F: Microalgae Table 2: Cyanobacteria as a potential source of fermentable carbohydrates (Vargas et al. 1998, J. Phycol. 34, 812)
Carbohydrates (% of dry weight)
Strain
Anabaena sp. ATCC 33047
28.0 ± 2.0
Anabaena variabilis
22.3 ± 2.5
Anabaenopsis sp.
16.3 ± 1.5
Nodularia sp. (Chucula)
16.9 ± 2.6
Nostoc commune
37.6 ± 2.5
required to achieve this ambitious goal, but also the combination of this process with a realistic Strategic and Business Plan.
R&D and a realistic Business Plan
AlgaEnergy is developing a responsible scientific agenda Nostoc paludosum 26.6 ± 1.9 aimed at achieving the commerNostoc sp. (Albufera) 26.8 ± 4.0 cially viable production of biofuels derived from microalgae. The Nostoc sp. (Caquena) 23.3 ± 1.7 R&D programmes provided for Nostoc sp. (Chile) 23.3 ± 2.0 that purpose include the selection Nostoc sp. (Chucula) 15.7 ± 1.8 and genetic engineering work on Nostoc sp. (Llaita) 20.2 ± 1.5 various types of microalgae, which carry substantial quantities of lipids Nostoc sp. (Loa) 32.1 ± 1.2 or carbohydrates (some of which are patented), the development of and for transport), and the flue gases from new photobioreactors more efficient and conventional energy generation facilities with lower costs, and the establishment of can therefore be used as a source of a suitable and scalable production process. CO2 for large-scale microalgae cultivation At present, biofuels produced from installations. microalgae are not financially competitive The production of liquid biofuels for with the firstvehicles (biodiesel and bioethanol), is a very generation biopromising alternative fuels obtained A series of factors must be taken into from convenaccount when selecting microalgae as a tional agricultursource of biofuel precursors, such as: high al crops, and bioproductivity, temperature tolerance, tolermass production ance to pH, high performance in fermentaand processing ble carbohydrates for ethanol production must therefore or in fatty acids transformable to biodiesel, be substantially for example. improved so that We also need to establish the most the price of the suitable type of cultivation system to be product can be used (open, closed or mixed), and the most reduced by an favourable operating conditions (batch, order of magnisemi-continuous, continuous, number of tude at least. phases, etc.). AlgaEnergy Tables 2 and 3 below show some examis currently ples of cyanobacteria as potential sources engaged in the of fermentable carbohydrates for ethanol construction of production and the lipid content of some its first plant, a microalgae for biodiesel production. Te c h n o l o g i c a l The expectations raised by microalgae Platform for as a source of second-generation bioExperimentation fuels have led to the creation of a large with Microalgae number of companies, some of which have ( P T E M ) , made significant investment. Our company located at the AlgaEnergy is convinced that in the near International future microalgae will be able to provide Airport of us with these forms of clean energy so Madrid-Barajas. necessary for the sustainable economic This is intended development of our societies. Not only is to be a model constant research and development the platform of its basis for a continuous innovation process
May-June 2011 | International AquaFeed | 25
Figure 1: AlgaEnergy’s CO2BIOCAP mobile laboratory
kind, which will incorporate four types of photobioreactors (PBR): columns, tubular reactors, semi-open and in a second stage, raceways. The plant will be entirely automated and controlled by specially designed software, which manages all the cultivation parameters. Its goal is to research and develop new PBR processes and technologies in this field. For this reason, the plant will have the flexibility and capacity to grow simultaneously different species of microalgae in different growing conditions, using indoor and outdoor PBR. The cultivation area will be initially of about 1,000 m2 and the culture volume up to 72,000 l. AlgaEnergy’s plant will be visited during the 3rd Algae World Europe congress that