Ludovico Behrendt, Sally Zhao, Kevin Wu, Akif Rahman. Say goodbye to uranium, say hello to ALGAELIUM

Transcription

1 Ludovico Behrendt, Sally Zhao, Kevin Wu, Akif Rahman Say goodbye to uranium, say hello to ALGAELIUM

2 Our Factory proposal Over the years many alternative energy sources have been proposed to be used instead of fossil fuels. Wind power, solar power, and many others but one of the most prominent of these alternate sources is biofuel. Many Biofuel sources have been proposed over time such as corn and wheat but all have proved to be controversial as they take away from farmers food harvests but, with your proposal such controversies are nonexistent as we want to create a factory that can process and refine a new and sustainable source of biofuel. Algae!

3 Biofuels Product and Rationale for our Choice Algae is very sustainable and efficient source of fuel. Algae biofuel is inexpensive to produce and emit 68% less carbon dioxide than petroleum. To harvest fuel from algae you must run it through a series of pistons to extract algae oil. This oil will then be processed by specific types of bacteria into a series of hydrocarbons not unlike those found in petroleum. Finally this product will be refined into fuel through use of chemicals commonly used to refine gasoline.

4 Emerging Technologies that will be Used We will use large pools to grow the algae they will be fed with sugar to optimize speed of growth. The algae will be mechanically harvested with automated machines that will be equipped with sensors to detect when the algal composition of the water is high so it can be harvested at the optimal time. The harvested algae will then be pumped through a series of pressurized pipes to an area where the algae will be pressed for its oil. This oil will then be pumped into large silo where it will be fermented for several days then it will be refined with certain chemicals for suitable use as fuel.

5 Scale Up Plan to Commercialize the Operation Our factory will be located near Payne lake in Antwerp NY as the location is inexpensive relatively isolated and would provide jobs to nearby towns. Our factory will be 1 km long 200 meters wide, 20 meters tall and cost around 11 million dollars to build Our startup cost would be 700,000 dollars and annual operating cost would be around 2 million dollars annually. The Factory will be staffed with mechanical engineers as well as biologists and chemists in order to optimize output and fix any problems that may occur during production. We will also have a multitude of factory workers to make sure every step in processing goes smoothly.

6 Factory Sketches

7 Factory Sketches

8 Life Cycle Analysis Carbon emissions Inputs: Algae Sugar Bacteria Waste water fertilizer Chemicals used in processing petroleum Leftover water and biomass from the processing is recycled to grow algae Outputs: Fuel Chemical waste Carbon emissions Water Waste biomass

9 Why isn t Everyone using Algae Biofuels The cost of algae biofuel is higher when compared to alternative fuel sources such as corn ethanol or just crude oil. According to Jerry Brand, Professor of Energy studies in the College of Natural Sciences, University of Texas Algae biofuel costs $1,000 per barrel, The U.S. Navy has contracted to pay $12 million for 450,000 gallons: $27 per gallon in 2012 According to a 2010 research study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, producing fuel from algae grown in ponds would cost between $240 and $332 per barrel. A company called GreenFuel Technologies used a variety of techniques to save costs. However prices remained $800 per barrel. Green Fuels went out of business in 2009 after spending more than $70 million due to the high cost of maintaining growth chambers and difficulty in controlling unpredictable algae growth.

10 Citations "History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places Smithsonian." History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places Smithsonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May "Making Algal Fuel More Technologically Efficient." Energy,gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May "A Novel New Technology: Algae as Fuel." Phys.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May "Biofuels from Algae." Climate Tech. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May "Algae Biofuel and Algae By-Products." Algae Biofuel and Algae By-Products. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.