Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

The best strategy for increased biofuel production from algae not only depends on the photosynthetic and overall metabolic efficiency, but also on the efficiency of biofuel refinement including low-energy extraction technologies. For algae to serve as a platform for renewable and sustainable energy and CO2 sequestration, it must be shown through life cycle analysis (LCA) that the technology emits less CO2 per unit of produced energy than other competitors on the energy market. Spare heat and CO2 from power plants, combined with municipal wastewater, can be used to grow cold-climate adapted microalgae for the production of biofuels, while lowering wastewater treatment costs and sequestering CO2 produced by large stationary generators, including cement manufacturing facilities (0.6% of Canada's emissions) and coal-fired electrical power plants (16.2%). The aim of our proposed research is to present a novel approach to algal-derived bio-oil production and recovery that will address some of the technical inefficiencies that are currently serious challenges for the process. At least 15 graduate (6) and undergraduate (9) HQP will be mentored during this project. Specifically, we will investigate the use of flue gas as a source of heat and CO2, as well as wastewater and crude glycerol, and evaluate their ability to enhance growth and oil productivity in cold-climate adapted algae. We will test very unorthodox extraction solvents that incorporate waste CO2 to extract oil without requiring dry algae or necessitating subsequent distillation of the solvent, reducing energy costs. We will incorporate these approaches in an integrated process and assess the benefits of using these waste streams in terms of reductions in environmental footprint and energy use through techno-economic and LCA assessments, providing quantifiable insights into the benefits that these algae might have in Canadian applications. This research will provide a range of benefits to Canada: including promoting the development of the renewable energy sector and reducing GHG emissions. The development of innovative solutions to these challenges has significant economic potential for municipalities, cement production and coal-fire electricity generation facilities.