Regan Brown
Algae fuel is an alternative transportation fuel with the same chemical properties as petroleum-based diesel. However, it has not yet been produced at a cost that is competitive with petroleum. The production cost of algal oil depends on several factors, including the yield of biomass from the culture system, the oil content, the scale of production systems, and the cost of recovering oil from algal biomass. While wild algae grows fast, it does not yield large amounts of oil naturally, with two-thirds or more of its body weight composed of proteins and carbohydrates instead of oil. Genetically modifying the algae can increase its oil content, but this slows down its growth. The cost of producing algae fuel is also impacted by the challenge of maintaining desirable species in the culture system and the high cost of harvesting algal biomass. Researchers are working to lower the cost of algae fuel through projects like DISCOVR, which aims to increase yields and reduce costs by developing new technologies and conducting cross-cutting analyses.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cost of algae fuel in 2009 | $33 per gallon |
| Cost of gasoline at pumps | $3.53 per gallon |
| Goal of BETO's Advanced Algal Systems Program by 2030 | $3 per gasoline gallon |
| Production cost of algae oil (estimated in 2007) | $2.80 per litre or $10.50 per gallon |
| Production cost of petroleum diesel fuel (estimated in 2007) | $2 to $3 per gallon |
| Cost of sealed bioreactors | More expensive than open ponds |
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What You'll Learn
Cost of cultivating and harvesting
The cost of cultivating and harvesting algae fuel is influenced by several factors, and researchers are working to reduce these costs and make algae a more viable alternative to fossil fuels.
Algae fuel, or algal biofuel, is an alternative to liquid fossil fuels that use algae as a source of energy-rich oils. The interest in using algae for biofuels was first sparked in 1942 when Harder and Von Witsch proposed that microalgae could be grown as a source of lipids for food or fuel. Research began in several countries after World War II, and again in the 1970s during the oil embargo and oil price surges. The US Department of Energy initiated the Aquatic Species Program in 1978, which spent $25 million over 18 years to develop liquid transportation fuel from algae. Despite these efforts, the US Department of Energy concluded in the 1990s that algal biofuel production was still too expensive to be commercialized in the near future due to several factors, including the difficulty of maintaining desirable species, low yield of algal oil, and the high cost of harvesting.
One of the main challenges in large-scale cultivation is the density of the algae in the water. According to Manning, a research assistant professor in molecular biosciences, the harvesting and dewatering process can account for up to 70% of capital costs. To address this, engineers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed a fuel-forming method called hydrothermal liquefaction, which cooks the algae at high temperatures and pressures to mimic how petroleum is formed underwater, instead of separately extracting the oil.
Another challenge is the energy required for pumping, construction, fertilizer, drying, and de-watering, which can impact the overall production cost. The use of photobioreactors, which are enclosed systems made of transparent materials, can overcome the contamination and evaporation problems encountered in open ponds. However, these systems may require cooling during the day and temperature regulation at night, which can be achieved through heat exchangers. Photobioreactors have a higher biomass productivity than traditional raceway ponds, and the harvesting of biomass is less expensive due to the higher concentration of algal biomass.
To reduce cultivation and resource costs, researchers at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center are exploring the use of carbon dioxide from flue gas emitted by a nearby power plant, along with nutrients from wastewater treatment plants. By utilizing carbon dioxide and nutrients that would otherwise be wasted, this approach has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of algae cultivation.
Overall, the cost of cultivating and harvesting algae fuel is a complex issue that involves addressing various technical and environmental challenges. Researchers are actively working to overcome these obstacles and make algae a more economically viable and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.
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Cost of oil extraction
The cost of oil extraction from algae is influenced by several factors, and there are various methods for extracting the oil.
Firstly, the yield of biomass from the culture system and the oil content of the algae impact the cost of extraction. The higher the yield of biomass and oil content, the more favourable the economics of extraction.
The method of extraction also plays a role in determining the cost. One traditional method is to use a mechanical press, which forces the algal paste through a nozzle that removes the oil and expels the biomass. This process can extract up to 70% of the oil but generally requires a dry algae feedstock, which can be achieved through dewatering. This process is often combined with the hexane solvent method, where oil from the biomass dissolves into the hexane solvent, and the oil is then cleaned through distillation.
Another method is supercritical fluid extraction, which uses very high-temperature and high-pressure fluids that are neither liquid nor gas. This method can extract up to 100% of the oil, but the equipment and energy costs are very high, limiting its commercial viability.
The costs of oil extraction from algae also depend on the type of system used to grow the algae. Photobioreactors, for example, have higher costs and are more difficult to scale up compared to open pond systems. However, they offer advantages such as maintaining axenic cultures and providing a more controlled growth environment, which can lead to increased productivity.
Currently, the production of algal biodiesel is still more expensive than petroleum-based fuels, and research is focused on reducing the costs of algal oil production to make it competitive with conventional fuels. This includes improving the solar energy to biomass conversion efficiency and enhancing algal biology through genetic and metabolic engineering to increase biomass yield and oil content.
Overall, the cost of oil extraction from algae is a complex issue that involves multiple factors and methods, and ongoing research aims to make the process more economically viable.
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Cost of biodiesel processing
The cost of biodiesel processing is influenced by various factors, including the type of feedstock, conversion technology, scale of operation, labour, and equipment used.
The choice of feedstock is crucial and depends on factors such as local availability, cost, government support, and fuel performance. Soybean oil, for instance, has been a popular choice, with a price range of $0.15 to $0.25 per pound over the last few years. Using a value of $0.236 per pound, a biodiesel production cost of $2 per gallon was predicted. However, it's important to note that the cost of feedstock can account for a significant portion of the total production costs, with estimates ranging from 70% to 88%.
The conversion technology employed also impacts the cost. For example, using closed bioreactors or sealed plastic bags placed in the sun can be more expensive than using open ponds, but open ponds are more susceptible to invasive species. Additionally, extraction techniques used can significantly influence costs, and advancements in this area can lead to cost reductions.
Labour costs can vary depending on the size of the system. Larger systems may require similar amounts of time to operate as smaller ones, resulting in lower labour costs per gallon of biodiesel produced. For instance, a 40-gallon batch processor requiring 3 hours of labour at $10 per hour results in $0.75 of labour costs per gallon, while an 80-gallon processor with the same labour time results in $0.38 per gallon.
Equipment costs can also vary depending on the size and automation of the system. Small-scale biodiesel processors may range from a few thousand dollars to over $20,000, while larger systems tend to be more expensive.
It's worth noting that subsidies and government incentives, such as the USDA Commodity Credit Corp. (CCC) subsidies, can help offset some of the costs for biodiesel producers. Additionally, using alternative feedstocks, such as waste products and by-products, can help lower overall costs, even if they don't directly reduce the price of biodiesel.
While the cost of biodiesel processing remains a challenge, advancements in technology, extraction techniques, and the utilisation of alternative feedstocks may contribute to making the process more economically feasible in the future.
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Cost-saving efforts
Algal biofuels have been touted as a solution to the twin problems of high oil prices and the increasing recognition of carbon emissions' contribution to climate change. However, the cost of producing algal biofuels has proven to be a cumbersome factor in the development of this technology.
One of the primary challenges in large-scale algae cultivation is the high water content of the ponds in which the algae are grown. The harvesting and dewatering process can account for up to 70% of capital costs. To address this, engineers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed a fuel-forming method called hydrothermal liquefaction, which cooks the algae at high temperatures and pressures to mimic how petroleum is formed underwater, rather than extracting the oil separately. This method has been shown to have higher productivity and lower operating and fuel production costs than traditional open pond systems.
Another strategy to reduce costs is to use waste sources of heat, carbon dioxide, and nutrients to grow the algae, which are widely available from power plants, factories, and water treatment plants.
Genetically modifying algae can boost the oil content to up to 70% of the organism's weight, making it a more efficient feedstock for biofuel production. However, this modification can slow the growth rate of the algae, impacting overall productivity.
Biorefinery is another concept that aims to address the high costs of algal cultivation. Similar to oil refineries, which produce plastics, fibres, and lubricants in addition to fuels, algal biorefineries would produce high-value chemicals in addition to biofuels, allowing the diversity of products to subsidize the price of fuel.
Finally, further techno-economic analysis (TEA) is needed to understand the economic potential for utilizing lower-cost, lower-quality, high-protein microalgae for biorefinery conversion. By processing proteinaceous algae into value-added products, the viability of algal biofuels in the current market may be improved.
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$141.03 $169.99
Cost reduction research
Algae fuel has been an active area of research since the 1970s. However, the cost of producing it has always been a cumbersome factor. The US Department of Energy's Aquatic Species Program, which ran for 18 years, spent $25 million to develop liquid transportation fuel from algae that would be price-competitive with petroleum-derived fuels. However, the program failed to produce algae fuel at a competitive cost, and under budget pressure in 1996, it was abandoned.
Today, one ton of algal biomass costs up to 9 times more than a ton of lignocellulosic biomass on a dry ton basis. Large-scale algae farms can require hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to produce and harvest algae at a commercial scale. However, researchers are working on ways to lower the cost of producing biofuels from algae.
One way to reduce costs is to source algae biomass for free or at a low cost from wastewater treatment plants. Algae are avid consumers of nitrogen and phosphorus, which are routinely filtered at wastewater treatment plants. Some facilities are considering replacing cost- and energy-intensive processes with algae to help treat wastewater. The leftover biomass can then be used to make fuel or products.
Another way to reduce costs is to use an indoor system that mimics the conditions of outdoor ponds. The Development of Integrated Screening, Cultivar Optimization, and Validation Research (DISCOVR) project, funded by the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), is using an integrated screening platform to rapidly discover high-productivity strains for resilient, year-round outdoor cultivation via crop rotation. By cultivating algae indoors in a controlled environment, researchers can expose different strains of algae to unique temperature and lighting conditions and later study the strains to determine their oil, protein, and carbohydrate content, as well as other factors such as bacterial resistance and the potential for creating valuable co-products.
Additionally, the Marine Algae Industrialisation Consortium at Duke University is trying to produce algae biofuel for $5 per gallon at a commercial scale, which would be a significant reduction in cost compared to the current national average of $3.53 per gallon of gasoline.
While the cost of algae fuel remains high, researchers and companies are actively working to reduce costs and make algae fuel a viable alternative to fossil fuels.
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Frequently asked questions
The cost of algae fuel depends on various factors, such as the yield of biomass, oil content, production system scale, and oil extraction costs. In 2009, the cost of algae biodiesel was $33 per gallon. However, the cost has since decreased, with the US Department of Energy aiming to reduce production costs to $3 per gallon by 2030.
Algae fuel is costly due to the challenges associated with cultivating and harvesting algae. The process requires the removal of a large amount of water, which can account for up to 70% of capital costs. Additionally, maintaining the desired species in the culture system, low yields of algal oil, and the high cost of harvesting contribute to the high price.
Researchers are working to lower the cost of algae-based biofuels. The US Department of Energy's Advanced Algal Systems Program aims to increase yields and reduce costs by developing new technologies. The Marine Algae Industrialisation Consortium at Duke University is working towards producing algae biofuel for $5 per gallon at a commercial scale.
