Download - Cambridge | Jan-14 | Bioenergy from Plants and Algae: Plant Biomass and Algae - pt 1

UNIVERSITY OFCAMBRIDGE

Dept of Plant Sciences

Alison G. Smith & Beatrix [email protected] , [email protected]

Bioenergy from Plants and Algae – pt1

Smart Villages Workshop, January 2013

Hydro Tides &

currents

Wind Geothermal Solar Predicted

need in 2050

0.1

1

10

100

1000

10000

100000

1000000

TW

Potential of renewable energy sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_resources_and_consumption

• Total solar radiation in one hour is > than annual energy use

• Solar panels (photovoltaics) or photosynthesis

Biomass

Bulk Biomass Different components can be extracted from

the biomass

Carbohydrate Lipids and hydrocarbons

BiodieselBioethanol, Biobutanol

Light / Land

Biogas

Anaerobic digestion

Thermochemical conversion

Burnt directly

Electricity / Heat

Syngas, Pyrolysis oil, Biochar

Solar energy into plant biomass � biofuel

liquid

transport

fuels

First versus next generation biofuels

• Current biofuels produced from

edible parts of crop plants

Oil from rapeseed or palm

Starch from maize or wheat grain

• Most plant biomass is in non-edible parts Carbohydrates in cell walls - cellulose, hemicellulose,

lignins

• Major technological

developments neededUnderstand structure, identify

degradative enzymes,

manipulate proportions

Biomass


the biomass



Light / Land

Microalgae as an alternative

Biogas

Anaerobic digestion

Thermochemical conversion

Burnt directly

Electricity / Heat

Syngas, Pyrolysis oil, Biochar

Biomass


the biomass



Light / Land

Microalgae as an alternative

• Don’t compete with crop plants

• Rate of algal growth > land plants

• Some strains make very high amounts

of fuel molecules

• Use of CO2, waste water

Waste water

from industry

CO2 from fixed

installations

palm oil oilseed rape soybean jatropha Nannochloropsis

5,950 1,190 446 1,892 136,900

Chisti et al. (2007) Biotechnology Advances, 25: 294–306

Estimates of potential oil yields (L/ha)

• Current UK diesel use would require 27,000 ML/y biodiesel

• 17.5 Mha for oilseed rape, 0.8 Mha for algae (UK land area = 24 Mha)

Scott et al (2010) Curr Op Biotech 21:277–286

Algal Biofuel Pipeline

Scott et al (2010) Curr Op Biotech 21:277–286

• Many separate aspects require optimisation

• Current algal cultivation optimised for high value, low volume products

Meta-analysis of algal biodiesel LCAs9

• Equivalent to land-based biofuels

• Improvements might come from coproducts

Liu et al (2012) Bioresource Tech 104: 803-806