Nov 30, 2012 |
Bioreactors for algae-based biofuels get $900K grant
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(Nanowerk News) A Cornell research team has received a $910,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to work toward revolutionizing how biofuels are produced from algae.
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David Erickson, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and Largus Angenent, associate professor of biological and environmental engineering, have teamed up to design and build a completely new type of bioreactor that efficiently delivers light and collects fuel produced by algae inside the reactors.
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Their "optofluidic reactor" is one of 66 projects totaling $130 million selected this year for the DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency -- Energy (ARPA-E) program, announced Nov. 28.
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The research team benefits from Erickson's expertise in photonics for energy production and Angenent's in bioprocess and bioreactor engineering; the goal is to produce a concept for an ultra-compact biofuel-producing microalgae photobioreactor. Their strategy is to harness the natural process of photosynthesis -- nature's model of sustainable energy generation -- by directly converting carbon dioxide to biofuels using blue-green algae (cyanobacteria).
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The prototype reactor will deliver light to algae growing on low-cost, light-guiding sheets and then collect fuel through tiny porous tubes. Unlike conventional algae ponds, this reactor will distribute a nearly ideal amount of sunlight and use minimal water.
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Current technologies are limited by conventional reactor design, including poor distribution of light in the reactor, low organism concentrations and large amounts of water and energy consumptions.
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All the technological components of the project are already produced industrially at large scales. Erickson and Angenent are working to optimize the individual elements while also performing a detailed economic analysis informing future commercialization. With the demand for biofuel production expected to greatly increase in coming decades, the project should provide a proof-of-concept for an important innovation in bioenergy production.
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The work was originally conceived with support from a 2010 seed grant from Cornell's Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.
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ARPA-E funds projects that promise breakthroughs in energy technology, form the foundation for entirely new industries and have large commercial impacts, according to the DOE.
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