Mike Werst speaks about the progress of our Algae Biofuels project.
The University of Texas at Austin is conducting a multidisciplinary research and development program directed toward extraction of triglycerides from algae for the production of transportation fuels. The triglyceride extraction is widely recognized as a key impediment to the commercialization of this biofuel. Current extraction technologies are too expensive to be competitive. The process area in which the program is focusing is summarized in Figure 1.
Summary of algal oil production process showing where the development program at UT is focused.
The present emphasis on the process development is on the electromechanical process for opening the algae cells and extracting the algal oil from inside of the cells. A theory has been developed as to how the process will work. Several algae species from open ponds and closed bioreactors, as well as algae grown in the laboratory environment, have been tested. Preliminary verifications of the theory have been performed using both photography and chemical analysis. For the EM extraction to be commercially viable, it must be effective on a range of algae species that are capable of sustaining a monoculture in varying environments. Optimization of the process, however, requires good knowledge of the algae to select and prepare algae to produce significant quantities of triglycerides. CEM is collaborating with several groups within UT on this effort:
