Devoloping countries taking larger share.. (india, china), video (inconvenient truth)

Although there are alternatives, they dun satisfy transportation needs….

Biofuels (ethanol, etc…)

Introduction to algae fuels

Few companies

Breakthroughs (yield & cost)

Biofuel mandates, economics (growth, investments, cost)

Developing countries are often situated in regions which are geographically interesting for algae cultivation (favourable climatic conditions, cheap labour and underdeveloped land)

Algae Fuels : Emerging opportunities for Indian Entrepreneurs

The story behind Oilgae…

Why are we here for? To give a overall summary about algae biofuels To highlight the opportunities in this sector

List of Contents Introduction Classification of energy Biofuels Biomass as fuel source Introduction to algae biofuels History Uniqueness of algae fuels Technology Algae fuels: Growth and Investments Role of India in algae biofuels Current status of algae fuels in India Benefits to Emerging entrepreneurs Challenges and bottlenecks Conclusion

Introduction Incremental need for alternative fuels is mainly due to: Rising crude oil prices Resulting impact on our environment due to fossil fuels (e.g., global warming)

Classification of energy

Biofuels Less common types: Biobutanol Synfuel

Biomass as biofuel source Any liquid that stores energy, which is typically utilized by an engine or generator, can be called a “fuel.” Biofuels are fuels that are derived from organic biomass, rather than minerals Classified into 1st , 2nd & 3rd generation biofuels

First generation biofuels Made from soybeans, palm, canola and rapeseed Pros Simple and well-known production methods Familiar feedstocks Scalable to production capacities Experience with commercial production and use in several countries Cons Feedstocks compete directly with crops grown for food Low land-use efficiency Modest net reductions in fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions with current processing methods

Second generation biofuels Non-food bio-feedstocks are considered as feedstock for second generation biofuels (jatropha, cellulose) Pros Eliminates competition for food and feed More efficient and environmentally friendly Less farmland is required Useful by-products Cons Same downfall as the first generation fuels but without as great of an eco imprint.

Third generation biofuels Algae are considered to belong to the third generation feedstock. Pros superior yields not directly affecting the human food chain grown in places that are not suitable for agriculture enhanced efficiencies or reduction in cost Cons The problem of course is in developing technologies that will enable this kind of biofuel to be more cost effective to make.

Introduction to algae fuels

History of energy from algae Aquatic Species Programme, (1978 and 1996) Mainly focused on microalgae for oil (biodiesel) 25 million dollar investment Production of algae for fuel is not economically viable Since 2002, there have been a number of commercial and research efforts in the algae energy field, and the activities have further accelerated starting 2008. While most of the efforts in the first few years focused on biodiesel as the end-product, recently a number of efforts have recently been initiated to explore the viability of using algae as feedstock for other energy products.

Uniqueness of algae fuels Algae fuels Higher oil yield Lesser land requirement food vs. fuel Range of products Adaptability WWT & CO2 capture

Higher oil yield

Lesser land requirement Algae is capable of producing 30 times more oil per acre than the current crops now utilized for the production of biofuels. Algae could produce up to 94,000 liters of oil per acre, shrinking land requirements

Adaptability to a range of environment Grown under conditions which are unsuitable for conventional crop production (marine water, wastewater, open ponds)

Solve the food versus fuel problem Does not compete directly with crops grown for food Algae can make use of marine and waster water Some algae can be grown in desert regions Some algae can be grown in ocean environment Does not require expensive nutrients for growing

A wide range of fuel products Algae

Integrated with Wastewater Treatment and CO2 capture

How to obtain fuel from algae? Picking up the best algae Growing the algae Harvesting Generating the fuel product

Open systems

Closed systems Also referred as Photobioreactors Tubular PBR Flat plate PBR

Product generation via different routes Biodiesel Ethanol Hydrogen Methane Electricity – where algae biomass is directly used for combustion Other hydrocarbon fuel variants, such as JP-8 fuel, gasoline, biobutanol etc.

Biodiesel from algae

Ethanol from algae

Hydrogen from algae

Methane from algae

Challenges & Bottlenecks Biological Technical Economical

Picking up an algae strain

Technical Challenges Maintenance of open pond cultivation Cost of closed systems Harvesting of microalgae

Economics

Algae fuels: Growth and Investments

Growth More than 100 companies are working on algae fuels, especially in USA and UK

Investments

Opportunities for Entrepreneurs Biofuel production R&D Investor Equipment manufacturer Biofuel refineries Bioremediation using algae

Tremendous opportunities for Indian entrepreneurs

Supports Government funds Cleantech investors Carbon credits and nutrient credits

Key players Commercial plant Pilot plant Research Institutes & Organizations > 25 <5 0

MCRC - pioneer in algae cultivation A non-Governmental Voluntary Research Organisation Established in 1977 The first major research on algae technology at MCRC was on Spirulina Technology was licensed to the sister concern, The New Ambadi Estates (now Parry Agro Industries Ltd.)

Indian oil and petroalgae ICOL is the 18th largest petroleum company in the world, and is currently India’s largest company by sales. PetroAlgae has signed an MOU to license its proprietary technology for producing and harvesting algae for fuel to Indian Oil Announcement was on Nov 2009

DBT funded projects on algae fuels

ONGC and teri research TERI, a leader in the field of bio-remediation and has been giving services to ONGC. StatoilHydro and India's leading oil company ONGC have signed an MOU Explore the potential of Algae-based Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), and CDM (clean development mechanism) projects in India.

Other Indian companies Hydrolina Biotech Pvt Ltd., BioMax Enhanced biofuels

Conclusion Even with few challenges taken into consideration, algae biofuel ’s natural advantages look to make it one of the foremost players in the clean energy market Algae biofuel production holds future promise for developing countries. More jobs Energy independence