaves.
• Jatropha is excellent at preventing soil erosion, and the leaves it drops act as a wonderful soil enriching mulch.
• Jatropha prefers alkaline soils.
• The cost of 1kg of jatropha seeds in India is 6 Rupees.
• Each jatropha seedling should be given a 2m x 2m area to grow into.
• 20% of seedlings planted will not survive.
• Jatropha seedlings yield seeds in the first year after plantation.
• After the first five years, the typical annual yield of a jatropha tree is 3.5kg of beans.
• Jatropha trees are productive for up to 30-40 years.
• 2,200 trees can be planted per hectare (approx 1,000 per acre).
• 1 hectare should yield around 7 tonnes of seeds per year.
• The oil pressed from 4kg of seeds is needed to make 1 litre of biodiesel.
• 91%+ of the oil can be extracted with cold pressing.
• 1 hectare should yield around 2.2-2.7 tonnes of oil.Press cake (seedcake) is left after the oil is pressed from the seeds. This can be composted and used as a high grade nitrogen rich organic fertilizer (green manure). The remaining oil can be used to make skin friendly soap.
• One job is created for each 4 hectares of jatropha plantation.
• Biodiesel costs around 13 - 16Rs per litre to grow and refine in India.
• Glycerol, a biproduct of biodiesel refinement, can be sold in India for around 40-50 Rs per kilogram.
• One hectare of jatropha plantation yields 25,000 Rupees / year in India.

The following stats come from D1 Oils the UK's biggest biodiesel company:-

• Crushing 1 tonne of Jatropha seeds costs around $40 (Rs. 1 875.).
• 1 tonne of seedcake (the leftovers after pressing) can be sold for $100 (Rs. 4100).
• The transport costs of shipping 1 tonne of jatropha from India to Northern Europe is $100 (Rs. 4100).
• The landed cost of 1 tonne of jatropha oil to Northern Europe is between $348 and $500(Rs.14 332-20 592) for oil contents of 29% to 40% .
• Refining jatropha oil into biodiesel costs less than $125 (Rs.5100) per tonne.
• Jatropha oil can be used as a kerosene substitute for heating and lamps.Jatropha oil burns with a clear smokeless flame.

Jatropha incentives in India:Wikipedia

Jatropha incentives in India is a part of India's goal to achieve energy independence by the year 2012. Jatropha oil is produced from the seeds of the Jatropha curcas, a plant that can grow in wastelands across India. Jatropha oil is considered to be an excellent source of bio-diesel. India is keen on reducing its dependence on coal and petroleum to meet its increasing energy demand and encouraging Jatropha cultivation is a crucial component of its energy policy.

In general, India's strategy is the encouragement of the development of renewable sources of energy by the use of incentives by the federal and state governments. Other examples of encouragement by incentive include the use of nuclear energy (India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act), promoting windfarms such as Muppandal, and solar energy (Ralegaon Siddhi).
The Government of India has identified 400,000 square kilometres (98 million acres) of land where Jatropha can be grown, hoping it will replace 20% of India's diesel consumption by 2011 This has provided much needed employment to the rural poor of India and also a means to energy Independence to India.
India's interest in the succulent plant Jatropha is as a renewable energy source as well as a way of addressing general social issues such as unemployment. Large plots of waste land have been selected for Jatropha cultivation that will provide much needed employment to the rural poor of India.Businesses are also seeing the planting of Jatropha as a good business opportunity.
Contents

Implementation
The President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam, is one of the strong advocaters of jatropha cultivation for production of bio-diesel. In his recent speech, the President said that out of the 60 million hectares (600,000 km²) of waste land that is available in India over 30 million hectares (300,000 km²) are suitable for Jatropha cultivation. Once this plant is grown the plant has a useful lifespan of several decades. During it life Jatropha requires very little water when compared to other cash crops.
Recently, the State Bank of India provided a boost to the cultivation of Jatropha in India by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with D1 Mohan to give loans to the tune of 1.3 billion rupees to local farmers in India. Farmers will also be able to pay back the loan with the money that D1 Mohan pays for the Jatropha seeds.

Indian Railways
The Indian Railways has started to use the oil (blended with diesel fuel in various ratios) from the Jatropha plant to power its diesel engines with great success. Currently the diesel locomotives that run from Thanjavur to Nagore section and Tiruchirapalli to Lalgudi, Dindigul and Karur sections run on a blend of Jatropha and diesel oil.

Jatropha in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh has entered into a formal agreement with Reliance Industries for Jatropha planting. The company has selected 200 acres of land at Kakinada to grow jatropha for high quality bio-diesel fuel. Kerala is planning a massive Jatropha planting compaign.

Jatropha in Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh has decided to plant 160 million saplings of jatropha in all its 16 districts during 2006 with the aim of becoming a bio-fuel self-reliant state by 2015.Chhattisgarh plans to earn Rs.40 billion annually by selling seeds after 2010. The central government has provided Rs.135 million to Chhattisgarh this year for developing jatropha nursery facilities.
In May 2005, Chief Minister Raman Singh became the first head of a state government to use jatropha diesel for his official vehicle. Chhattisgarh plans to replace with jatropha fuel all state-owned vehicles using diesel and petrol by 2007. Chattisgarh Biofuel Development Authority now oversees the prduction of the Jatropha curcas seed as a rich source of bio-diesel.

Jatropha in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is aggressively promoting the plantation of Jatropha to help farmers over come the loss due to irregular rains during the past few years. The government has contracted the development of Jatropha in Tamilnadu in a large scale to four entrepreneurs. Namelu M/s Mohan Breweries and Distilleries Limited. M/s Shiva Distilleries Limited, M/s Dharani Sugars and Chemicals Limited and M/s Riverway Agro Products Private Ltd. Currently the firms have cultivated the plant in about 3 square kilometres as against the goal of 50 km².
The government of Tamilnadu has also abolished purchase tax on Jatropha.

Jatropha in Rajasthan
Jatropha is ideally suited for cultivation in Rajasthan as it needs very little water which is scarce in Rajasthan. Jatropa plantations have been undertaken in Udaipur, Kota, Sikar, Banswara, Chittor and Churu districts. In the Udaipur district, Jatropha curcas is planted in agroforestry formats with food or cash crops on marginal lands (in India often called waste lands). As its leaves are toxic and therefore non-palatable to livestock, they remain intact in their sapling stage, unlike most other tree saplings.

Jatropha in Maharashtra
In September 2007, the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) joined hands with the Maharashtra State Farming Corporation Ltd (MSFCL) for a jatropha seed-based bio-diesel venture. As part of the project, a jatropha plant would be grown on 500 acres in Nashik and Aurangabad. In November 2005, the Maharashtra Government aimed to cultivate jatropha on 600 km² in the state, with half the land going to the public sector and the other half to the private sector.On July 1 2006, Pune Municipal Corporation took the lead among Indian cities in using bio-diesel from jatropha in over 100 public buses.

Call to frame biodiesel policy

The State would need to come out with a comprehensive policy to give a clear direction to biodiesel programmes and promotional activities. Cultivation of jatropha shall, in the first phase, be undertaken on available wastelands of upto 1.44 hectares in the State, according to recommendations of a national seminar held here under the auspices of the Chakkala Community Association of India.
The Chakkala community has traditionally been engaged in the oil extraction business.
Assured Returns
Jatropha cultivation can be taken up on vacant land on the sides of Railway tracks and other fallow lands, as well as for bio fencing. Given the preponderance of rubber plantations in the State, production of rubber seed oil may be taken up for being processed into bio-diesel.
A State-level nodal agency, along the lines of the Chhattisgarh Biofuel Development Authority, should be set up. The Government support in the form of incentives is a must, since, compared with other crops, jatropha cultivation is not a profitable proposition.
An effective procurement system for jatropha seeds has to be institutionalised so that farmers get assured returns. An appropriate biodiesel price policy and a separate purchase policy need to be formulated. Zero excise duty for biodiesel, tax exemption for jatropha seeds, price subsidy and other support measures may also be considered.
Credit Delivery
A massive jatropha cultivation programme involving self-help groups needs to be formulated and implemented, for which support from various Government agencies must be channelised.
Non-government organisations and voluntary bodies must be encouraged to take up jatropha cultivation and set up biodiesel manufacturing units.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development must develop farm models and structure a scheme of finance to facilitate effective credit delivery system. Development of appropriate technology for processing and production of biodiesel, including management of by-products, engine development and modification, has to be given appropriate thrust.
The Railways may initiate expeditious action to take up jatropha cultivation on the fallow and unutilised lands available with them. These lands may in turn be leased to interested NGOs as expeditiously as possible. The country may declare year 2008 as the `Year of Biofuels'.

Source:-http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/05/10/stories/2007051000762300.htm

A simple brewing formula.

The recipe for making biodiesel is very simple although there are plenty of dangers involved. This recipe is here for information purposes only and we do not recommend that you attempt to make biodiesel at home. Protective chemical proof gloves, an apron, and goggles must be worn, and vapours released are poisonous so a dust mask is recommended.

Vegetable oil is too thick to use directly in a diesel car's engine. Therefore its viscosity must be reduced using a chemical process which strips the glycerin from the esters (vegetable molecules). By replacing the glycerin with an alcohol (methanol or ethanol) by the process of transestrification we obtain a useable fuel - biodiesel. As vegetable oil is acidic, an alkaline (sodium hydroxide NaOH also known as lye or caustic soda) is used to break the molecules.The following details are for new unused oil. If you intend to use old vegetable oil then the amount of sodium hydroxide must be modified to take into account the increased acidity and extra free fatty acids that need to be neutralised before they gunge up your fuel lines.

To make a sample amount of biodiesel - e.g. 1 litre you need the following:
1. 1 litre of vegetable oil.
2. 200 millilitres of methanol (95% pure).(This is not Methalated Spirit)
3. 5 grams of sodium hydroxide.

The first step is to dissolve the sodium hydroxide in the methanol to generate sodium methoxide. This must NOT be done in a plastic bottle as the sodium hydroxide will attact the bottle and fill it with holes. Instead use a large glass jar with a very tightly fitting lid. Drop the sodium hydroxide into the methanol, replace the lid immediately, and shake/swirl the mixture for around 10 minutes until all of the sodium hydroxide has dissolved. A lot of heat will be generated during this process.Then this solution is added to the vegetable oil which has been pre-heated to 60°C. Get a 2 litre plastic drinks bottle and a funnel. Pour the warm oil through the funnel into the bottle and then (in a well ventilated area) add the methoxide. Remove the funnel and replace the top on the bottle screwing it down tightly. Shake the bottle vigorously for 30 seconds. For best results shake the mixture for 5 seconds four times over the space of one hour.The mixture can then be left to settle with biodiesel appearing at the top, and glycerine at the bottom. Within an hour most of the glycerine will have settled out, but it is best to leave the mixture overnight to settle more fully. Next morning slowly pour off the biodiesel to use as fuel and put the glycerine on your compost heap or use it to make soap.

To improve the quality of your biodiesel it should be washed in order to remove the soap it contains. To do this pour your one litre of biodiesel into another two litre bottle. Add 1/2 litre of 40°C water gently to the bottle. Replace the bottle top tightly and then turn the bottle end over end gently for 30 seconds. As long as you are gentle, the cloudy (soapy) water and biodiesel will seperate quickly. Turn the bottle upside down and slowly release the water (which will form a layer at the bottom) using your thumb as a valve. Repeat this process 2 or 3 times slowly increasing the level of agitation and the length of time you rotate the bottle. By wash four and five you can shake the bottle fairly vigorously. If you shake the bottle too early you will create an emulsion that will take days if not weeks to settle out. When you have finished the water should come out of the bottle pretty much clear. Then you can leave the biodiesel for a couple of days to settle and dry afterwhich it will be clear and ready to use as fuel in your diesel engined car.

This same process with modifications can be used for larger quantities. Industrial process are also similar to this but some methods are incorporated into them to make them faster and also more efficient but the basic idea is same.

Kasargod:Forest Department planting Jatropha

Kasargod (Kerala): Jatropha Curcas plants which produce bio- diesel are being grown in the waste lands Kasargod district in northern Kerala.
Besides dibbling more than 5000 seeds of Jatropha the state forest department has already planted 42000 seedlings in around 22 hectares of waste lands in the forest of Kasargod.
Apart from waste lands of Kasargod there is also a plann to utilise boundaries and waysides of the district. If this would be implemented, there would definitely be more financial benefit.
Jatropha not only can grow in degraded soil in arid or semi arid atmosphere, but it can also withstand long period of drought and can bear acidic rain fall as well. The plant starts yielding seeds by the third year of its plantation and can continue till 25 to 30 years.
According to the department, one hectare of land can produce 10 tons of seeds out of which 37 per cent oil can be extracted.
Bio-diesel produced from Jatropha can be used in any automobile. India which import more than 70 per cent of its crude oil can look forward to source a part of its oil seeds, if jatropha is extended to more areas, which otherwise might not be fertile for agriculture.

What is Jatropha?

Jatropha Curcas is an excellent biofuel crop which has many other advantages over existing crops.
The biofuel yield of various crops has been measured, and is usually given in barrels of oil per square mile per year. Corn is a common biofuel crop in the USA, but it yields under 200 barrels (per square mile per year). Rice for example yields almost 1000 barrels, however it is an essential worldwide food crop as are most of the other potential biofuel crops.It is simply not viable to use good quality arable farmland for growing biofuels, biofuel crops need to be grown on marginal land if we are to benefit from them.

This is where Jatropha scores highly. Not only does it have a great yield of well over 2,000 barrels of oil per square mile per year, it also increases the fertility of the land on which it is grown so that it can potentially be used for food crops in subsequent years.Jatropha is perennial which can grow in arid conditions (even deserts), on any kind of ground, and does not require irrigation or suffer in droughts. Therefore unlike the common biofuel crops of today (corn and sugar), they are very easy to cultivate even on poor land in Africa providing great social and economic benefits for that region.Jatropha is fast growing and it begins yielding oil in the second year and for the next forty to fifty years. Optimal yields are obtained from the sixth year, and spaced at 2 metre intervals, around 2500 plants can be cultivated per hectare. Jatropha absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and therefore earns carbon credits.
Source:-http://www.reuk.co.uk/What-is-Jatropha.htm

Introduction To Biodiesel

Biodiesel is the name given to any diesel equivalent biofuel which can be used in an unmodified diesel engined vehicle.In general biodiesel is most commonly made with a mixture of vegetable oil and methanol. With a flash point of 160 degrees C it is classified as non-flammable, and it is also biodegradable and non-toxic. On its own biodiesel has much lower emissions than petrodiesel, and it can also be mixed with petrodiesel to reduce emissions. B20 for example is a fuel containing 20% biodiesel and 80% petrodiesel.



Pure biodiesel is B100.Biodiesel reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 78%, and carbon monoxide emissions by 50%. It also completely eliminates sulphur emissions.For vehicles made before the early 1990's there is a problem with the use of biodiesel. The rubber hoses and gaskets used before that time can degrade in the presence of biodiesel. Newer cars have synthetic hoses and gaskets, and of course older cars can have their hoses and gaskets replaced before biodiesel is introduced. Biodiesel is also more solvent than petrodiesel and so it will rapidly break down any deposits of old residue in a vehicle's fuel lines and fuel tank and clog the fuel filter. Therefore, after making the transition to biodiesel it is important to change the fuel filter around 1000 miles after switching.

Business Contacts

Post your contact information type of business or activity here, as comments.
Note:-Only bio diesel related entries will be kept.

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Good article on Bio diesel

A good article that I found. There are lots of links in the comments that are use full.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/04/indian_state_to.html

A video on Biodiesel and its importance to India

On Location: Jatropha Biodiesel in India is a very interesting introduction to biodiesel in transportation. The presentation is centered on the problems of transportation in India, and relies on video clips of Indian traffic.

This is a must watch.


Want to know what Bio Diesel is ? Click Here

Courier service vehicles to test bio diesel in India

TNT, one of the world’s leading express companies, has launched a pilot project in India to use biodiesel in its delivery vehicles.
Three trucks will participate in the year-long project between Pune, Nasik and Bangalore, covering a total distance of 45,000 kilometers (28,000 miles) per month.
...TNT’s biodiesel pilot project in India is part of the company’s global “Driving Clean” initiative to improve its environmental performance.
...For smaller vehicles, for which the Euro-5 standard has not yet been established, TNT is purchasing Euro-4 compliant vehicles with built-in particulate filters.
...Working with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), TNT is developing a tool and strategy that will allow fleet managers to generate action plans for improving the environmental performance of their fleets.
The company began a pilot in Turkey in November 2006 in which two hybrid vehicles are being tested for six months on purchasing costs, fuel costs and emission rates.

The green signal Friday :Bala Ganesan

A few days back, I was invited to sign Greenpeace’s petition to ‘‘Ban the Bulb’’. I declined, despite subscribing wholeheartedly to their goal. Banning incandescent light bulbs (ILBs) seemed like a ham-fisted approach, smacking of self-righteous storm-trooperism. A well-designed set of disincentives, incentives and promotional projects holds far greater promise. Before getting to those, we should understand why ILBs are worse than compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). ILBs use about five times as much electricity as CFLs to produce a given amount of light. Further, they are said to last only about a tenth as long as CFLs. On the other hand, CFLs emit bluish light and contain tiny amounts of mercury, requiring careful disposal.

Let us consider what all this may mean for the states in the rain shadow of the Western Ghats. The estimated population of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in 2007 is about 200 million. The internet could reveal the number of ILBs installed in these states – let me assume that it is 200 million. If the average wattage of these bulbs is 60 and they are on for an average of 2.5 hours a day, the annual energy consumption is almost eleven million megawatt-hours. Were all these ILBs to be replaced with equally bright CFLs, annual power consumption would drop by almost nine million MWH. That is the net delivered power (assuming 70 per cent load factor and 10 per cent technical transmission losses) from a coal-fired power plant with a name-plate capacity of 1,600 MW. Such a plant costs about Rs 7,000 crore and will emit about eleven million tons of carbon dioxide (plus other nasties) annually, as much as five million diesel engine cars (1300-1500cc engine).

Biodiesel: This brings us to biodiesel, much talked about these days. Relative to petro-diesel, the reductions in emissions with biodiesel are: carbon dioxide 80 per cent, carbon monoxide 50 per cent, sulfur dioxide 100 per cent, hydrocarbons 93 per cent, and particulates 30 per cent. Western analysts are concerned that this clean fuel will not be competitive without subsidies. They determine the cost of biodiesel by starting with the cost of vegetable oils, soy or palm, build up to a plant-gate cost (over Rs 40/litre) and compare that, unfavourably, to the wholesale price of diesel. This methodology is inappropriate for India. The three southern states together have over twelve million hectares of land classified as fallow or uncultivable. Jatropha Curcas is a robust, inedible plant. It is native to India and has long been used as natural rural fencing. It is not otherwise cultivated, since it has low economic value. But, it thrives in areas receiving just 600 mm of annual rainfall, with scant tending, enriching the soil on which it grows. Its seeds contain over 35 per cent oil, which can be expressed through manual or simple mechanical means. This oil can be refined into biodiesel at less than Rs 5/litre. The resulting net production cost of biodiesel is about Rs 3.50 per litre. Unrefined oil can be used as a clean burning fuel in rural households. The relevant question in India is whether the value of jatropha oil, netted back from the wholesale price of diesel, will be enough to attract poor rural families to jatropha plantations. The answer is a resounding yes. Based on government surveys, the current consumption expenditure per land-owning farm household averages Rs 3000 a month in these three states. This suggests that Rs 3000 a month should look highly attractive to the poorest rural families. A hectare of jatropha will, agriculturists estimate, yield around 2,700 litres of jatropha oil annually. So, jatropha diesel will be deemed sustaining at Rs 15/litre and munificent at Rs 20/litre by a family owning a one-hectare plantation. We can now link the two issues, Bulbs and Biodiesel. Rather, the Southern states can, if they are willing to don green shawls. They can launch programs structured along the following lines: Make ILB Unattractive, CFL Attractive Impose an energy tax of 25 paise per watt on ILB. Double the tax to 50 paise after four years. CFLs are economically attractive despite their higher prices. With electricity tariffs of Rs 3/kwh, even a Rs 120 CFL pays for itself in a year and will last years longer. As people switch into higher priced CFLs, VAT revenue will increase.

The increased revenue from the energy tax and incremental VAT should amount to more than Rs 500 crores over about six years for the three states combined. Promote CFLs through advertising campaigns Constitute a technical committee with members from leading technical institutions to select the best three CFL brands each year, based on lumens/watt, price and warmth of light. In partnership with media, give wide publicity to the winners. Promote Jatropha Planting Identify one million hectares, in large clusters, of fallow land for planting jatropha. Establish public-private institutions in each state (major oil companies are probable partners) to finance the purchase of this land by landless farm labourers, at two hectares per nuclear family. These institutions could retain a minority revenue interest in the land for a decade or more. Through these institutions, provide subsidised jatropha seedlings (2,500 per hectare) and help finance small-scale jatropha oil mills. Champion the production of vehicle engines and agricultural pump-sets using 100 per cent biodiesel (B100) or jatropha oil. Have the above technical committee choose the two best cars, commercial vehicle, tractor and agricultural pump-set diesel engines, based on fuel efficiency, emissions and reliability. Convert all government owned vehicles to B100. Have the railways do the same (locomotives on the Delhi-Mumbai line already use a jatropha diesel blend). Partly subsidise the conversion of all electric agricultural pump-sets to jatropha oil. Set ad valorem tax rates for biodiesel below those for petro-diesel. Earn carbon credits The price of carbon credits, which are actively traded in Europe, have fluctuated widely due to gross mismanagement by the EU. They should stabilise before too long, perhaps at levels around fifteen to twenty euros per tonne of CO2 equivalent. If they do, potential earnings are enormous. If the three states do all of the above effectively and expeditiously, the benefits will include enough biodiesel to fuel the equivalent of two million cars, a dramatic reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases, land ownership and a lower-middle-income standard of living for over 500,000 desperately poor families, creation of thousands of small-scale industrial units in poorer rural districts, and reduction in respiratory ailments in urban areas.
There will also be a reduction of over US$750 million in our annual oil import bill and an economically sound, public-private program that can employ socially inclined graduates. Sounds a whole lot better than a ban. What do you think, chief ministers?

Biofuel craze catches on in India

The bio fuel craze is catching on in India , even though it is still importing cooking oil or raw materials for the same.
"We are subsidizing the farmer 100 per cent for growing" oilseed crops for bio diesel production for the past three years in different parts of India.
The government is behind the bio fuels push as it increases farmers' incomes, brings employment to rural areas and lowers greenhouse gas emissions.
India, one of the world's fastest growing developing economies since 1990, is the second most populous country in the world behind China and the third largest economy in Asia.
The farmer having a key role in India should be taken care of first and bio diesel crops promise the same.
The US Agriculture Department puts India's 2006/07 oilseed production at 29.5 million tonnes, which includes cottonseed, peanut, rapeseed, soybeans and sunflower seed. India is among the largest soybean producers in the world at 7.3 million tonnes, but it is dwarfed by US soy production at nearly 87 million tonnes last year.
Only marginal land is being brought back into production, mainly dry land and non irrigated land to meet the expanding bio diesel demands. Land used to grow food is not part of the mix usually.
It raises the danger of edible oils being diverted from food consumption.

In Kerala too this craze is catching on, some farmers (mainly rubber) are thinking of re plantation and have started openly stating so in the media. One factor that should be kept in mind is that rubber seed oil too can be used to make bio diesel so all farmers should make sure that Jatropha does not become the next Vanilla.

So let us go about this fuel revolution with a lot more thought and proper knowledge than we did in the past.

Brahmapuram bio diesel Plant Location

The location of the plant that is scheduled to start in May at the waste disposal site
http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=9986476&x=76367254&z=15&l=0&m=a&v=2&show=/932584/



This map shows the location

Presidents take on Jatropha

Jatropha – Biofuel: Government has decided to permit mixing of 10% bio-fuel with diesel. Southern Railway is using 100% bio-fuel for running heavy vehicles like trucks, cranes, forklifts, jeeps and tractors. This has opened up new opportunities for employment and wealth generation in the rural sector. The study team of VIT can determine the waste land available in the 15 villages and suggest plantation of Jatropha in the waste land which can grow with very little input. Once grown the crop has a fifty years of life. Fruiting can take place in this plant in less than two years.It yields oil seeds up to 15 tonnes per hectares per year and produces two tonnes of bio-diesel. Presently, the cost of bio-diesel through the plant is approximately Rs. 17 to Rs. 19 per litre, which can be substantially reduced through choice of right size of the plant and using high yield variety plantation. This is a sustainable development process leading to large scale employment of villagers of this 20 villages. More over, use of Bio-fuel is carbon neutral. This oil can also be used for soap and candle industries. De-oiled cake is a raw material for composting. Also Jatropha plantation provides a good environment for honey production. The Jatropha farmers can also create honey farms in these villages. I would request the engineering students and management students assembled here to take the initiative and work with TNAU on this project and promote enterprises with financial support from the banks in rural areas.
THIS IS PART OF THE ADDRESS AT THE INAUGURATION OF CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH STUDIES AT VELLORE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, VELLORE >CLICK HERE TO GO THERE

News on proposed bio diesel plant in kochi

KOCHI: The setting up of the solid waste treatment plant of the Kochi Corporation at Brahmapuram has reached a crucial stage with the piling work all set to begin early next month. As the development of the land has almost been completed, soil test will be held on Tuesday, said C.K. Manisankar, Deputy Mayor.
The civic authorities hoped to obtain the results of the soil test by this weekend. The Corporation was speeding up the process so as to complete the piling works for the plant before the onset of monsoon. "We hope to begin the piling works during the first week of May. There is apprehension that the onset of monsoon may affect the pace of the work," Mr. Manisankar said.
All the hurdles before the Corporation in setting up the plant had been cleared. The Andhra Pradesh Technology Development Corporation (APTDC), which had won the tender for setting up the plant, had earlier offered to complete the project in one year. However, the deadline was further extended to one-and-a-half years.
"Though its was stated that it would take one-and-a-half years to complete the project, our effort is to get it completed within one year," Mr. Manisankar said.
The Vadavukode-Puthencruz panchayat had earlier decided not to renew the No Objection Certificate it had issued to the Kochi Corporation by stating that the local body had violated some of the guidelines set by the panchayat while issuing the NoC. "However, the issue has been settled," Mr Manisankar said.
The Kochi Corporation was fully concentrating on the Brahmapuram project, as it was this project that got the approval of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and the Asian Development Bank for funding, Mr. Manisankar said.
New proposal
Meanwhile, a Kochi-based entrepreneur has approached the Kochi Corporation and the State Government with a proposal for setting up a plant that uses "depolymerisation technology" for treating a wide range of refuses such as plastic, PVC, rubber and tyres, waste oils, wax and fat and biodegradable waste.
The project mooted by UPASCO India Private Limited was capable of converting waste into high-quality biodiesel, which can also be used for power generation, said V. Sasidharan, managing director of the company.
"We will bring the capital - Rs.120 crore - for the project and set up the plant on Build-Own-Operate and Transfer mode. All that we require for the project is six acres of land and sufficient quantity of waste," Mr. Sasidharan said.
The plant would also have the capability to process hotel and agriculture waste, animal products, hospital waste, refinery arrears and bitumen. The proposed plant would have a capacity of 10-mw power and 50,000 litres of biodiesel. The implementation time of the project was 10 months.
The technology was successfully used in some other countries. It was found to be without much environment impact and did not produce any harmful residual substances, said the project proposal.

Bio diesel crop cultivation........

Some area links to wikimapia that shows proposed bio diesel plantations :-
Note:- The center of the page will be on the location

Tamilnadu proposed land(PL)
1.http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=10172505&x=78774923&z=16&l=0&m=a&v=2
2.Location of a company selling extractors in Salem
http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=11658594&x=78137051&z=18&l=0&m=a&v=2
Goa proposed land (PL)
http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=15583478&x=74055067&z=18&l=0&m=a&v=2
Karnataka PL
1.http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=17119293&x=77311046&z=18&l=0&m=a&v=2&show=/3102081/
2.http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=17120134&x=77312704&z=18&l=0&m=a&v=2&show=/470503/
Andra Pradesh
1.http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=17254490&x=78352604&z=17&l=0&m=a&v=2
Maharashtra
1. Bio diesel plant location
http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=18096133&x=75418224&z=14&l=0&m=a&v=2&show=/3365827/
2. Jetropha Nursery belonging to the above plant
http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=18106086&x=75387969&z=14&l=0&m=a&v=2&show=/3370354/
Gujarat
1.http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=22728493&x=71581464&z=14&l=0&m=a&v=2&show=/3369155/
2.http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=22749035&x=71641717&z=14&l=0&m=a&v=2&show=/3369074/
3.http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=22749035&x=71641717&z=14&l=0&m=a&v=2&show=/3370223/
Uttar Pradesh
1.http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=27216873&x=78045164&z=18&l=0&m=a&v=2&show=/3800310/

More on algae based Bio diesel.......

Algae makes oil naturally. Raw algae can be processed to make biocrude, the renewable equivalent of petroleum, and refined to make gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and chemical feedstocks for plastics and drugs. Indeed, it can be processed at existing oil refineries to make just about anything that can be made from crude oil.

Alternatively, strains of algae that produce more carbohydrates and less oil can be processed and fermented to make ethanol, with leftover proteins used for animal feed.

The theoretical potential is clear. Algae can be grown in open ponds or sealed in clear tubes, and it can produce far more oil per acre than soybeans, a source of oil for biodiesel. Algae can also clean up waste by processing nitrogen from wastewater and carbon dioxide from power plants. What's more, it can be grown on marginal lands useless for ordinary crops, and it can use water from salt aquifers that is not useful for drinking or agriculture.

New genomic and proteomic technologies make it much easier to understand the mechanisms involved in algae-oil production. One of the challenges researchers have faced is that while some types of algae can produce large amounts of oil--as much as 60 percent of their weight--they only do this when they're starved for nutrients. But when they're starved for nutrients, they lose another of their attractive features: their ability to quickly grow and reproduce. Researchers hope to understand the molecular switches that cause increased oil production, with the added hope of triggering it without starving the algae. This could dramatically increase oil production and drive down prices.

A better understanding of biology may help researchers address another problem. The cheapest way to grow algae is in open ponds. But open ponds full of nutrients invite other species to take over, competing with the algae and cutting down production. When this and other problems are solved algae ponds could be our future oil wells.

Bio diesel from algea the details..........

An extensive article on bio diesel from algae click here

Fungus that digests cellullose.

Reuters has reported that a fungus that can digest cellulose has be found in elephant dung.

Bio diesel in 2007-2008 Budget

Bio-diesel
119. Central assistance in bio-diesel sector will be completely utilised. Non-conventional energy activities such as utilisation of rubber seed oil as bio-diesel, production of gas from coconut pith through bio methenation, exploring the feasibility of gasahol production etc will be taken up. These activities will be implemented through total energy security mission.

Taken from http://www.kerala.gov.in/budget/index.php?a=topics&t=6

Ungu - Kerala's answer to biodiesel demand?

Thiruvananthapuram Feb. 14 Kerala is a peripheral player in the biofuel market that is on the boil within the country and abroad. The reason is not far to seek: there's not much wasteland available to grow the Jatropha curcas shrub, an unadulterated biodiesel success story emerging from elsewhere in the country.
But studies show that Pongamia pinnata, a tree bearing non-edible `straight vegetable oil' and growing widely in the State, can do much more than hold a candle to jatropha. Or ask Mr K. Madhusoodanan of the Society of Energy Engineers and Managers (SEEM).
Better known as `Ungu', Pongamia pinnata beats jatropha hollow on two counts at least: one, being a tree, it will support the afforestation cause in no small measure. Widely planted along the roadsides in the State, the tree has displayed promising growth rates in the local climatic conditions.
Two, growing the tree in the degraded forest lands, unutilised tribal lands and along forest boundaries could be a winnable strategy for tribal upliftment and empowerment through practices that are socio-economically and environmentally sustainable. The State has about 92,300 hectares of wasteland, of which 38,400 hectares are underutilised, degraded and notified forestland.
In any case, the Centre has allowed only non-edible oil for biodiesel feedstock since the demand for edible vegetable oil exceeds supply. Ungu fits the bill on this count too, as does jatropha.
Mixed crop
There is potential to cultivate this as a mixed crop along with other forest plantation crops and all along the forest boundaries to act as an effective barrier against encroachment, especially in vulnerable areas. This can be taken up in forest villages under the `Food for Work' programme, for instance, with rights to collect the seeds given to these communities. The Government should set up seed collection and biodiesel processing facilities in these areas.
The lower fruit yields have put limitations on the use of Ungu as a potential tree bearing oil. But this could be overcome through proper selection. Seeds as well as stem cuttings can be used for raising plantations.
Yield potential
It starts bearing during the fourth to seventh year. A single tree is said to yield 9-90 kg of seeds, indicating a yield potential of 900-9,000 kg seed/ha (assuming 100 trees/ha). This means one could target two tonnes of oil and five tonnes of firewood on renewable basis, assuming an oil yield of 25 per cent from the seeds.
Growing Ungu on the 38,400 hectares of degraded forestland would yield about 76,800 tonnes of oil a year. This would approximately be five per cent of the diesel consumption in the State, valued at around Rs 200 crore.
Jatropha caught in the slick
According to Mr K. Madhusoodanan of the Society of Energy Engineers and Managers, one of the main problems in getting the biodiesel programme rolling is the difficulty linked to initiating large-scale cultivation. Farmers do not yet consider it as remunerative enough.
For instance, sugarcane plantations yield 70 t/ha and fetch Rs 70,000/ha at a sugarcane price of Rs 1,000/t. In comparison, if the jatropha farmer gets Rs 5,000 per tonne of oilseeds and if the yield is 3.75 t/ha, his income is only Rs 18,750 per hectare.
The other main issue is the lack of seed collection and oil extraction infrastructure. In the absence of these, it will be difficult to persuade entrepreneurs to install transesterification plants.
Finally, there is the problem of glycerol utilisation. The by-product glycerol is about 12 per cent of the biodiesel produced and is of about 88 per cent purity. If alternative means are not quickly found for utilising glycerol, then its price will plummet due to excess supply.

Major advantage of Bio Diesel

One of the biggest advantages of bio diesel compared to many other alternative transportation fuels is that it can be used in existing diesel engines without modification, and can be blended in at any ratio with petroleum diesel. That is unlike LPG that we see being used in Kerala this does not require any engine modification which is its major advantage. This will enable the users to use bio diesel as and when available.

What is this Bio Diesel?????????????????

What is bio diesel?
Bio diesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Bio diesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a bio diesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or no modifications. Bio diesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. Thus it is a clean burning alternative to diesel as we know it.

How is bio diesel made?
Bio diesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification whereby the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products—methyl esters (the chemical name for bio diesel) and glycerin (a valuable byproduct usually sold to be used in soaps and other products). That is easily said than done, even though fairly simple the process takes time to master and give proper yields. The manufacturers of different bio diesel making units claim 100% yield and the like, which actually are just tall claim because the process needs to be mastered and that in itself is a task, their equipment can make it easy but still cant make it perfect. So don't fall for those claims.

How is bio diesel suited for India(in particular Kerala)?

• Indian cities are teeming with diesel vehicles
• Bio diesel can be produced on small scales, ideal for India’s rural farmers to participate in– domestic production
• Will keep capital within the country
• Lower fuel transportation costs
• Kerala could have bio diesel production plants more than bio diesel crop cultivation due to high population density and crops can be sourced from neighbors with low population density
• Due to high population density cleaner fuels become even more important
• If at a time cheap input oils can be sourced from other countries Kerala's ports will be of great importance
• Possible use of rubber seed oil(in depth research required)
• Lagoons and Lakshwadeep areas can possibly be used for growing algea that can be used to produce oil.

What is the meaning of boilkerala???????????

Why in the world boilkerala......... I was thinking about a name for this blog then became a little naughty and thought b for bio oil for oil and Kerala for Kerala.......... thus was born boilkerala.blogspot.com . The bio diesel front in Kerala is very active , though in infancy it has crossed from thinking stage to want to be part stage. Thus we are seeing a lot of people asking and talking about the same in Kerala. In my opinion bio diesel plants should be grass root level like the bio gas plants, which are seen all over Kerala.

Algae Biodiesel InDepth Reference - More Points & Links on Biodiesel from Algae

Some algae can grow in saline water. It is worth exploring the possible economic production of biodiesel from algae using saline ground water in the growing ponds, which are covered by greenhouses as used by the horticultural and floral industries. Once the water becomes too salty for the algae to grow, it could be drained to evaporation ponds to recover the salts for use by the chemical industry.
Micro-algae are the fastest growing photosynthesizing organisms. They can complete an entire growing cycle every few days.
At an assumed recovery rate of 30% of the weight of algea, 45.6 tonnes of oil/hectare/year can be produced from Diatom algae.
Algae production can be increased by increasing the carbon dioxide concentration in the water.
For best conditions, algae ponds would need to be covered by greenhouses, which would require additional capital expediture to set up.
Different algae species produce different amounts of oil. Some algae ( diatoms for instance) produce up to 50% oil by weight.
Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, use solar energy to split water into oxygen and hydrogen, but they do it under limited conditions and for very brief periods of time. One of the goals is to extend the time and conditions under which these bacteria produce hydrogen. The major challenge that must be overcome is that cyanobacteria only produce hydrogen in the absence of oxygen. Success is dependent upon finding oxygen-tolerant strains of cyanobacteria.
Under optimum growing conditions micro-algae will produce up to 4 lbs./sq. ft./year or 15,000 gallons of oil/acre/year.
One of the problems with growing algae in any kind of pond is that only in the top 1/4" or so of the water does the algae receive enough solar radiation. So the ability of a pond to grow algae is limited by its surface area, not by its volume.

More reference articles on algal oil: Visitors may kindly have a look at the Oilgae Blog Directory for relevant blog articles.

See also:
A Look-back at the US Dept of Energy’s Aquatic Species Program (PDF)
Future of Algal Culture & Algal Biodiesel
Algae for Bio-diesel – Slide Presentation from Veggie Van
Biodiesel from Algae in Sewage
Bio-engineered Algae Bringing Hydrogen Fuel-cells Closer?
Algae-based Fuel – from Green Fuel Online (PDF)
Commodities of the Future – How about Algae & Manure?
More Good News about Biodiesel – Dymaxion World
Pond Scum to the Rescue – Salon Magazine
Oil Substitutes from Biomass - FAO
Culturing Algae for Carbon-di-oxide Bioremediation (PDF) – see page 13 of this report
Biohydrocarbons from Algae – Impact of Sunlight, Temperature & Salinity on Algae Growth
Concentration of Chlorophyll, Proteins, Carbohydrates & Lipids in 16 Species of Micro-algae
Role of Lipids & Fatty Acids in Stress Tolerance in Cyanobacteria (PDF) (Cyanobacteria are also known as blue-green algae)
Tests of Biogas Productivity from Algae Using Flue Gas CO2 (PDF)
Roadmap for Biofixation of CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Abatement with Microalgae (PDF) ( see also Proposal to Establish International Network for Biofixation & Greenhouse Gas Reduction with Microalgae - PDF)
Approach for Screening Marine Micro-algae for Maximum Gas CO2 Biofixation Potential (PDF)
Photo Bioreactors – Production Systems for Phototropic Microorganisms (PDF)
Solar Lighting for Growth of Algae in a Photobioreactor
CellPharm Tubular Reactors
Greefield Bioreactor Photo – News.com
Valuable Products from Microalgae (Microsoft Word File)
Algal Production – from FAO
Quick Tour of Ecogenics Research Center, Tennessee
Algal Cultivation Products – from CellPharm Aquaculture
Chlorella vulgaris Made in Germany
The Culture Collection of Algae at University of Texas @ Austin
Oil from Algae Yahoogroup
Algae Culture Source – Biodiesel Now Forums
Micro-algal Mass Cultures for Co-production of Fine Chemicals & Biofuels (PDF)
Biodiesel from Algae is Here – from Sydney Biodiesel Users Group
CEE Algae Blog
Sunlight + Algae = Hydrogen Fuel - Slashdot
Use of Botryococcous Braunii for Hydrocarbon Production & CO2 Mitigation (PDF)
Culivating Algae for Liquid Fuel Production – Thomas Riesing
Using Microalgae for CO2 Utilization & Agricultural Fertiliser Recycling (PDF)
Biotechnology of Algae – A Bibliography
Hydrogen from Algae – ZDNet Article (Original Paper – Molecular Dynamics & Experimental Investigation of H2 and O2 Diffusion in [Fe]-Hydrogenase PDF)
Algae as a Biomass Source – Energy Bulletin
Energy Resources Group
Biodiesel from Algae Compared with Ethanol from Crops
R & D Project on Microalgae Bio-fixation of CO2 (PDF)
An Algae-based Fuel – Green Fuel Online (PDF)
Yahoo Group Messages – This, this


Appendix A - Biodiesel from Algae Fed on Coal-fired Power Station Exhausts

The idea is that carbon dioxide from coal fired power station is used to produce algae, which is used to make biodiesel and natural gas.
If the carbon dioxide from a coal fired power station is pumped directly through a pipeline to a near by algae ‘farm’, then the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed into the algae is around 30%. The reason the value is so low is that the algae does not grow at night hence all carbon dioxide pumped then, goes straight into the atmosphere. In addition, the algae grow faster in summer than in winter. The other method is to concentrate the carbon dioxide and pressurize it and truck it to the algae farm, and then release the carbon dioxide into the ponds as and when it is needed. It is hoped that >95% of the carbon dioxide can be consumed by this method. A paddle wheel would move the water at a steady flow. The ponds would be unlined, that is made of compact clay, with gravel in the bottom to ensure no soil becomes agitated into the water.

Some estimates of biodiesel production from algae using CO2 from coal-fired power stations

Algae yield 100 tonnes/ha.
2.2 tonnes carbon dioxide needed / 1 tonnes algae
Water needed 4m3/m2. Most of the water is lost due to evaporation, some is consumed by the algae, and some is lost in the harvesting of the algae.
A 500 MW coal fired power station produces 3.67x106 tonnes of carbon dioxide
3.5 barrels of biodiesel per tonne algae produced
6 MJ methane per tonne algae generated
Energy density of LNG is 15.2 kWh/kg and density is 448 kg/m3


Appendix B – Diatoms

One of the more well-researched species of algae are the diatoms. In the context of oil yield for biodiesel, previous research has also indicated that diatoms are one of the more promising species of algae. We hence provide you more inputs on diatoms in this Appendix.

Biotechnological applications of diatoms are still in development. Because of the photoautotrophic status of the majority of diatoms, microalgal cultures suffer from the limitation of light diffusion, which requires the development of suitable photobioreactors. Thus, genetically engineered microalgae that may be cultivated in heterotrophic conditions present a new opportunity. Most of the time, metabolic stress conditions lead to an overproduction of the products of interest, with a decrease in biomass production as a consequence. Outdoor cultures in open ponds are usually devoted to aquaculture for the feeding of shrimps and bivalve molluscs (commercial production), while closed axenic indoor/outdoor photobioreactors are used for biotechnological compounds of homogeneous composition (still at the laboratory scale). In addition to the optimum culture conditions that have to be taken into account for photobioreactor design, the localisation of produced metabolites (intra- or extracellular) may also be taken into account when choosing the design. Microalgal cell immobilisation may be a suitable technique for application to benthic diatoms, which are usually sensitive to bioturbation and/or metabolites which may be overexpressed.

Currently diatoms (an algae) are being investigated for biodiesel and other things, including medicine. It appears more basic research about them is needed to be able to manage large scale diatom farms economically. Diatom study includes species that like to attach themselves to coral, sea weed, or strip of plastic. Thus harvesting diatoms is more complicated than pumping them from the sea, or a pond.