APEC BIODIESEL WORKSHOP. Are micro-algae a future Biofuel? APEC Biodiesel Standards Workshop July, Taipei, Chinese Taipei RDL

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1 Are micro-algae a future Biofuel? APEC Biodiesel Standards Workshop July, 2008 Taipei, Chinese Taipei

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3 Imagine if we could Grow a fuel without using land, Grow a fuel without polluting the atmosphere, Grow a fuel without creating greenhouse gases, Harvest a crop every day instead of yearly, Generate up to 300 times more biomass per acre, Grow crops in both fresh and sea water. Well we can! Micro-algae will do these things

4 Coverage What are Micro-algae? How are they Grown? How are they Harvested? Micro-algae to Biofuel, Current status, Future potential, Key Points.

5 What are micro algae? Micro algae are 1 to 5 microns in size, Wild algae and diatoms include thousands of species, Populations vary with climate and temp All contain lipid oils and have been studied as a source of biodiesel for at least 20 years, Algae were the source of our oil and gas, Algae are the source of the planet s oxygen, Algae absorb most of the planet s CO 2 A pretty good CV!

6 Other algae species Macro-algae are much more familiar and have been cultivated and studied for many years, They are much easier to catch & harvest, Species such as spirulina are well known, Decades of identification work exists Marine macro-algae are also under study, Macro-algae are much better known than Micros

7 Micro-algae research Most work has concentrated on monocultures and maximizing lipid oil content, Micro-algae are usually grown in a contained environment, Harvesting methods have been in contained systems with centrifugal water removal Lipid Oil extraction has involved: pressing, Super-critical fluid extraction, Pyrolysis. Quite equipment intensive and subject to contamination

8 The Aquaflow approach Don t try to modify nature. Use natural wild micro-algae, Harness solar energy, chlorophyll, photosynthesis and free nutrients, Micro-algae complete their life cycle in Effluent Management System (EMS) ponds and absorb the nutrients in the effluent, Most of the nitrogen and phosphorus is absorbed and reduced to acceptable levels A low cost solution

9 EMS ponds, Marlborough, New Zealand

10 Dispatch to the sea

11 The fuel source reveals itself

12 Micro-algae harvesting unit the fish trap

13 The micro-algae harvest the trapped fish!

14 The Bio-remediation process Start with heavily polluted waste water, Scavenge it using micro algae and solar energy, Transform EMS waste to lipid oils, Now the water is clean again and reusable for: Irrigation, Stock water, Industrial washing and processing, Even Potable water in an emergency. An efficient and cost effective water treatment system

15 The Bio-remediation process

16 Other Applications Applicable to wastes from agriculture, transport, dairy and meat processing, paper mills etc, that have heavily polluted waste water, For example: 1 cattle beast produces 10 times the waste of 1 human, New Zealand has 5 million cattle = 50 million human equivalents, Significant potential for agricultural effluents as nutrients, And what about cattle feed lots in the US mid-west? All we need is a nice rich effluent to grow micro-algae

17 Conversion to Biofuel As with harvesting we have a graveyard of conversion technologies that did not work. Now we have developed a quiver of technologies which do work. Economics and energy balance are crucial for commercial scale up in a non subsidised economy. Separate C5-C18 as fuel fraction, No trans-esterification, Proteins and cellulose as biocrude, Fuel meets New Zealand biodiesel specifications. Plus other valuable products!

18 Other valuable products The so-called by-products are likely to be of greater value than the biofuel! These include: Water purification, By-products with a range of different markets: Natural products, Pigments, Fibres, Enzymes, Sugars, Fats, Amino acids, Vitamins. An exploded Pharmacy!

19 Engine compatibility Meets New Zealand Biodiesel specifications, Trials with B 100 and blends, Engine tests still in progress but no issues to date, Still some certification work to do, Trialed and accepted as a commercial aviation fuel in New Zealand The prognoses are very good

20 Engine compatability

21 The trip that is decades away

22 Where are we now? Actually producing at the rate of 1 million liters/year of micro-algae biodiesel from one EDS pond and processing unit today! Very close to commercial production status, All production is being purchased for testing and analysis, Primary value is in water purification and high value chemical products, The pundits say micro-algae biodiesel is decades away. Aquaflow suggests 3-5 years! The future may be closer than we think!

23 Outlook for the future Potential for 100% diesel substitution in New Zealand and many other APEC economies, Unlike other biofuel options micro-algae have potential to make a major contribution to middle distillate demand, An important contribution to aviation fuel requirements: Air New Zealand 400 million litres/year, USAF 300 billion litres/year Approximately 90% reduction in vehicle GHG emissions based on whole of life carbon footprints, The outlook is very encouraging

24 Why all this effort? Algae are predicted to be up to 300 times more productive per acre than land crops, Oil yields of 40%-50% are being achieved, No productive food land is used, If we are to feed 10 billion Earthlings - Where? If we are to fuel 1.5 billion cars - How? If we are to reverse global warming - When? Micro-algae offer an exciting opportunity

25 Key Points An Entrepreneurial Initiative no Government assistance, New approach to harnessing, harvesting and processing micro-algae, Maximises the use of natural resources and existing infrastructure, Minimises capital requirements, Considerable associated value from multiple by-products and waste water purification, Potential for a major contribution to middle distillate demand in all APEC economies and worldwide.

26 Thank You!