Posts Tagged ‘Nutrients’

Making Algae Biodiesel at Home

Making algae biodiesel at home is simple but let’s get real! Based on the calls we receive at the office I wanted to clear up a few items for you, why you ask? The public seems to have the idea that all algae farms can be set up in a back yard operation and generate 110,000 gallons per acre of algae oil based biodiesel “True Story” and that is just not true. Our commercial algae photo bioreactor is capable of 25,000 gallons per acre per year of algal biofuel production. The second item I want to clear up is the cost to generate 110,000 gallons of fuel. Our 1 acre system is over 1million dollars, and that is more than the back yard hobbyist usually wants to spend. Not to say the backyard hobbyist cannot grow algae to produce algae biodiesel, but to say let’s be realistic in our approach.

One of the simplest algae photo bioreactors (PBR) I have seen utilized a food grade liquid container supplemented with artificial lights, nutrients and Co2 and it is very effective, but that system is a long way from producing 110,000 gallons of algae biomass fuel. Next after you get the algae grown to maturity, what will be your harvesting method? Will you simply dewater the algae cake or will you use a solar dryer? How will you extract the algal lipids? Sonification, hexane extraction or cold pressing? But all of this is possible when making algae biodiesel at home you just need to work out the details. At www.Algae-Book.com David Sieg offers a 3 book Algae Farming course on the matter and even shows you how to make your own algae photo bioreactors at home. So to all algae entrepreneurs and algae enthusiast, I wish you luck and wanted to let you in on a few of the conversations my office has daily. Success!

Share on Facebook

As the world’s petroleum supply experiences skyrocketing prices, looking for a green way to make fuel has become more popular. Biofuel production using algae is one green way to create a fuel source. While it is a difficult and long process, it is a straightforward one and may be the source of energy for the future. In fact, many private companies are working on mass production of algae for fuel use.

Home Made Algae Production

Choosing Your Algae

1. Choosing your algae for biodiesel production can depend on a variety of factors. Cost, efficiency and how hard the algae is to grow are all factors to keep in mind. Chlorella, a green algae, is the most cost-effective because it can be used as food after the oil is extracted. If you want algae that you can remove the most oil from, try Dunaliella and Botryococcus.

Feeding Your Algae

1. When growing algae for biodiesel production, choose the best quality of nutrients. All algae needs is nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, plus other components such as iron and chloride. You can use your own nutrient mix, or purchase a blend from a home and garden store.

Placing Your Algae

1. Your algae can grow in a variety of places. While there are kits that you can purchase with hoses to filtrate water and special filtration systems, simpler systems work just as well. Shallow water in ponds works as well as a filtrated water system. Your location should have sunlight for most of the day and some salinity.

Harvesting Your Algae

1. Algae is a fast-growing plant. So harvest frequently to encourage new growth. Up to 90 percent of your harvest can be picked without slowing down your algae production. Harvesting frequently encourages new growth and keeps your supply up.

Extracting Your Algae’s Oil

1. Oil needs to be pulled from the algae. The best way to do this is to combine methods. You can pull through an oil press, but that leaves 1/4 of the oil. Mixing it with hexane, a chemical solvent, absorbs the oil so that it can be extracted.

Algae Providers List

Share on Facebook