How effective is it to use Algae cakes in gasifiers for energy

6 Answers

1. 

   audrey 1 year ago #

   Algae meal can be used in power plants and other industries which need combustion fuel.For example., algae meal can be processed using anaerobic digestion to produce biogas. These processes result in different end products (i.e. gases, steam, and heat) which then can be converted to electricity. The meal/extract can also be turned into syngas which is an intermediate step for further conversion, either into renewable power or into other fuels through selected chemical synthesis processes.
   
   From this, one can infer that these range of product possibilities from algae meal offers additional revenue streams for algae biodiesel products besides making the algal fuels economically sustainable.

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2. 

   emily 1 year ago #

   In July 2008, A2BE Carbon Capture and Power Ecalene Fuels, Inc. announced plans to commission an advanced energy-conversion system that will combine algae farming-based CO2 capture and recycle technologies with biomass gasification into an integrated renewable fuel production facility. The prototype system will produce biodiesel from algal oil and alcohol fuel from biomass using gasification. Biomass feedstock for gasification into "syngas" will come primarily from wood waste and municipal solid waste, and will include the de-oiled algae meal. In this example, algae biomass is used to produce biodiesel while algae cake is used to make syngas and other fuels further down.
   
   http://www.algaeatwork.com/news/alcohol-and-algae

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3. 

   larryhagedon 1 year ago #

   I am getting materials together to start building small gasifiers. I will be using wood chips for feedstock at first, but I plan to then try our local wild algae. I will be forming that into cubes of various sizes to fit the gasifiers I will build. I will also be mixing sawdust and various animal manures with the algae before I make the cubes.
   
   I will report the results.

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4. 

   microil 1 year ago #

   Algae cake is effective as small simple gasifier feed stock,as some oil residue will be present .Moisture content can be very high, if pelletising as the gasifiers waste heat rising will dry the cake. which will save costs in drying. A ring fenced self contained power station. Please google GEEK GASIFIERS a site with very small scale state of the art palletized gasifiers models from PLC industry norm to build it your self kits . with a globe map of clients in many country's you may find one near to you. Who will prove youre feedstock. India institute of technology are also active in modern imbert design for small rural scale. Answers on industrial scale gassifiers are answered by freinds below. CO2 from exhaust ic engine into raceway bio reactor ?

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5. 

   microil 1 year ago #

   Just a quick note to LARRRY HAGDON , Bridging is a problem in gassifiers shut down and clean can sometimes be the only solution in simple gassifiers without auto stoking or rotating pans Evan in the small scale a good shake doesn't always do it. I know of many different pellitizers some very cheap. but I know of none that produce square or cubed pellets . This may impede there flow and facilitate the bridging problem. Your thoughts Larry.

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6. 

   donmichael 1 year ago #

   The algae meal or cake can be used for just about anything. I'm sure most algae will have a high BTU compared to most kinds of biomass and even lignite coal even after oil extraction, but before you go throwing that stuff into a gasifier you might want to ask yourself if there is other sources of fuel around aside from algae that is less valuable and more available. Since anything from plastic to human solid waste can be gasified, it seems more prudent to use that highly nutritious algae meal for food, pharmaceuticals, vitamins,cosmetics, textiles, fabrics, paper fiber, building materials, bioplastics, alcohols and/or chemicals and just use the algae meal as a back up when needed for the gasifier. I think gasifiers should be used in tandem with algae systems but only to utilize the solid waste that algae cannot consume while feeding soluble waste to the algae including the co2 from the gasifier and toilet water from the house. Burning algae is way better than burning anything else for economic and environmental reasons, but with so many organisms to feed and so much available unneeded waste to burn, its just not economical to do so right now. However, I believe algae is the future and that it will be grown anywhere that there is pollution. So while regular gasification companies benefit from free garbage to burn for some time they will still eventually have to invest in growing algae to burn once all of the garbage is gone.

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