International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)

ISSN: 2278-0181
Vol. 2 Issue 9, September - 2013

Micro Algae as the Dependable Source for Energy Security

Dr.V.Rambabu Chiranjeeva Rao Seela

Professor,Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. GMR Asst.Professor,Dept. Of Mechanical Engg.
Institute of technology, Rajam- Srikakulam. GMR Institute of technology, Rajam-
Srikakulam

Abstract
1. Introduction
The depletion of petroleum fuels and the
concentration of petroleum reserves in some The depletion of petroleum fuels and the
portions of world leads to searching of concentration of petroleum reserves in some portions
of world leads to searching of alternative energy
alternative energy resources. Many resources. Micro-algae are sunlight-driven cell
researchers found that blending of 20% factories that convert carbon dioxide to potential bio-
methyl or ethyl ester of vegetable oils (Bio- fuels, foods, feeds and high-value bio-actives [1, 2].
diesels) with petro-diesel can be adopted as This article focuses on micro-algae as a potential
RT
fuel for diesel engines, with out any source of bio diesel. Micro-algae can provide several
different types of renewable bio-fuels. These include
modifications. 100% bio-diesel also can be methane produced by anaerobic digestion of the algal
used as fuel for the diesel engines with
IJE

biomass bio diesel derived from micro-algal oil and

minor modifications in the engine. But the photo biologically produced bio-hydrogen. The idea
vegetable oils are the seasonally available of using micro algae as a source of fuel is not new [3,
and utilization of these oils for diesel 4]. But it is now being taken seriously because of the
escalating price of petroleum and, more significantly,
engines also leads to increase in the price. the emerging concern about global warming that is
These difficulties can be over come by using associated with burning fossil fuels. Bio diesel is
micro algae as source for production of bio produced currently from plant and animal oils, but
diesel. Micro-algae is third generation bio- not from micro algae. In the United States, bio diesel
fuel, it can be grown up in the any type of is produced mainly from soybeans. Other sources of
commercial bio diesel include canola oil, animal fat,
land and in any atmosphere throughout the palm oil, corn oil, waste cooking oil. In India
year. The yielding of bio diesel from the Jatropha, pongamia and mahua vegetable oils are
micro algae is 70 times more than the preferred for preparation of bio-diesel.
yielding from vegetable oils for the same Transesterification is the viable process to extract
area. The Micro-algae production time and bio-diesel from the vegetable oils commercially.
Any future production of bio diesel from micro algae
grown up time is very less compared with is expected to use the same process [5, 6].
the vegetable oil plants. Micro algae utilize
the CO2 from the atmosphere in day 2. Potential of micro-algal bio diesel:
reactions, and leads to reduction of
pollution levels in the atmosphere. In this Oil crops, waste cooking oil and animal fat
paper different types of algae available for cannot realistically satisfy the demand for petroleum
economical yielding bio-diesel, separation diesel. But it can be used as supplement, So that it
will reduce the rate of utilization of petro-diesel.
of algae from the water, different techniques Algae are divided into macro algae and micro algae.
to extract the lipid from the algae, In Macro algae produce only small amounts of lipid,
extraction of bio-diesel from lipid and its which function mainly as structural components of
characterization is presented. the cell membranes, and produce carbohydrates

IJERTV2IS90266 www.ijert.org 576

 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
Vol. 2 Issue 9, September - 2013

which can be used as their primary energy storage Jatropha 1892 140
compound. Where as Micro algae, specifically, Coconut 2689 99
possess several attractive characteristics in the
Oil palm 5950 45
context of energy and bio-fuels:
Microalgae 136 900
 They provide much higher yields of biomass
and fuels, 10-100 times higher than 
comparable energy crops. 
 They can be grown under conditions which are 
even unsuitable for conventional crop Microalgae Oil content (%
production. Botryococcus braunii dry wt)
25-75
 Micro algae are capable of fixing CO2 in the
atmosphere, thus facilitating the reduction of Chlorella sp. 28-32
increasing atmospheric CO2 levels, which are Crypthecodinium cohnii 20
now considered a global problem. Cylindrotheca sp. 16-37
 Algae bio-fuel is non-toxic, contains no Dunaliella primolecta 23
sulphur, and is highly biodegradable.
Isochrysis sp. 25-33
Monallanthus salina 20
Nannochloris sp. 20-35
Nannochloropsis sp. 31-68
Neochloris oleoabundans 35-54
Nitzschia sp. 45-47
Phaeodactylum tricornutum 20-30
RT
Schizochytrium sp. 50-77
Tetraselmis sueica 15-23
IJE

3. Micro algal biomass production:

Producing micro algal biomass is generally

more expensive than growing crops. Photosynthetic

growth requires light, carbon dioxide, water and
inorganic salts. Temperature must remain generally
Micro algae contain lipids and fatty within 20 to 30 °C. To minimize expense, bio diesel
acids as membrane components, storage products, production must rely on freely available sunlight,
metabolites and sources of energy. The lipid appears despite daily and seasonal variations in light levels.
primarily as droplets within the cytoplasm, not within Growth medium must provide the inorganic elements
the chloroplast or other cellular organelles (Fig.1). that constitute the algal cell. Essential elements
The lipid droplets often appear adjacent to a include nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), iron and in
mitochondrion. Some micro algal strains have been some cases silicon. Minimal nutritional requirements
found to contain proportionally high levels of lipids can be estimated using the approximate molecular
(over 30%). These micro algal strains with high oil or formula of the micro algal biomass, that is
lipid content are of great interest in the search for a CO0.48H1.83N0.11P0.01. This formula is based on data
sustainable feedstock for the production of bio diesel. presented by Grobbelaar (2004) [4]. Micro algal
The land requirement to cultivate different types of biomass contains approximately 50% carbon by dry
vegetable oils and micro algae is shown in Table 1. weight. All of this carbon is typically derived from
Oil content present in different types of micro algae carbon dioxide. Producing 100 t of algal biomass
are shown in Table.2. [7, 8, 9] fixes roughly 183 t of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide
must be fed continually during daylight hours.
Crop Oil yield Land area Feeding controlled in response to signals from pH
Corn (L/ha)
172 needed (M
1540 sensors minimizes loss of carbon dioxide and pH
Soybean 446 ha)
594 variations. Bio diesel production can potentially use
some of the carbon dioxide that is released in power
Canola 1190 223
plants by burning fossil fuels. This carbon dioxide is

IJERTV2IS90266 www.ijert.org 577

 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
Vol. 2 Issue 9, September - 2013

often available at little or no cost. Large-scale because raceways are poorly mixed and cannot
production of micro algal biomass generally uses sustain an optically dark zone.
continuous culture during daylight. In this method of
operation, fresh culture medium is fed at a constant 3.2. Photo bioreactors
rate and the same quantity of micro algal broth is Unlike open raceways, photo bioreactors
withdrawn continuously. Feeding ceases during the permit essentially single-species culture of micro
night, but the mixing of broth must continue to algae for prolonged durations. Photo bioreactors have
prevent settling of the biomass. Micro- algae can be been successfully used for producing large quantities
produced in to ways, one is raceway pond cultivation of micro algal biomass. Tubular photo bioreactor
and the second one is the photo bio-reactors. consists of an array of straight transparent tubes that
3.1 Raceway ponds are usually made of plastic or glass. This tubular
A raceway pond is made of a closed loop array, or the solar collector, is where the sunlight is
recirculation channel that is typically about 0.3 m captured (Fig. 3).
deep. Mixing and circulation are produced by a
paddlewheel. Flow is guided around bends by baffles
placed in the flow channel. Raceway channels are
built in concrete or compacted earth, and may be
lined with white plastic. During daylight, the culture
is fed continuously in front of the paddlewheel where
the flow begins (Fig. 2).


RT
The solar collector tubes are generally 0.1 m
or less in diameter. Tube diameter is limited because
light does not penetrate too deeply in the dense
IJE

culture broth that is necessary for ensuring a high

biomass productivity of the photo bioreactor. Micro
algal broth is circulated from a reservoir (i.e. the
degassing column in Fig. 3) to the solar collector and
back to the reservoir. Continuous culture operation is
used, as explained above. The solar collector is
oriented to maximize sunlight capture. In a typical
arrangement, the solar tubes are placed parallel to
each other and flat above the ground. Horizontal,

parallel straight tubes are sometimes arranged like a
fence, in attempts to increase the number of tubes
Broth is harvested behind the paddlewheel, on that can be accommodated in a given area. The tubes
completion of the circulation loop. The paddlewheel are always oriented North–South. The ground
operates all the time to prevent sedimentation. beneath the solar collector is often painted white, or
Raceway ponds for mass culture of Microalgae have covered with white sheets of plastic to increase
been used since the 1950s. Extensive experience reflectance. A high albedo (reflectance) increases the
exists on operation and engineering of raceways. The total light received by the tubes. Instead of being laid
largest raceway-based biomass production facility horizontally on the ground, the tubes may be made of
occupies an area of 440,000 m2. In raceways, any flexible plastic and coiled around a supporting frame
cooling is achieved only by evaporation. Temperature to form helical coil tubular photo bioreactors
fluctuates within a diurnal cycle and seasonally. 4. Extraction of bio-diesel from Micro-
Evaporative water loss can be significant. Because of
significant losses to atmosphere, raceways use carbon
Algae:
dioxide much less efficiently than photo bioreactors. The lipid portion is inside the cells of micro
Productivity is affected by contamination with algae as shown in Fig.1. To extract the lipids cell
unwanted algae and micro organisms that feed on wall cracking is required. This can be done by using
algae. The biomass concentration remains low ultrasonicator or saxholet lipid separator. Then the
lipid can be separated by using centrifuge. The lipids

IJERTV2IS90266 www.ijert.org 578

 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
Vol. 2 Issue 9, September - 2013

from the Algae have to be analyzed for the transesterification methods. Pror Energy Combust Sci
percentage of different fatty acids. For the analysis of 2005; 31(5–6):466–87.
lipid the chromatographic techniques may be 3. Fukuda H, Kondo A, Noda H. Bio diesel fuel
adopted. For the extraction of Bio-diesel from the production by transesterification of oils. J Biosci
algae lipids the transesterification procedure can be Bioeng 2001; 92:405–16.
adoptable. To adopt the extracted bio-diesel on the
4. Grobbelaar JU. Algal nutrition. In: Richmond A,
diesel engine its characteristics should be compared editor. Handbook of microalgal culture:
with the existing petro-diesel. So that, one can biotechnology and applied phycology.Blackwell;
predicts the combustion behaviour of the extracted 2004. p. 97–115.
bio- diesel.
5. Guschina IA, Harwood JL. Lipids and lipid
metabolism in eukaryotic algae. Prog Lipid Res
5. Conclusions: 2006;45:160–86.
Based on the following merits of Micro 6. Metting FB. Biodiversity and application of
Algae Based bio-diesels, it is the dependable Microalgae. J Ind Microbiol 1996;17:477–89.
resources for energy security.
7. Metzger P, Largeau C. Botryococcus braunii: a rich
 Micro-algae is the third generation bio-fuel and source for hydrocarbons and related ether lipids. Appl
Microbiol Biotechnol 2005;66:486–96.
it will not cause for hike in the price of consumer
oriented oil extractions and it can be grown up in 8. Sheehan J, Dunahay T, Benemann J, Roessler P. A
the any type of land, throughout the year. look back at the U.S. Department of Energy's Aquatic
 The extraction of the bio diesel from micro-algae Species Program—bio diesel from algae. National
is cheaper than the extraction of the bio diesel Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO; 1998.
Report NREL/TP-580–24190.
from non -edible oil. Some of the findings of the
researchers conclude that, the yielding of bio 9. Micro Algae academic adition – June 2010, available
diesel from the Micro-algae is 70 times more from www.oilgae.com.
RT
than the yielding from non-edible oils for the
same area.
 The Micro-algae production life cycle is very
less compared with the production life cycle of
IJE

the trees which produces non edible oils.

 Micro algae cultivation has got no restrictions
with the type of water used and the type of soil
and geo-graphical location.
 The bio-diesel production is continues because
of the abundant available of micro algae through
out the year.
 They produce more oxygen than all the other
plants. Micro algae are capable of utilizing CO2
in the atmosphere, thus facilitating the reduction
of increasing atmospheric CO2 levels and there
by protect the environment.
 The conclusions of some of the researchers infer
that micro-algae based bio-diesel will replace
petro-diesel
Apart from the Bio-Diesel, Hydrogen, Methane,
Ethanol, syngas and other hydrocarbon fuels can
also be extracted.
6. References:
1. Belarbi E-H, Molina Grima E, Chisti Y. A process for
high yield and scaleable recovery of high purity
eicosapentaenoic acid esters from Microalgae and fish
oil. EnzymeMicrob Technol 2000; 26: 516–29.
2. Demirbas A. Bio diesel production from vegetable oils
via catalytic and non-catalytic supercritical methanol

IJERTV2IS90266 www.ijert.org 579