ALGAE: FROM BIOMASS TO BIOFUEL TEAM 16

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
With rising fuel cost and the increase in greenhouse gasses, alternative fuel sources are essential for the growth and stability of not just the United States but the entire planet. A 2010 worldwide report on CO2 emissions recorded that the United States is responsible for about 18% of the CO2 emissions which translates to over 5 million metric tons (Wikipedia). According to a report from the National Academy of Sciences, the Earths average surface temperature has risen especially over the last three decades." They attribute this to human activity and the burning of fossil fuels which release CO2 and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. [1] As a result, our focus will be on the growth of algae in offshore biopods as a source of biofuel. While this process is well under way and currently being developed and researched, our primary goal is to apply principles of thermodynamics to determine optimal growing location, and to develop/identify a more costefficient alternative bio-pod material to house the system. Unlike corn and other traditional crops being grown to produce biofuels, algae does not require the addition of environmentally threatening fertilizers and pesticides. Traditionally, algae growth occurs in water, and only requires CO2 and sunlight. Surprisingly, research shows that nitrogen-rich waste ponds are some of the better places to grow algae. In fact, our focus even incorporates the use of municipal wastewater which is currently discharged offshore, to provide the nutrients and components for growth. Because algae can be grown on marginal/undesired land or in our case, offshore, the threat of consuming land used in farming for food and other commodities is nonexistent. Another benefit of Algae growth is that it gets its energy from the sun, so unlike our current methods of fuel production, the cultivation of algae for biofuels does not require the direct input of other forms of external energy. Furthermore, the carbon released through biodiesel combustion was initially fixed from CO2 gas through photosynthesis.[2] Thus, algae biodiesel is carbon neutral. According to the paper, Biofuels from Microalgae, the high growth rate of microalgae makes it possible to satisfy the massive demand on biofuels using limited land resources without causing potential biomass deficit.

INTRODUCTION
Algae are plant like organisms that only require CO2, sunlight, and water for photosynthesis and respiration, this makes it a very attractive fuel source.[2] As a result, research is currently underway to develop mega offshore growing sites. Because algae doubles its mass every four hours, and also because such large amounts are needed to make an impact on the nations energy situation, very large bio-pod growing sites are required. The downfall lies within the cost to develop, operate, and maintain such an enormous system. Currently, feasibility studies report that in order for this idea to become a reality, the growing sites must also act as a source for other energy production, such as wind and tidal energy. This creates complexity that generally tends

to diminish the reality of an actual system coming to life. As a result, we feel that optimizing growth by developing/identifying a better and cheaper bio-pod shell material will, in-turn contribute to the feasibility of the system and aid in making it a reality. In order to achieve this, we will have to examine the amount of sunlight absorbed by algae during photosynthesis, and determine its ideal growing conditions (the ratio of CO2 to sunlight/photons) for specific concentrations of algae. Once achieved, our hope is to use thermodynamic analysis to design a mechanism that will provide and facilitate optimal levels of biomass production.

PROPOSED SCOPE OF WORK The controlled growth of algae has many components that need to be looked into. Carbon dioxode, oxygen, and sunlight are all integral parts of photosynthesis and are the components that we will be concerned with. Too much oxygen in the closed system can be toxic to the algae, while carbon dioxide and sunlight are needed for the algae to grow. With this system being so complex, the inability to run a sample experiment due to funds, and the purpose of the project not being to duplicate so much as it to analyze a system, certain liberties must be taken in the form of assumptions. For example, the rate of algae growth is an unknown that we cannot figure out in our situation. The assumptions we take are not unreasonable, however. For algae growth, we can assume that algae is continuously harvested at a rate equal to its growth, meaning the consumption and production of gases stays at a constant rate. Looking at the equation for photosynthesis, 6CO_2 + 6H_2_O + a variable number of quanta based on the plant C_6_H_12_O_6 + 6O_2, we can easily relate the three components mentioned above. We also begin to see that sunlight must be quantified for us to move further. This introduces new problems that must be solved temporarily with assumptions. The amount of quanta that reach the surface is a variable that is made unpredictable by seasons, weather, and the time of day. Since it is impossible to approximate a value for the quanta provided by the sun at any moment, we must assume that there is a device connected to the apparatus that measures the quanta at that moment. Of that number, we will need to calculate a modifier to represent the amount of energy absorbed by the algae, as only certain wavelengths of light are included in the photosynthesis process. This device would also release an appropriate amount of carbon dioxide and extract an appropriate amount of oxygen based on the quanta value.

By finding the exact value of quanta needed to satisfy the photosynthesis equation for algae, we can relate quanta consumption to carbon dioxide consumption and oxygen production. Since these static values are not appropriate for a system that actively

consumes and produces gases, we must turn these into a rate. Again we start with our controlled variable. By figuring out the approximate PPFD (micromol of quanta per meter squared per second) value that algae requires to grow, we can determine the rates at which carbon dioxide must be pumped in and oxygen must be pumped out. Since we cannot do any experimental procedures for finding the quanta and PPFD required for algae growth, the values will have to be found through research. Finally we can attempt to approximate the heat given off over the course of algal growth. Once we accomplish all of these steps, our simplified system will be solved. In the next two weeks, ending November 3rd, we will determine the PPFD and PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) values that will help to analyze the efficiency of sunlight in photosynthesis. Jarrett and Jonathon will be tasked with finding the PAR value, while Tyler and Curt will find the PPFD value. In the two following weeks, ending November 17th, we will find the quanta value required for algae to undergo photosynthesis and combine that with the PPFD and PAR values to relate quanta, carbon dioxide, and oxygen using the photosynthesis equation. Jarrett and Jonathon will find the quanta value while Tyler and Curt will relate that value to the gases in the system. In the final two weeks, ending December 1st, the entire group will analyze a sample day of the system. This will mean finding the quanta values of sunlight throughout a sample day and then making a graph showing the addition and subtraction of carbon dioxide and oxygen, respectively.

Sources: [1](http://stephenschneider.stanford.edu/Climate/Climate_Science/Science.html and Advancing The Science of Climate Change Report in Brief). [2] (Algae Biodiesel: A Feasibility Report

Image: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/research/OMEGA/index.html