News & Views item - July 2010

 

 

Algal Synthesiser Pilot Facility for  Rapid CO2 Emissions Reduction Under Way. (July 11, 2010)

From 1978 to 1995 a study to investigate algae as a source of fuel and its ability to consume the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, CO2, was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

 

In November this past year Sustainability Matters reported that algal-synthesisers "offer renewed hope of rapid CO2 emissions reduction," and that "a 5000 square metre test facility capable of producing 14,000 L of oil and 25,000 kg of algal meal from every 100 tonnes of CO2 consumed". MBD Energy Limited, the company behind the technology, had developed a partnership with the algal research team based at Queensland's James Cook University.

 

Now the federal government's Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research has announced: "A new project by the Advanced Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre, MBD Energy Ltd and James Cook University is set to revolutionise the way we deal with greenhouse gas emissions from power stations."

 

The pilot project is expected to cost about $10 million and will include support for the research and development facility based at James Cook University and construction of a facility at Queensland’s Tarong Power Station.

 

Innovation Minister, Senator Kim Carr, said: "Development of a one hectare pilot project at the Tarong Power Station will capture 700 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, [and] could lead to an 80 hectare site consuming over 70,000 tonnes of emissions and producing 11 million litres of oil and 25,000 tonnes of feedstock. In the process, the algae [would] double their biomass every 24 hours and allow the waste water in which they are grown to be recycled."

 

According to Sustainability Matters the facility is intended to be progressively expanded over the coming five to 10 years to consume daily "more than half of all of Tarong’s problem flue-gas emissions".