Production of Bio-crude in an Advanced Photobioreactor Award Number: DE-EE0007690 CX(s) Applied: A9, B3.6, B5.15 Bioenergy Technologies Office Date: 8/26/2016 Location(s): FL Office(s): Golden Field Office
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
September 7, 2016
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Production of Bio-crude in an Advanced Photobioreactor
Award Number: DE-EE0007690
CX(s) Applied: A9, B3.6, B5.15
Bioenergy Technologies Office
Date: 8/26/2016
Location(s): FL
Office(s): Golden Field Office
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing to provide funding to Algenol Biotech LLC to carry out research and development to enhance cyanobacteria strains, cultivation methods, and dewatering procedures. Efforts focus on methods to convert algal biomass, via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), into a biocrude oil for refining to liquid transportation fuels. Additional research would be conducted to compare production and process economics of open pond production systems versus photobioreactor-based systems. Research activities would also include Techno-Economic Analyses and Life Cycle Analyses.
At Algenol in Fort Myers, FL, strain development, photobioreactor design, cultivation, dewatering optimization, and HTL conversion of algal biomass to biocrude would occur. At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden CO, analysis of cyanobacterial biomass to identify approaches for strain improvement including bench scale experiments would occur. At the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation (AzCATI) field site in Mesa, AZ, cultivation and monitoring of cyanobacteria strains in outdoor mini-ponds would occur. Computer and paper studies to support development of Techno-Economic and Life Cycle Analyses would occur at Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) in Atlanta, GA. Cultivation of cyanobacteria strains in outdoor ponds and HTL conversion and fractionation of cyanobacterial biomass would occur at the Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) facilities in Gagva, India.