A quest for CO2 and O2 optimal management with biofuel from algae

Germany’s The Linde Group and Bonita Springs, Fla.-based Algenol Biofuels are putting their heads together on a carbon dioxide and oxygen management project aimed at producing biofuels from algae.

The companies said they will be looking at optimum management of carbon dioxide and oxygen with Algenol’s algae and photobioreactor technology.

The intent is to develop cost-efficient technologies that can capture, store, transport, and supply carbon dioxide. The CO₂ is expected to be used for Algenol's process that produces third-generation biofuels from CO₂, salt water and algae, as well as removing oxygen from photobioreactors.

"Producing fuels or chemicals from algae is a promising way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions," said Aldo Belloni, a Linde executive board member, in a news release. "A cost-efficient supply of carbon dioxide is a key factor in this biofuel chain."

Using its direct-to-ethanol technology that’s powered by the sun, Algenol makes what it says is low-cost ethanol from CO₂ and seawater using hybrid algae in sealed, clear plastic photobioreactors (see Turning algae into ethanol, and gold).

The new research collaboration builds on the process developed by Algenol Biofuels and other partners.

In June, Algenol and Midland, Mich.-based Dow Chemical announced they were teaming up to build a pilot, algae-based integrated biorefinery to convert CO₂ into ethanol (see Dow, Algenol to build pilot algae-based biorefinery).

Linde is a gases and engineering company, with experience in the cost-efficient supply of carbon dioxide for eco-friendly CO₂ recycling applications. Its products are also used by crystalline and thin-film solar photovoltaic module manufacturers around the world.

Earlier this month, its solar division was awarded a long-term contract to supply its specialty gases to Bosch Solar’s new solar manufacturing site near Erfurt, Germany (see Linde tapped for Bosch Solar manufacturing site in Germany).

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