Brazilian clean technology solar biogas integrated microalgae bioeconomy project

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This process has a great synergy between its elements, respecting the environment with waste treatment and giving prime destination for each element. This is not a process improvement, but the junction of four in a single production adapted to the reality of the Northeast and has not yet been done, but that can be fully applicable to the reality of semi-arid process systems.

Production with Clean Energy

General aspects 

The PP Bio is a process that has the cultivation of microalgae as a primary product, associating several clean to form a complete system sustainable and environmentally friendly energy technologies.

Seaweed and algae are aquatic plants that live in seawater, freshwater or brackish, abundant in much of the Northeast, which perform photosynthesis and capture CO2 from the atmosphere, consuming mineral water and generating organic material. These essential oils are extracted for industries of food, drugs and cosmetics, still leaving an organic byproduct that is generated in a biogas digester, mixing of CO2 and CH4.

These gases are in trouble for the issue of global warming. However, CH4 is a fuel with high calorific value and can be applied as compressed natural gas (CNG) technology developed and used in the market.

Many areas in the Northeast do not yet have distribution of CNG because of the pipe network to be extremely expensive to serve populations with low purchasing power.

Hundreds of organic wastes ranging from urban waste from agribusinesses to leaf and fruit crops rot in the environment generating primarily CO2 and CH4, villains of global warming.

It is possible to draw a parallel with cashew, which does not take advantage of the stalk that can be used for the extraction of essences and the remainder is also used in the production of biogas.

The gases generated in a digester can be separated through a scrubbing tower where the CO2 is absorbed and released CH4, which can be used in the generation of electricity by burning in a boiler or a power generator. This new CO2 is returned to create creation of microalgae, which no longer exist emission of harmful gases.

In turn, the sun may be used for heating processes of oil extraction as well as in part of desalination process water without the need for burning organic fuel production, thereby increasing the energy efficiency of the system.

Market

Many algae and microalgae oils are high price in domestic and international markets such as beta-carotene, with high antioxidant power, vitamin B-12 and many others.

The cultivation of microalgae is widely studied outside of Brazil, and there are plans to produce biodiesel oil being processed in Argentina (Patagonia), USA, Israel, Australia, and other countries.

Some Brazilian universities have conducted research in this area, but until then, there is no cultivation of industrial form in semiarid full.

Several surveys indicate that areas of twelve to fifty times smaller are necessary in the cultivation of microalgae for the production of oil, compared to production of castor.Only your initial investment is higher, considering the preparation of breeding. However, when considering carbon sequestration, the process becomes feasible.

There are hundreds of microalgae can be grown in abundant brackish waters of the backwoods of each species and different ingredients are extracted with high added value.

Some are made of up to 80% of their body weight in oil, if the market fails to have high value, fit to be inserted in the biodiesel production chain, where we developed a species adapted to the region and the extraction process suitable for the same .

The PP Bio aims to promote the paths to a technique that will make economically viable processes of enterprises and municipalities, pointing to a new supply chain, considering abundant supplies in the Northeast region as the land, brackish water, and sunlight. But critics point until it reaches its feasibility, are the development of species of microalgae adapted to the reality of the Northeast and the discovery of methods of bacteriological control to achieve a status of optimal growth and economic viability.

Introduction to Bio PP

Find the best species of microalgae adapted to the interior, with the greatest market viability, is one of the goals of this project.

In the production chain of cashew found a tailing almond nut used for animal feed. In this case, the supply chain could be changed for the extraction of noble oil effluents, with subsequent feeding of animals, where the excrement of them are used for digestion, generating the value chain with the extraction of oil.

Biodigestion

The digestion is a biochemical process where organic no commercial value, such as leaves, animal manure solids from wastewater treatment and agro industrial waste materials can be digested generating on average 4% of the original mass of biogas that has 60% CH4. The remainder of the original mass can be used as organic fertilizer.

Gas separation

The separation of gases is done in a tower where the biogas is introduced from the bottom and propelled into contact with the water, against the current that, under certain conditions, absorbs CO2 instead of CH4. This in turn is released from the top of the tower. The CH4 is then treated and used in compression to convey biogas (CNG) or electricity generation. The CO2 is used in solution with a nutrient cultivation of microalgae, mixing by dispersing the breeding designed for this purpose.

Cultivation of microalgae

Microalgae consume CO2, carbon source, and have an average of 22% in this composition, and for each pound of live cultivated microalgae, is absorbed approximately 0.8 kg of CO2, 0.6 kg O2 releasing to the atmosphere where 30% to 80% of the living mass becomes oils, depending on the type of algae, the active may be separated with higher added value.

To understand the numbers, it means that on a hectare of planting microalgae will have an average yield of 5.5 ton / month of dry microalgae, generating 2.5 tons of special oils considering algae with 40% oil. However, you can get up to 80%, absorbing 4.4 ton of CO2 release of 3.3 tons of oxygen to the atmosphere, which produces 3.3 tons of organic material. In the digester, if not used for animal feed, it generates 3.0 tons of organic fertilizer and 50 kg of CO2 and 80 Nm³ CH4 gas. Here we use smaller numbers, concluding that there is much room for the development of the process.

Bio PP, The Union of Processes

The focus of Bio PP is the union of systems of cultivation of microalgae, biodigester, gas separation and oil extraction system with the generation of various products adapted to the reality of semi-arid tower.

The application of this knowledge generates the operation of a new supply chain, overriding environmental, social and energy issues. Here we find the feasibility of obtaining a supply chain facing the northeastern hinterland, with the cultivation of microalgae adapted to the region. The goal is to produce useful, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and others with the absorption of CO2 from any source to generate this gas industries of food supplies.

In this case, a digester is used in the production of biogas or CNG. The source of the organic material may be multiple, including stems and leaves of the castor bean plant, enabling the production cost of biodiesel through these sources. Waste of food or leftover treated wastewater industry are also used.

The PP Bio focuses its attention on the formation of a nursery in the city of microalgae Paudalho - PE where the research is done for ever deeper knowledge semilaboratorial scale, obtaining data for the pilot project to be developed in the backcountry.

The project is divided into two phases, the first being called incubators Microalgae, lasting eighteen months. The second phase is the implementation of the Pilot Project, which developed the solar power as an energy alternative heating in oil extraction from microalgae. See the flowchart below:

Innovation

As well as practical application of stem and leaves mamoneiro for biogas generation and utilization of CO2 from various sources for growing algae and microalgae, are unknown does not exist in Brazil the cultivation of microalgae for biodiesel with dissolution CO2, which prevents the increase in growth rate thereof.

Another process that is not known is the pilot-scale extraction of essential oils from algae or reject the use of microalgae after extraction of active elements in the generation of biogas digesters on or use of this waste in animal husbandry, with their feces being used to generate environmentally friendly fuel.

The environments used as the waters of brackish lagoons do not have commercial use in a wide area of ​​territory. Even if it is executed in artificial ponds, the use of land will be dry regions and low value.

The Bio PP has a great synergy between its elements, respecting the environment with waste treatment and giving prime destination for each element.

This is not a process improvement, but the junction of four in a single production adapted to the reality of the Northeast and has not yet been done, but that can be fully applicable to the reality of semi-arid process systems.

If we join cane bagasse as raw material, waste or even cashew plantation of castor, where the stems and leaves are completely neglected, can be removed much more energy, enabling economically biodiesel from castor, which today is only feasible with strong fiscal incentive.

The inputs in this production cycle are the sun, the water not used for inactive wells and organic waste coming from agribusiness and urban waste. These items generate useful products to solve the problem of energy, global warming and food.

New forms of carbon sequestration are also global and emerging needs of the First World, eager for consistent and feasible projects.

Using a land of semiarid Northeast, will be deployed a Research and Development with the construction of a pilot plant, uniting all processes: the cultivation of microalgae, digestion, separation of gases, electric generators small through the wind process, vegetable oil extraction from algae, organic from agribusiness, agricultural and urban wastes, biogas purification unit and extracts generated on current technology.      

Advantages

Among the many advantages of Bio PP, we can highlight: 
- the use of dry lands and brackish water of the northeastern semi-arid region for the production of inputs; 
- the double carbon sequestration in the cultivation of microalgae fermentation process and biogas; 
- the production of carrier gas, without impact on global warming, 
- generating inputs food, cosmetic and suitable for the transesterification process of generating biodiesel oils, depending upon the kind of microalgae to be cultured; 
- the use of agro-industrial wastes Northeast as the cashew nut, castor bean, leather and footwear industry and slaughterhouses, which could be handled in useful elements for agriculture.

Final Thoughts

The project unites Bio PP and other processes known in development as the cultivation of microalgae, adding greater value than the separate processes, creating multiple sources of income and enabling the whole production chain. 

With the support of FINEP, the FACEPE and other companies, the PP Bio is an alternative to the Northeast, with the possibility of new ways to north-eastern man, adding environmental solutions that will certainly overcome the problem of degradation by generating Power and useful inputs.

If the PP Bio is applied intensively, may contribute as a new energy model for Brazil and other regions of the world.

Extant requerida: PI 0704811-0 of 11/06/2007.