/ UGA Microalgae Bioenergy Research Program
Faculty of Engineering
December 5, 2008
Dear Reader
I am delighted to introduce you to the University of Georgia’s Biorefining and Carbon Cycling Program, (BCCP). This is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on research, outreach, and education in various aspects of biomass conversion to fuels, chemicals, and products. Our work includes both thermochemical conversion processes, (pyrolysis and gasification,) and fermentation technologies. One unique area is research in carbon cycling through soil carbon sequestration using BioChar, (solid product from pyrolysis of biomass). Perhaps our most exciting subgroup is the Microalgae Bioenergy Research Program, outlined in this document, focusing on cultivating algae strains for biomass conversion to biofuels and value added products. The BCCP membership includes over 25 scientists representing fields such as engineering, biological sciences, agronomy, forestry, economics, etc. Please visit our program website www.biorefinery.uga.edu for current and more detailed information on our activities.
The University of Georgia, (UGA) is the flagship educational institution of the state of Georgia USA and is an international leader in many disciplines including fields in agriculture, forestry, and biological sciences. UGA is also host to the BioEnergy Science Center (BESC), one of the US Department of Energy’s three centers of excellence focusing on studying fundamental aspects of cell wall biochemistry and how this can be manipulated to enhance potential for biomass conversion to fuels and products.
We would like to establish active collaborations on a peer to peer level with research and educational institutes. Our interests include [1] research in understanding biomass characteristics, biomass production and conversion technologies, and carbon cycling through use of BioChar; [2] student and faculty exchanges leading to a long-term educational collaboration; and [3] technology transfer and outreach. Please contact me () or any other member of our team for additional information or to express interest in establishing a collaborative project.
With best wishes,
K.C. Das, Ph.D., P.E.
Associate Professor of Engineering
Director, Biorefining and Carbon Cycling Program
The University of Georgia
The University of Georgia, founded in 1785 as a land-grant and sea-grant university with state-wide commitments and responsibilities, is the state's flagship institution of higher education. It is also the state's oldest, most comprehensive and most diversified institution of higher education. Its motto, "to teach, to serve and to inquire into the nature of things," reflects the university's integral and unique role in the conservation and enhancement of the state's and nation's intellectual, cultural and environmental heritage.
UGA shares with the other research universities of the University System of Georgia the following core characteristics:
1. a statewide responsibility and commitment to excellence and academic achievements having national and international recognition;
2. a commitment to excellence in a teaching/learning environment dedicated to serve a diverse and well-prepared student body, to promote high levels of student achievement and to provide appropriate academic support services;
3. a commitment to excellence in research, scholarship and creative endeavors that are focused on organized programs to create, maintain and apply new knowledge and theories; that promote instructional quality and effectiveness; and that enhance institutionally relevant faculty qualifications;
4. a commitment to excellence in public service, economic development, and technical assistance activities designed to address the strategic needs of the state of Georgia along with a comprehensive offering of continuing education designed to meet the needs of Georgia's citizens in life-long learning and professional education;
5. a wide range of academic and professional programming at the baccalaureate, master's and doctoral levels.
With its statewide mission and core characteristics, UGA endeavors to prepare the university community and the state for full participation in the global society of the twenty- first century. Through its programs and practices, it seeks to foster the understanding of and respect for cultural differences necessary for an enlightened and educated citizenry. It further provides for cultural, ethnic, gender and racial diversity in the faculty, staff and student body. The university is committed to preparing the university community to appreciate the critical importance of a quality environment to an interdependent global society.
As a comprehensive land-grant and sea-grant institution, UGA offers baccalaureate, master's, doctoral and professional degrees in the arts, humanities, social sciences, biological sciences, physical sciences, agricultural and environmental sciences, business, environmental design, family and consumer sciences, forest resources, journalism and mass communication, education, law, pharmacy, social work and veterinary medicine.
The university attracts students nationally and internationally as well as from within Georgia. It offers the state's broadest array of possibilities in graduate and professional education, and thus a large minority of the student body is post-baccalaureate. The predominantly Georgian undergraduate student body is a mix of highly qualified students originally admitted as freshmen and selected transfer students principally from other University System institutions.
With original scholarship, basic and applied research, and creative activities constituting an essential core from which to draw, the impact of the land-grant and sea-grant mission is reflected throughout the state. Cooperative extension, continuing education, public service, experiment stations and technology transfer are all designed to enhance the well-being of the citizens of Georgia through their roles in economic, social, and community development.
As it has been historically, UGA is responsive to the evolution of the state's educational, social and economic needs. It aspires through its strategic planning to even closer contact and interaction with public and private institutions throughout the state as well as with the citizens it serves.
The University of Georgia encompasses 16 schools and colleges that offer a wide range of educational opportunities. UGA's oldest college--the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences--was founded in 1801. The most recent are the School of Ecology, the College of Environment and Design, the School of Public and International Affairs, and the College of Public Health.
The photos and text above were reproduced from F.N. Boney's book, A Pictorial History of the University of Georgia, 1984, University of Georgia Press
The University of Georgia is positioned uniquely to play a major role in working to make the biomass-based economy a reality. Among its key strengths are [1] a world recognized, well connected Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, [2] a well integrated cooperative extension service that has over a century of experience working closely with agriculture, [3] a wide range of scientists and educators in the basic sciences and engineering, and [4] an excellent assemblage of graduate students training to be leaders in the biomass-based world economy.
The UGA Biorefining and Carbon Cycling Program is a collection of faculty and staff members from varied disciplines and representing colleges and departments within the UGA campus. The program is dedicated to research, development, and demonstration of biomass conversion technologies through the concept of the Integrated Biorefinery. Analogous to the petroleum refinery that processes a barrel of crude oil into many petroleum based products including gasoline and diesel fuels, the biorefinery processes biomass into biofuels and many other bioproducts, while a portion of the carbon is cycled into long term soil carbon sequestration as BioChar. The ability to process raw materials into a varied product stream greatly enhances the versatility of the biorefinery to meet the economic demands of the free market and compete globally.
At UGA’s Biological Sciences, Forestry, and Agricultural schools, technology is being developed for tree and crop production and harvesting. Research includes cellular level studies to understand fundamental cell wall biochemistry, and design better biomass, (BioEnergy Science Center, BESC). There are also larger scale mechanical system developments being applied to harvesting and preprocessing of biomass for improved overall production of biofuels and products. Preprocessing technologies include pelletization, torrefaction, solvent extraction, hydrolysis, etc. The program also has an algae biomass subgroup, the Microalgae Bioenergy Research Program as outlined in the following pages.
Interdisciplinary Focus Areas include:
1. Research to understand biomass, processes and products.
- Development and testing of technology for a biobased industry.
- Technology transfer within Georgia and around the world—working with industries, government agencies and the community at large.
- Educational programming that provides unique, pertinent and comprehensive training and educational experiences—thus preparing the workforce of the 21st century biomass economy.
- Degree programs in varied disciplines including: Engineering, Forestry, Ecology, Biology, Biochemistry.
/ UGA Microalgae Bioenergy Research Program
The Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering initiated The Microalgae Bioenergy Program under the Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored Biorefining and Carbon Cycling Program (BCCP) in January 2007. This research program is truly a multidisciplinary research endeavor involving expertise of scientist from various fields such as phycology, microbiology, agriculture, aquaculture, mechanical, chemical and process engineering, physics, and animal sciences to develop cost effective front and back end commercial scale technologies to produce algae biofuels from marine and fresh water microalgae and macroalgae. Ongoing research includes developing algae production, harvesting, and conversion technologies at the bench and pilot scales. Conversion technologies being studied include pyrolysis, liquefaction, gasification, catalytic conversion, fermentation, and transesterfication.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
· To develop a combined biotechnological system for processing/treatment of agricultural and industrial wastes such as wastewater and flue gases for production of microalgae biomass.
· Determine the optimal growth conditions for enhanced growth and lipid production
· Enhance growth rate and lipid production using novel technologies such as bioenergetic stimulation
· To develop cost-effective large-scale microalgae cultivation systems.
· To develop technologies for harvesting algal cells and extraction and conversion of lipids/ biohydrocarbons into biodiesel or bio-oil.
· Examine the algal biomass for production of value added products
· To conduct LCA, technical, and economic analysis of renewable energy and biofuel production from algae biomass as feedstock.
Sartorius Photobioreactor /
Growth Chamber
Growth chamber /
Vertical Photobioreactors
More in depth focus:
- Utilization of industrial, agricultural, aquaculture and municipal wastewaters and livestock industry wastes such as poultry litter for biomass production
- Isolating and identifying suitable photo and heterotrophic microalgal strains from different habitats for biofuel production
- Developing novel carbon capture and delivery technologies
- Enhancing algal biomass productivity through biological nitrogen fixation
- Developing low cost advanced fiber flocculation and electroflocculation technologies for harvesting algal cells
- Improving lipid extraction efficiency through explosive decompression technology
- Developing advanced non chemical lipid extraction methods
- Design and Engineering of novel low cost reactor configuration for mass cultivation of algae
- Developing low cost technologies for ethanol production from algal biomass
- Developing Biomethane production and up-gradation technology using algal biomass feedstock to replace conventional transportation liquid fuels
Bioenergetic Stimulation set up /
Bioenergetic Stimulation incubator
Raceway facility /
CO2 Supply System for Algae Pilot Plant
Bench Scale algae ponds
/ Microalgae Grants
TITLE / FUNDING AGENCY / DURATION
1. Improving cost effectiveness of algae-lipid production through advances in nutrient delivery and processing systems. / Unites States Department of Energy
(DOE) / 2008-2010
This current proposal aims at developing novel and innovative approaches for nutrient delivery and supply, and biomass processing systems for harvesting oil extraction and value addition. The project also addresses various barriers impacting cost and performance effectiveness of lipid productions from algae. Apart from developing low cost cultivation and processing technologies, the outcome of this project will help to establish integrated algae biorefineries in the future for the production of biofuels and other value added products from algae.
2. Carrot Waste Anaerobic Digestion for Biogas Production / Ascend Engineering, Inc / 2008
This project aims at establishing proof of concept for biogas production from methane capture from carrot waste.
3. Microalgae Based Biofuels production using carpet industry wastewater: An integrated approach for environmental sustainability in carpet industries. / State of Georgia, Traditional Industries Program for Polymer, Fiber, and Fabric Products / 2008-2009
This proposed project will survey various types of algae cultivation systems such as open raceway and circular ponds, plastic and polybag reactors, etc. and evaluate the best two cost effective cultivation systems for mass production of algal biomass using carpet industry wastewater. Also this project will quantify the impacts of magnetic and electromagnetic fields to enhance productivity that can increase algae growth, photosynthetic efficiency and lipid production as well documented in the literature but never researched with algae.
4. Microalgae mediated biodiesel production using carpet industry wastewater phase I: Bench scale screening and optimization studies. / Industry; Dalton Utilities / 2007-2009
This project aims at establishing the proof of concept for production of algae biofuels from mixed consortium of native flora in carpet industry wastewater.
5. 5. U.S.-Mexico Universities Training, Internships, Exchanges, and Scholarships (TIES) Partnership Initiative project on “Integrated Waste Management with Energy Production for Increased Competitiveness of the Livestock Industry in Northeast Mexico” / United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with Higher Education for Development (HED) / 2007-2009
This project targets technology and business policy relating to integrated waste management that is cost-effective and will provide additional income through co-product generation from waste treatment. Research focuses on methane capture from a mixed consortium of animal wastes and algae for the production of biogas. Currently UGA hosts two internship students and one Master’s student in collaboration with the TIES grant.
6. Development of feedstock specific anaerobic consortia for biogas generation from food waste / Georgia Centers of Innovation Research and Commercialization / 2008-2009
This project intends to analyze different types of food wastes based to optimize biogas generation potential.
/ Industry Partners & Other Collaborators
Dalton Utilities:Located in Dalton, Georgia, they are providing the utility services that keep the Carpet Capital of the World running. From fiber optics to innovations in wastewater treatment, it brings the latest technology to the community. http://www.dutil.com/
Carpet and Rug Institute: Based in Dalton, Georgia, the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) is a nonprofit trade association representing the manufacturers of more than 95 percent of all carpet made in the United States, as well as their suppliers and service providers.It coordinates with other segments of the industry, such as distributors, retailers and installers, to help increase consumers’ satisfaction with carpet and to show them how carpet creates a better environment. (Jeff Carrier- Sustainability Manager) http://www.carpet-rug.org/index.cfm