Operation & Maintenance of Power Plants
Rising oil prices force harder focus on biofuels
Fig. 1. RTP technology converts second generation biomass like forest and agricultural residuals
A medida que aumentan los precios del petróleo, los biocombustibles atraen aún más inversiones. Ahora, el desafío es poder extraer suficiente combustible de ellos a un precio lo suficientemente competitivo para hacer viable la producción comercial. Comenta Sean Ottewell.
Mit steigenden Ölpreisen nehmen die Investitionen in Biokraftstoffe immer mehr zu. Die Herausforderung besteht jetzt darin, ihnen ausreichend Öl zu einem Preis zu entziehen, der wettbewerbsfähig genug ist, um die kommerzielle Produktion wirtschaftlich zu machen. Ein Bericht von Sean Ottewell.
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As oil prices rise, biofuels are attracting ever more investment. The challenge now is to be able to extract enough oil from them at a price that is competitive enough to make commercial production viable. Sean Ottewell reports.
ugar, domestic waste, grass, wood and even tobacco are being actively investigated as potential biofuels. One of the key targets is algae because they are easy to grow and their oil is very
energy efficient. For example, Californian company OriginOil
has unveiled a pilot system for algae growth and harvesting. At the heart of the new system is a series of 200-gallon tanks which can be individually configured and managed for various strains, growth strategies, and lighting geometries. Te tanks are illuminated with LED light sticks submerged in icicle-like arrays. A stirrer circulates the algae slowly around the lights. Once the algae reaches harvest concentration
they are sent to the integrated extraction system, a combination of ultrasound generation and low- power electromagnetic pulsing. Tis new system has a throughput of five gallons per minute, which easily keeps up with the daily output of the pilot system. After extraction, a series of settling tanks separates the oils and biomass for
eventual use as fuel and valuable by-products. A water recycling system completes the loop so the process can start again. Te company’s dynamic control system manages the operation of the growth phase, releasing carbon dioxide and other nutrients as the algae needs it. While bottled carbon dioxide is currently used, an in-house generator is planned to test real-world scenarios where exhaust gas is processed for its carbon dioxide. Te use of algae as a fuel will also be enhanced by a new production process that uses catalytically actives particles to convert them. US company Sachtleben, a unit of Rockwood, has developed the new particles. It is now working with Augsburg College and biodiesel producer Ever Cat Fuels, which is currently designing the first commercial-scale pilot plant incorporating this innovative fluidised-bed catalyst system at Isanti, Minnesota, near Minneapolis. Te new process is simpler, sustainable and
more energy efficient, as opposed to existing biodiesel production that often relies on expensive food crops, primarily cereal grains
www.engineerlive.com 11
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