Carbon sequestration from flue-gas with simultaneous production of industrial quantities of glycerol

Kurzfassung

A UK University is leading a multi-national consortium to address an FP7 funding call with an exciting project proposal to develop low-cost pilot systems for producing industrial quantities of glycerol in pure streams from halophytic microalgae cultivated in saline water, with carbon capture from flue gas. Furthermore, the glycerol will be used as a sustainable fuel in energy applications. The Consortium is urgently seeking additional partners to demonstrate commercial viability of the process.

Details

A UK University is leading a consortium with a unique combination of expertise spanning state-of-the art algal science and technologies to specialist and patented know-how for the combustion of glycerol in compression ignition engines in combined heat and power (CHP) applications. The Consortium aims to submit a bid under the FP7 call: Energy.2012.5&6.1-1 Pilot plant-scale demonstration of advanced post-combustion CO2 capture processes with a view to integration in fossil fuel power plants. The existing Consortium partners include: universities in the UK, Greece and South Africa and SMEs in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Israel and South Africa. The deadline for the FP7 submission is 8 March 2012. Additional partners are requested to participate in process development using flue gases as carbon source.

Technical Specifications / Specific technical requirements:
Glycerol has emerged as a new biofuel with important properties as a result of a novel, combustion cycle, which allows standard production compression ignition (CI) engines to combust glycerol at high efficiencies and with extremely low emissions (verified) without chemical alteration or the addition of combustion enhancers (Consortium technology). Glycerol also has the safest handling properties and is suited to applications in both stationary engines (CHP) and in the marine transport sector. The technology holds the key to an entirely new environmentally-sustainable, alternative biofuel industry with enormous commercial potential in all fields of application of engine power production.

Glycerol is currently available in Europe from biodiesel manufacture, but it can also be synthesised de novo by natural halophytic microalgae that grow in highly saline environments. The Consortium anticipates that glycerol demand will rapidly outstrip Europe’s capacity to produce glycerol from plant oil (via biodiesel). Halophytic microalgae are currently grown as a source of ß-carotene and animal protein but not as a source of glycerol, despite the fact that this Israeli technology, established in 1978 (Consortium technology), has been shown to have the potential to yield glycerol in commercially viable quantity.

The project will evaluate the utilisation of industrial sources of carbon dioxide (flue gases) as a carbon source to cultivate algae and produce glycerol at commercial scale. A pilot demonstration using CO2 from flue gas will prove the commercial viability of cultivating glycerol-producing algae in cultivation facilities established in the temperate zones of Europe, and at the same time as improve air quality and sequester CO2.
The Consortium is seeking partner companies (SMEs) that:
1.Generate or have access to substantial quantities of flue gas that might be used in algal cultivation ponds.
2.Have technologies for the capture/diversion of flue gas.
3.Companies with either of the above and are willing to commit such resources and participate in the intended project.