Algae1

Algae: Future fuel and value

added products

By

Anupama Yadav

Dr. A. M. LallDepartment of Biochemistry and Biochemical Engineering

Jacob School of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering

Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture Technology and Sciences

Allahabad

© [Anupama.Yadav] [2014]

Energy: Our basic requirement


Understanding Energy and its socio-

economic significance

• Fuel + Energy+ chemicals for fertilizers = 70% Economy of the planet

• Funding of this largest economy is 1/30th of medical research and for algae its 1/100th of that of agriculture

• Requirement of Energy, rate so high that we would burn petroleum accumulated over 300 million years in less than 200 years or in less than Eight Generations of Human beings.


Energy crisis

Biofuels

60% of Fossil Fuels used


First Generation•from sugar, starch, vegetable oil or animal

fats

•used conventional technology

•criticized for diverting food from the

human food chain

•Leads to food shortage and price rise


Comparison of some sources of

BiodieselS. No Crop Oil Yield

(L/ha/yr)

Land area needed

M ha

1 Corn 172 1540

2 Soybean 446 594

3 Canola 1190 223

4 Jatropha 1892 140

5 Coconut 2689 99

6 Oil Palm 5950 45

7 Microalgae 136,900 2


• from non-food crops.

• Does not divert food away from the animal

or human food chain.

• needs agricultural land for cultivation

• Low yield per hectare cultivation

Second Generation


Third Generation• Algae are low-input, high-yield feedstock to produce

biofuel.

• Fastest growing photosynthesizers

• Very efficient biological system for harvesting solar

energy

• 100 tonnes of algal biomass fixes approx. 183 tonnes

of CO2

• Store energy in form of Lipids and oils


Oil content of some algaeS. No. Microalgae Oil Content (% dry

weight)

1 Botrycoccus Braunii 25-75

2 Chlorella sp. 28-32

3 Crypthecodinium cohnii 20

4 Cylindrotheca sp. 16-37

5 Dunaleilla primolecta 23

6 Isochrysis sp. 25-33

7 Monallanthus salina >20

8 Nannochloris sp. 20-25

9 Nannochloropsis sp. 31-68

10 Neochloris oleoabundans 35-54

11 Nitzschia sp. 45-47

12 Phaeodactylum tricornutum 20-30

13 Schizochytrium sp. 50-77

14 Tetraselmis sueica 15-23© [Anupama.Yadav] [2014]

Advantage of algal biodiesel

• Degrades four times faster than diesel

• Higher flash point for safety

• Can be used in existing diesel engines

• Sulphur free, less CO, HC, particulate matter and aromatic compounds emissions

• Biodiesel is carbon neutral


Algal oil percentage and physico-chemical properties

Samples Oil Percentage (w/w)

pH Densityg/cm

Viscosity at 40ᵒC

(Mm2/sec)

Non-saponifiable

fat (%)

Tolypothrix 12.78 7 0.857 4.1 0.137

Pithophora 10.37 7 0.873 4.2 0.181

Spirogyra 14.82 7 0.884 4.4 0.232

Hydrodictiyon 13.58 6 0.868 3.9 0.231

Rhizoclonium 11.64 7 0.889 4.3 0.237

Cladophora 11.76 6 0.892 3.8 0.244


Current approach for Biodiesel

extraction


Requirement for value added products

bottleneck in extracting value added products from algae is to separate the different fractions without damaging one or more of product fractions

Till now the focus was on obtaining only one product

Focus in obtaining the products should be on cell disruption to release the products or to make them available for extraction


Proposed approach for biodiesel

extraction


Value added products

• Current scenario:

– Nutraceuticals including carotenoids like beta

carotenes and asaxanthine commercially sold at

value $8 billion worldwide

– Kelp and other sea weeds prominently used in

different cultures for food and cosmetic purposes

– Benefits from Spirulina are widely known


Future Prospects

Industrial fine chemicals and bulk products e.g. fats

polyunsaturated fatty acids, oils natural dyes, sugars pigments,

antioxidants, high value bioactive compounds and biomass

Ranging from simple dried Fucus for home baths to high value

spa & cosmetics ranges

Phlorotannins(weight management, anti-inflammatory),

fucoidan(immunomodulatory, antimicrobial) ,

fucoxanthin(weight management)


References

• Vanthoor-Koopmans M., Wijffels R. H., Barbosa M.J and Eppink M.H.M., Biorefineryof microalgae for food and fuel, Bioresour. Technol. (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2012.10.135

• Bajhaiya A.K., Mandotra S.K., Suseela M.R., Toppo K., and Ranade S., Algal Biodiesel: the next generation biofuel for India, Asian J. Exp. Biol.Sci. Vol I (4) 2010:728-739

• Kumar P., Suseela M.R. and Toppo K., Physico-Chemical Characterization of Algal oil: a Potential Biofuel, Asian J. Exp. Biol. Sci. Vol 2(3) 2011: 493-497

• Mata T. M., Martins A.A. and Caetano N.S., microalgae for Biodiesel Production and other applications: A review, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 14(2010) 217-232

• Mayfield S., The Green Revolution 2.0: the potential of algae for the production of biofuels and bioproducts, Genome 56: 551-555(2013)

• Chishti Y., Biodiesel from microalgae, Biotechnology Advances 25(2007) 294-306

• Naikwade P.V., Bansode R.P., and Sankpal S.T., Biofuels: Potential, Current Issues and Future Trends, Journal of Today’s Biological Sciences : Research & Review Vol.1,(1) (2012) 186-198


Thank You

Chlamydomonas reinhardtiiPhoto credit: Beth Rasala, UC San Diego


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