Thai firms at forefront of microalgae research

[Lite Beer]

GREEN ENERGY
Thai firms at forefront of microalgae research
Watchiranont Thongtep
The Nation

A researcher tests marine algae at the CSIRO laboratory.

BANGKOK: -- PTT, Bangchak Petroleum among firms investing in promising field of marine algae as feedstock for biofuel production

Leading oil and gas companies around the globe are studying and investing in alternative and renewable energies such as biofuels as they seek to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and develop cleaner energy sources.

In recent years, science laboratories and agencies have been busy with a tremendous number of projects.

Among other things, they have been hired by petroleum firms in the United States, Australia and China - and also in Thailand - in connection with the research and development of commercialised microalgae-based biofuel.

Though the algae biofuels industry is still in its infancy, more than 100 companies are working on the initiatives.

In 2009, US-based ExxonMobil invested about US$600 million (Bt19 billion) for an algae-derived biofuels programme with the goal of developing algae-based fuel by 2019.

Meanwhile, Chevron, another American oil and gas giant, is conducting R&D projects on the third generation of alternative biofuels, such as algae-based oil.

Last year, Australia-based Algae Tec formed a 50:50 joint venture with a Chinese oil company, Shandong Kerui Group Holding. The JV is focused on algae for the production of transport fuels at a 250-module biofuels facility in Dongying, in Shandon province.

The company hopes to produce about 33 million litres of algae-derived transport oil, and to expand and roll out the project throughout China.

Thai initiatives

Thailand's oil and gas industry is also focusing on algae-oil innovation.

Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding, Loxley and Bangchak Petroleum last year signed a memorandum of understanding with the Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency Department to conduct R&D in this area.

Under this joint project, Loxely has set aside about Bt1 billion to invest in the production of algae-based biodiesel. The initial stage of the project is taking place at a demonstration plant on a 6-rai (nearly 1 hectare) plot located close to the Ratchaburi power plant.

If the demonstration project proves successful, it will commence construction of a pilot plant on 400 rai of land close to the power plant within the next year.

The plan is to have the capacity to cultivate about 90,000 kilograms of algae per day, for the daily production of about 30,000 litres of biofuel.

This level of production would consume about 180 tonnes of carbon dioxide per day, or about 10 per cent of the total CO2 produced by the power plant, which means the project would reduce CO2 emission in the near future.

Ambitious goal

Meanwhile, PTT appears to be going further with an ambitious goal to introduce commercial algae-based energy in the next four years.

Under the plan, the national oil and gas company is also interested in setting up production facilities in Australia in the future, having already entered into a partnership with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia's national science agency, to select and develop algae-oil extraction for biofuel.

PTT chief executive Pailin Chuchotta-worn said oil extracted from microalgae was considered the third generation of biofuel.

This new innovative energy is also one of the company's key milestones to maintain the country's energy security, he said.

Thanks to the partnership with the CSIRO, PTT aims to transfer know-how and expertise about bioproducts from algae-based oil from the Australian science agency to the firm's research unit, and then to study potential strains of freshwater algae to serve domestic consumption.

The company might also set up a microalgae-based fuel plant in Australia, said the CEO.

Australia offers considerable potential in this regard, he said, as many venture-capital firms are keen on and ready to invest in this alternative energy.

Moreover, Australia has geographical advantages such as a long coastline and large, flat lands in the interior under year-around sunshine and stable atmospheric conditions.

Apart from collaboration with the overseas science agency, PTT also supports the "Think Algae" project to commercialise algae-oil extraction.

The project is an algae research network involving the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research, Chulalongkorn University, Mahidol University, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Thon Buri, the Petroleum Institute of Thailand, and the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.

But why exactly is microalgae considered to be such a promising future alternative fuel? Among the answers is that microalgae can be grown on non-arable land with non-potable water, and it can also be used to produce multiple products.

For example, after extracting oil, algae waste can be used for the production of fertiliser, animal feed and health supplements.

Importantly, microalgae is also seen as having high potential compared with currently known biomass feedstock sources, due to the impressive yield in can generate.

Algae can produce a high yield of 1,000 to 6,500 gallons per acre (11,350 to 77,775 litres per hectare) per year, while other crops provide lower results, such as soybean - 48 gallons/acre/year - and oil palm, which can yield 635 gallons/acre/year.

However, the big challenge in microalgae technology is that the R&D of fuel extracted from marine algae costs about three to four times as much as for palm-oil-based biodiesel, according to research by PTT Group.

Though the practical commercialisation of algae-based biofuel is a long way off, if it does prove a success, not only will energy security be ensured, but also food security.

Algae-based biofuel would help maintain national energy security by reducing reliance on fossil fuels, besides potentially replacing widely used renewable energy sources such as palm oil and sugar-cane-based ethanol.



Algae tops yield table

Biomass crop/Yield* (gallons per acre per year**)

Algae/1,000-6,500

Oil palm/635

Jetropha/202

Sunflower/102

Soybean/ 48

*Estimated

** One gallon per acre = 11.35 litres per hectare

Source: PTT Group

-- The Nation 2013-09-08

[NeverSure]

At the forefront, huh? The HUB, I suppose? Strange that Thailand isn't even listed even though this research has been going on for decades. Link

"Thailand will partner with Australia" (Which is partnered with China.)

Do these people believe their own chit?

[bigbamboo]

If it keeps PTT away from oil then it has to be a good thing for the environment.

[geriatrickid]

Why oh why, do people grab on to simplistic miracle solutions? Algae, while promising is not the energy saviour it is claimed to be.

Algae are a widely touted source of bioenergy with high yields, appreciable lipid contents, and an ability to be cultivated on marginal land without directly competing with food crops. Nevertheless, recent work has suggested that large-scale deployment of algae bioenergy systems could have unexpectedly high environmental burdens. Algae production consumes more energy, has higher greenhouse gas emissions and uses more water than other biofuel sources, (e.g., switch grass corn and canola), Andres F. Clarens †, Hagai Nassau †, Eleazer P. Resurreccion †, Mark A. White ‡, and Lisa M. Colosi *† Civil and Environmental Engineering and ^‡McIntire School of Commerce, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States Environ. Sci. Technol., 2011, 45 (17), pp 7554–7560

Folks, algae cultivation still requires energy inputs and large amounts of harmful fertilizers. There is a cost with every benefit..

If Thailand moved to more effective energy conservation and less waste of petro chemical products, the savings would be obvious.

[hellodolly]

I am really struggling to make sense out of this part. Can some one explain it to me.

"This level of production would consume about 180 tonnes of carbon dioxide per day, or about 10 per cent of the total CO2 produced by the power plant, which means the project would reduce CO2 emission in the near future."

If 190 tonnes a day is 10% of what it produces that would mean there is 1,620 tonnes a day going into the atmosphere. How is that helping to reduce the carbon emission? Seems to me it would be adding to it. to reduce it they would have to use more than they produce.

[Cyclist]

I am really struggling to make sense out of this part. Can some one explain it to me.

"This level of production would consume about 180 tonnes of carbon dioxide per day, or about 10 per cent of the total CO2 produced by the power plant, which means the project would reduce CO2 emission in the near future."

If 190 tonnes a day is 10% of what it produces that would mean there is 1,620 tonnes a day going into the atmosphere. How is that helping to reduce the carbon emission? Seems to me it would be adding to it. to reduce it they would have to use more than they produce.

The key word is "Consumes". Algae requires carbon dioxide to grow and thus removes it from the atmosphere.

[CIHUAHUA]

Clear Lake in Lake county, California has not been clear for the last 75years since the Sacramento valley uses the inflowing water for farming. The algae has been building up in the lake ever since that time. It stinks so badly that only people that can't smell live there. The smell travels for a hundred miles or so. The algae sucks out the O2 from the water and mostly cat-fish live in the lake. In the past scientists tried pulling the "oil" out of the algae but had a difficult time breaking down the cell walls. This is not going to happen on a large scale even in lab conditions.

[twr404]

I am really struggling to make sense out of this part. Can some one explain it to me.

"This level of production would consume about 180 tonnes of carbon dioxide per day, or about 10 per cent of the total CO2 produced by the power plant, which means the project would reduce CO2 emission in the near future."

If 190 tonnes a day is 10% of what it produces that would mean there is 1,620 tonnes a day going into the atmosphere. How is that helping to reduce the carbon emission? Seems to me it would be adding to it. to reduce it they would have to use more than they produce.

They left out a common feature of algae farms, they are often built next to coal burning electric plants. The carbon dioxide from the coal burning is fed into the algae farm where it's consumed by alagae. So the 10% reductioni in carbon dioxide mentioned in the article probably refers to the coal powered plant's daily carbon dioxide

[bigjohn2]

i like this bit "Algae production consumes more energy, has higher greenhouse gas emissions "

talk about bending the stats to suit your propaganda, this takes the cake.!

[boomerangutang]

Clear Lake in Lake county, California has not been clear for the last 75years since the Sacramento valley uses the inflowing water for farming. The algae has been building up in the lake ever since that time. It stinks so badly that only people that can't smell live there. The smell travels for a hundred miles or so. The algae sucks out the O2 from the water and mostly cat-fish live in the lake. In the past scientists tried pulling the "oil" out of the algae but had a difficult time breaking down the cell walls. This is not going to happen on a large scale even in lab conditions.

There are different types of algae. The type in Clear Lake is probably not the type planned for energy/oil production. I'd like to see spirulina algae grown for nutritional food/additive. It's been popular health food item for decades in the US, but of course, Thailand sometimes takes decades to catch up with healthy trends which originate in other countries. Then again, growing algae for consumption requires very clean water, and there's a question of whether any renewable quantity of really clean water exists in Asia. All lakes and rivers I've seen in Asia, outside of the Himalayas, are varying shades of brown.

[boomerangutang]

Why use the prefix 'micro' ? All algae is small. It would be like calling elephants 'macroelephants' because they're big.

[Bodrules]

Bit late really, there's several developments now where a cyanobacterium has been engineered to specifically produce a hydrocarbon of choice (ethanol or diesel or aviation kerosene), this is then directly secreted into the growing medium enabling efficient separation - basically, you don't have to drain, concentrate, dry, mill, chemically separate the triglyceride and then cleave the the fatty ester linkage etc.

One company reckons they'll be able to produce 25,000 gallons ethanol per acre per year and 15,000 gallons of diesel per acre per year (note that they have built the pilot plant and after one year of operation are now going for full commercialisation.