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.com
Volume 9
Journal of Bioremediation & Biodegradation
ISSN: 2155-6199
Biofuel Congress 2018 &
Biomass 2018
September 04-06, 2018
JOINT EVENT
September 04-06, 2018 | Zurich, Switzerland
13
th
Global Summit and Expo on
Biomass and Bioenergy
&
12
th
World Congress on
Biofuels and Bioenergy
J Bioremediat Biodegrad 2018, Volume 9
DOI: 10.4172/2155-6199-C1-015
Novel method for algal biomass dewatering and harvesting
Temesgen Garoma
and
Ramin E Yazdi
San Diego State University, USA
A
lgal biofuel has significant potential for reducing the US’s dependence on fossil fuels while curbing greenhouse gas
emissions. Despite these benefits, a scalable, sustainable, and commercially viable system has not yet been developed.
The key barriers relate to the cost and energy intensity of algal feedstock production, mainly during biomass harvesting
and dewatering. It has been estimated that harvesting and dewatering account for 30 to 50% of the cost of algal biomass
production. Harvesting and dewatering equipment has also been estimated to comprise 90% of upfront cost for algal biomass
production. Moreover, the most energy and carbon intensive processes in the existing algae-to-biofuel pathways are harvesting
and dewatering, accounting up to 90% of the total energy requirements. To address these challenges, a thermal energy capture
system is proposed for algal biomass harvesting and dewatering. The proposed technology is a fundamentally new approach
and potentially transformative. It will utilize low-grade thermal energy in a flue gas stream, which is affordable and readily
available at stationary sources such as power plants, for heating algal biomass in heat exchangers and subsequently dewatering
in an evaporation tank. This paper will present the major findings from the research.
tgaroma@sdsu.edu