Oil from algae Seambiotic Ltd., Israel, has found a way to produce biofuel by channelling smokestack carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through pools of algae that clean it. The growing algae thrive on the added nutrients and become a useful biofuel. Seambiotic has tested its concept at a coal-burning power plant operated by the Israel Electric Company (IEC). The company believes that it can lock up CO2 emissions through a process called biofixation. According to Seambiotic CEO Mr. Amnon Bechar, “An algal pond can produce oil 365 days a year, and much more oil per hectare of land than traditional plant crops.” Studies have shown that algae may be one of the world’s most promising biofuels. It is capable of producing 30 times more oil per acre than the current crops used for the production of biofuels. Algal biofuel is also non-toxic, contains no sulphur and is biodegradable. The company’s prototype algae farm uses the tiny plants to suck up CO2 emissions from the power plants. Seambiotic’s eight shallow algae pools are filled with the same sea water used to cool the power plant. A small percentage of gases are siphoned off from the power plant flue and are channelled directly into the algae ponds. The company plans to build its first large-scale biofuel reactor by next year. Source: www.israel21c.org Technology for faster biodiesel production In the United States, researchers from the Cornell University report to have developed a way of producing biodiesel continuously, without the need to fill and empty batch reactors. Biodiesel production involves a reaction called trans-esterification in which the triglycerides and free fatty acids in oils from plants, such as corn or linseed, react with methanol to form methyl esters of 16-18 carbon atoms in length. However, trans-esterification is a slow process and currently the only way to speed it up is to cook chemicals in batch reactors at high temperatures and pressures. Batch production of fuel also severely limits the rate at which biodiesel can be made. The Cornell team has developed a process to produce the reaction, as the necessary chemicals mix and flow through a pipe. In the “plug flow” reactor, plant oil and methanol is added continuously at one end while biodiesel flows out of the other. It is possible to achieve speed increase by using a catalyst, such as sodium hydroxide. Hence, instead of taking hours the trans-esterification reaction takes place within 3 minutes. Source: www.dailyindia.com Cellulosic bio-butanol for blending in diesel fuels In Japan, the Research Institute of Innovative Technology (RITE) has developed technology for producing cellulosic biobutanol for blending with diesel fuel. Honda Co. has been collaborating with RITE on the development of a production process for cellulosic ethanol. The new RITE-Honda process employs a bacterial strain that ferments sugar to make ethanol and applies Honda’s engineering technology to increase the alcohol conversion efficiency significantly higher than the conventional cellulosic bioethanol production processes. RITE’s bio-butanol process also employs genetically modified micro-organisms to ferment sugars resulting from the breakdown of cellulosic biomass. Tests carried out have reportedly confirmed negligible effects on the performance of diesel vehicles when the RITE biobutanol was mixed with diesel fuel. Source: www.greencarcongress.com System to optimize biofuel production Dasgip AG of Germany has developed an efficient system for biofuels production by optimizing its technology for the development of anaerobic micro-organisms. Dasgip, a manufacturer of parallel bioreactor systems, claims that its system permits the continuous monitoring of key variables such as pH value and redox potential, gassing parameters and temperature during the production of bioethanol. The separate measuring of pH and redox potential is particularly important. In the metabolism of anaerobic micro-organisms, a negative redox potential is vital for specific enzyme activities. As even small changes in pH can influence the redox potential, the pH value is an important parameter that must be monitored individually. The PH4RD4 module of Dasgip can measure redox potential and pH simultaneously and individually in four reactors. Controlling these parameters simplifies identification of ideal reaction conditions for the cells. The gassing module supplies the bioreactor with up to four input gases, each with its own independent lead, which can be selected as necessary. Source: www.biofuelreview.com Smaller and cheaper biofuel reactors In the United States, researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a fast process to convert sawdust and waste biomass directly into a mixture of gases that can be made into liquid fuels like diesel or burned to generate electricity. If the process can be scaled up, it could be a more energy-efficient method for making biofuels by allowing for small, fast reactors to be located close to biomass sources. The researchers developed a system that permits transformation of solids directly into a useful mixture of gases. The process begins when small particles come into contact with a 700º-800ºC porous surface and instantly form a mixture of gaseous compounds. These interact with a rhodium metal catalyst that facilitates partial oxidation reactions that both keep the system hot and convert the gases to hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This mixture of gases, called syngas or synthesis gas, can then be burned in a gas turbine to generate electricity or purified and made into a number of different fuels. The key to this new process is a catalyst bed with the right kind of porous structure that maintains the temperatures as well as movement of materials required for the reactions. The resulting system breaks down the biomass in just 70 ms, which is 10 times faster than other methods for making syngas. Ideally, that means a reactor with a given volume could make 10 times more syngas. Source: www.technologyreview.com Fuel from bacteria LS9, the United States, has genetically engineered various bacteria, including E. coli, to custom-produce hydrocarbon chains. To do this, the company modifies the genetic pathways used by bacteria, plants and animals to make fatty acids, one of the ways that organisms store energy. Fatty acids are chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms, with a carboxylic acid group attached at one end. Removing the acid component yields a hydrocarbon that can be made into fuel. In some cases, LS9’s researchers used standard recombinant DNA techniques to insert genes into the microbes, or they redesigned known genes with a computer and synthesized them. The resulting modified bacteria make and excrete hydrocarbon molecules with the desired length and molecular structure. The process can yield crude oil without the contaminating sulphur that much of the drilled out petroleum contains. The crude would go to a standard refinery to be processed into automotive fuel, jet fuel, diesel fuel or any other petroleum product. Source: www.technologyreview.com Breakthrough in biodiesel process Researchers at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), India, report a new way of using a fungus to substantially accelerate the production of biodiesel, and thereby cut the production cost. The typical process of manufacturing biodiesel involves mixing the ingredients and heating them for hours. The IICT researchers discovered an alternative process, which is more efficient but can also be employed at room temperature. This entails passing the vegetable oil and methanol through a bed of pellets made from spores of Metarhizium anisopliae fungus. Lipase, an enzyme produced by the fungus, acts as the catalyst, replacing the heating process and making it possible to produce biodiesel efficiently at room temperature. The process is also cheaper. Source: www.livemint.com Re-esterification process for biodiesel production Endress+Hauser of Germany has developed a process to produce biodiesel from rapeseed oil through re-esterification with methanol to get rapeseed methyl ester (RME). The re-esterification process takes place in two stages. Phase separators are arranged downstream of two reactors, which are designed as mixer settlers. Through intimate mixing of the reactants, maximum conversion rates can be obtained in relatively short retention times. The methyl ester produced is washed and dried to become the end product, while the glycerine phase is treated with methanol-water for processing into pharma-grade glycerine. This continuous process ensures consistent, high product quality and boasts low catalyst consumption. The process is also easy to control and warrants high conversion yield rates. It involves constant monitoring of temperature at several points. Endress+Hauser process uses the TMT184 temperature head transmitter equipped with a Profibus-PA interface. TMT184 is a 2-wire transmitter with measurement inputs for thermocouples, resistance thermometers, voltage transmitters and resistance transmitters with 2-, 3- or 4-wire connection. It is available with ATEX Ex ia certification. Contact: Mr. Trevor Fletcher, Endress +Hauser, South Africa. Tel: +27 (11) 2628 000; Fax: +27 (11) 2628 062 E-mail: info@za.endress.com Website: www.za.endress.com Source: www.instrumentation.co.za