What are the latest developments in algae-based biodiesel production?
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Could you please introduce the latest progress in using algae to produce biodiesel? Thank you!
The key lies in the algae reactor and the recovery of algal sludge; as for the subsequent process from fatty acids to biodiesel, it’s relatively less complex.
The reactor should be crucial, and the cultivation of engineered algae is also very important. The engineered algae designed in the United States have a concentration of around 70% (in the laboratory), and such a high concentration is beyond what plants can achieve.
However, the difficulty and cost of cultivating algae with high oil content also **increase; if they cannot compete with native algae, it becomes impossible to make use of the vast oceans
Algae with high oil content – could you tell me the oil percentage?
I’m very curious; algae must contain a great deal of water, so how is that water managed!
This is the biodiesel I am most optimistic about; its energy density is primarily limited by sunlight, so it requires a lot of space. It would be best to integrate it with measures for treating eutrophic water.
High-yield seaweeds can have an oil content of over 50%. Conventional algae cultivation methods require large areas and have low costs； Photobioreactor systems are the most advanced equipment available today; many large European companies use them, but their cost is quite high. At present, the conversion and utilization of algae oil pose no problems, with research efforts still focused on the cultivation and pre-treatment of algae. Additional link: New technology uses seaweed to produce biodiesel, which is more environmentally friendly than conventional diesel. http://www.gxtv.cn/VNews/ShowSoft.asp?SoftID=6041
The reactors used for so-called engineered microalgae are all closed-type reactors, with production rates that are extremely high; commercialization is simply not feasible. It simply cannot compete with algae species in the external environment in an open setting, and thus cannot become the dominant population in such systems. If humans find a algae strain that can maintain an advantage in an open environment, haha, then let’s all pray to God to bless us.
It’s a bit scary too if the open environment still has advantages; what if it gets out of control? That could lead to an ecological disaster
It’s about aquaculture issues; production has started in Shandong using oil-rich algae.