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Progress in research on the use of biology to produce net-zero emission fuels
2023/6/29
Research on the use of biology to produce net-zero emission fuels has progressed.
In April, Kawasaki City, Japan-based Chitose Laboratories Inc. established the world's largest algae culture facility in Malaysia to produce fuel feedstock from carbon dioxide. The company aims to keep production costs at a level that can compete with fossil fuels in the future.
In order to achieve decarbonization, the demand for net-zero emission fuels is growing in various fields, mainly for aircraft, which are difficult to electrify. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is currently produced mainly from waste cooking oil. Given the limited supply of waste cooking oil, there is a need to transition to other fuels. The use of algae for fuel production is more promising if costs can be reduced.
The algae culture facility set up by Chitose Laboratories Inc. was officially launched at a thermal power station near the capital of Sarawak, Malaysia.
In an area of about 4.6 hectares, clear bags with culture solution are densely placed for cultivating light green algae. The transparent polyethylene bags are about 10 cm thick and nearly one meter high. The company has made several improvements to the bags for algae culture. It is claimed that if all the bags are placed horizontally, the connected length is about 64 kilometers.
The strong sunlight characteristic of the tropics stimulates algae activity. The algae, called "Chlamydomonas", absorb carbon dioxide and produce lipids during the metabolic process through photosynthesis. The staff then extracts fatty acids from the lipids, which are the raw material for the production of oil. The fatty acids are then refined and used to power airplanes, automobiles, etc.
Japan has large temperature differences between the four seasons, and the growth rate of algae varies widely. In a hot and humid environment, it is easy to mix with stray bacteria. Moreover, natural disasters such as typhoons are frequent. Malaysia, on the other hand, is located near the equator, with less temperature variation and fewer natural disasters, making it suitable for setting up algae culture tanks.
The carbon dioxide used to cultivate algae comes from the gas emitted from thermal power stations. The staff cultivates the algae for about three days, and then extracts lipids and proteins, etc. On a dry weight basis, 350 tons of algae can be produced per year, and up to 8 tons of SAF can be produced.
The traditional practice is to cultivate algae in large outdoor pools. The problem is that it is easy to mix in stray bacteria, etc. The cost of building large ponds is also higher. Chitose Laboratories Inc. uses inexpensive polyethylene bags and can easily carry out large-scale production. The company aims to start construction of a 2,000-hectare culture facility from 2027, about 400 times the current size. As production scales up, the cost of producing biofuel from algae will drop to about $3 per liter in the future. Tomohiro Fujita, the company's chief executive officer, said, "We hope to further reduce the cost of facility construction and the cost of algae cultivation."
Kenichi Hamada of Tetra Tech Japan said, "If we can achieve the goal of reducing the cost to about $3 per liter, we can compete with other fuels, including fossil fuels."
The Japanese government has set a goal of reducing production costs to about 100 yen (about $0.7) per liter by 2030. To further reduce costs, technological innovations are necessary.
Letting the algae dry and separating the oil out takes a lot of time and labor, which is the main reason for the higher cost. Taisei Construction Company and Saitama University have developed algae that does not store oil in the body but expels it from the body. As a result, the algae drying and oil separation process, which consumes a lot of energy, can be eliminated.
The recovery of oil becomes easier and the algae can continue to survive.
Many companies have high hopes for algae. Chitose Laboratories Inc. is leading an algae utilization project called MATSURI, in which companies such as ENEOS, Mitsui Chemicals and Shiseido are involved.
Overseas, some companies have also started to steadily cultivate oil-producing algae in a plant-like environment. Germany's Festo GmbH and others have introduced the "Bionic Cell Factory. This is a device that cultivates algae in a transparent tube that is rarely exposed to outside air.
The device absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, concentrates it and provides it to the algae, and automatically manages the temperature and provides nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen. It also records the size and number of algae and keeps track of growth. The refining process of the later oil uses bioenzymes.
There are a variety of fuels promising net-zero emissions, but each has strengths and weaknesses, and it is not yet possible to determine the best option. As for the production of fuels from grains such as corn, although the relevant technology has been established, the cost is unstable due to factors such as the grain market.
Land suitable for cultivation is limited. If the area of arable land is expanded, it may cause problems such as deforestation and environmental impacts.
In Europe and other places, we are promoting the use of waste cooking oil from restaurants and food factories. However, the supply of waste cooking oil is limited and cannot fully meet the demand.
Another method is to produce fuel by breaking down the cellulose contained in wood and crop residues. This method has not yet succeeded in mass production, and the method of collecting residues, etc. on a large scale has not yet been established and is not really in the practical stage.
It is expected that algae will be cultivated in places where crops cannot grow, such as deserts. On the other hand, there have been cases where the technology for mass production could not be established and the situation was stalled. The U.S. company ExxonMobil had financed and supported the startup Viridos, but later withdrew from the project.
In April, Kawasaki City, Japan-based Chitose Laboratories Inc. established the world's largest algae culture facility in Malaysia to produce fuel feedstock from carbon dioxide. The company aims to keep production costs at a level that can compete with fossil fuels in the future.
In order to achieve decarbonization, the demand for net-zero emission fuels is growing in various fields, mainly for aircraft, which are difficult to electrify. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is currently produced mainly from waste cooking oil. Given the limited supply of waste cooking oil, there is a need to transition to other fuels. The use of algae for fuel production is more promising if costs can be reduced.
The algae culture facility set up by Chitose Laboratories Inc. was officially launched at a thermal power station near the capital of Sarawak, Malaysia.
In an area of about 4.6 hectares, clear bags with culture solution are densely placed for cultivating light green algae. The transparent polyethylene bags are about 10 cm thick and nearly one meter high. The company has made several improvements to the bags for algae culture. It is claimed that if all the bags are placed horizontally, the connected length is about 64 kilometers.
The strong sunlight characteristic of the tropics stimulates algae activity. The algae, called "Chlamydomonas", absorb carbon dioxide and produce lipids during the metabolic process through photosynthesis. The staff then extracts fatty acids from the lipids, which are the raw material for the production of oil. The fatty acids are then refined and used to power airplanes, automobiles, etc.
Japan has large temperature differences between the four seasons, and the growth rate of algae varies widely. In a hot and humid environment, it is easy to mix with stray bacteria. Moreover, natural disasters such as typhoons are frequent. Malaysia, on the other hand, is located near the equator, with less temperature variation and fewer natural disasters, making it suitable for setting up algae culture tanks.
The carbon dioxide used to cultivate algae comes from the gas emitted from thermal power stations. The staff cultivates the algae for about three days, and then extracts lipids and proteins, etc. On a dry weight basis, 350 tons of algae can be produced per year, and up to 8 tons of SAF can be produced.
The traditional practice is to cultivate algae in large outdoor pools. The problem is that it is easy to mix in stray bacteria, etc. The cost of building large ponds is also higher. Chitose Laboratories Inc. uses inexpensive polyethylene bags and can easily carry out large-scale production. The company aims to start construction of a 2,000-hectare culture facility from 2027, about 400 times the current size. As production scales up, the cost of producing biofuel from algae will drop to about $3 per liter in the future. Tomohiro Fujita, the company's chief executive officer, said, "We hope to further reduce the cost of facility construction and the cost of algae cultivation."
Kenichi Hamada of Tetra Tech Japan said, "If we can achieve the goal of reducing the cost to about $3 per liter, we can compete with other fuels, including fossil fuels."
The Japanese government has set a goal of reducing production costs to about 100 yen (about $0.7) per liter by 2030. To further reduce costs, technological innovations are necessary.
Letting the algae dry and separating the oil out takes a lot of time and labor, which is the main reason for the higher cost. Taisei Construction Company and Saitama University have developed algae that does not store oil in the body but expels it from the body. As a result, the algae drying and oil separation process, which consumes a lot of energy, can be eliminated.
The recovery of oil becomes easier and the algae can continue to survive.
Many companies have high hopes for algae. Chitose Laboratories Inc. is leading an algae utilization project called MATSURI, in which companies such as ENEOS, Mitsui Chemicals and Shiseido are involved.
Overseas, some companies have also started to steadily cultivate oil-producing algae in a plant-like environment. Germany's Festo GmbH and others have introduced the "Bionic Cell Factory. This is a device that cultivates algae in a transparent tube that is rarely exposed to outside air.
The device absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, concentrates it and provides it to the algae, and automatically manages the temperature and provides nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen. It also records the size and number of algae and keeps track of growth. The refining process of the later oil uses bioenzymes.
There are a variety of fuels promising net-zero emissions, but each has strengths and weaknesses, and it is not yet possible to determine the best option. As for the production of fuels from grains such as corn, although the relevant technology has been established, the cost is unstable due to factors such as the grain market.
Land suitable for cultivation is limited. If the area of arable land is expanded, it may cause problems such as deforestation and environmental impacts.
In Europe and other places, we are promoting the use of waste cooking oil from restaurants and food factories. However, the supply of waste cooking oil is limited and cannot fully meet the demand.
Another method is to produce fuel by breaking down the cellulose contained in wood and crop residues. This method has not yet succeeded in mass production, and the method of collecting residues, etc. on a large scale has not yet been established and is not really in the practical stage.
It is expected that algae will be cultivated in places where crops cannot grow, such as deserts. On the other hand, there have been cases where the technology for mass production could not be established and the situation was stalled. The U.S. company ExxonMobil had financed and supported the startup Viridos, but later withdrew from the project.
Although global SAF production is relatively small at this stage, it is predicted that its production will increase to 23 billion liters by 2030 and expand to 449 billion liters by 2050. It is difficult to produce all of the SAF from one feedstock, and a wider range of R&D activities is necessary.
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