Microalgae as a Feedstock for Biofuels (eBook)

Contents 5
1 Microalgae as a Feedstock for Biofuels 6
1 Introduction 7
2 Microalgae and Biofuels Production 7
2.1 Algal Extracts 10
2.1.1 Oils to Biodiesel 10
2.1.2 Starch to Bioethanol 14
2.2 Processing of Whole Algae 16
2.2.1 Biomethane (Biogas) by Anaerobic Digestion 17
2.2.2 Supercritical Fluid 19
2.2.3 Bio-Oil by Pyrolysis 19
2.2.4 Fuel Gas or Syngas by Gasification 20
2.2.5 Bio-Hydrogen 21
Coupling H2 Production to Desalination 23
Coupling H2 Production to Carbon Sequestration 23
2.2.6 Jet Fuel 23
2.3 Direct Production 24
2.3.1 Alcohols 24
2.3.2 Alkanes 24
3 Microalgal Biomass Production 25
3.1 Hybrid Systems 31
4 Algal Cultivation 32
5 CO2 Sequestration 35
6 Microalgal Biomass Harvesting 38
6.1 Gravity Sedimentation 39
6.2 Centrifugation 39
6.3 Flocculation 40
6.4 Autoflocculation 40
6.5 Chemical Coagulation 40
6.5.1 Inorganic Coagulants 41
6.5.2 Organic Flocculants 41
6.6 Combined Flocculation 42
6.7 Filtration and Screening 42
6.8 Flotation 43
6.8.1 Dissolved Air Flotation 44
6.8.2 Dispersed Air Flotation 44
6.9 Electrolytic Separation 44
7 Cell Disruption 47
7.1 Bead Mill Homogenizers 47
7.2 Freeze Fracturing 48
7.3 Ultrasonic Disintegrators 48
8 Production Rates, Production and Processing Costs 49
9 Life Cycle Analysis 54
10 Modelling Approaches 56
11 Algal Biorefinery Strategy 56
12 Conclusions 62
Acknowledgments 63
References 63