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Algae to convert CO2 emissions into biomass
- Detaljer
- Publisert onsdag 26. oktober 2011 20:45
Researchers from the CAER and the UK Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering are using 
the algae to convert CO2 emissions into biomass. The double reward of the research is that it appears that valuable co-products can be gained at the end of the process. Like plants, algae use CO2 to grow.
BraResearchers are looking at the potential of using waste CO2 and heat from a coal-fired power plant to cultivate algae, which can then be processed into value-added products like biodiesel, animal feed, fertilizer, and chemicals. This demonstration will use a closed culture system with vertical photobioreactor tubes that are 8-feet tall by 5 inches in diameter.
Once the system is installed, the entire bank of tubes will equal the length of a football field. Algae and water flow continuously through the tubes, with no water loss. The algae are continuously harvested by sedimentation. This is a simple, inexpensive process where the algae settle in a tank and are then removed as a thick paste.