MIP 8.1 To transform bio CCU from low volume conversion to speciality products into a Mtonne process

To transform bio CCU from low volume conversion to speciality products into a Mtonne process

IDRIC Project 8.1

Background

Algae are organisms with the potential to provide efficient green CCU, with a consumption of 1.8 kg CO₂ per kg of algae produced. Unfortunately, large-scale production is limited by the requirement to use natural light for photosynthesis. Most importantly for Industrial scalability natural light restricts photobioreactor geometries, limiting design to 2D (typically raceways or tubular systems) that make large scale operation problematic and uneconomic.

Prof Andrew R. Barron

Principal Investigator
Swansea University

Project Team

Prof Darren Oatley-Radcliffe
Swansea University

Dr Andrius Stanulis
Swansea University

Aim

In order to utilize CO₂ by its conversion to high protein feedstuff for agriculture and high value chemicals, the objective of this project is to design and test a new 3D ‘CUBE’ reactor that will enable high volume CCU.

Internally lit photobioreactors will revolutionize the industry and deliver a step change leading to intensive production of high quality, high value algae and derived products. The ‘CUBE’ reactor is conceptually simple of very basic design with an internally lit airlift system that delivers cost effective algal growth, i.e., no pumping and only absorbed frequencies of light are delivered to the organism. Essentially this is a box, which is then perfectly suitable for scale-up to any working capacity, i.e., line up and stack the boxes to generate capacity giving true 3-dimensional scale-up.

Project Collaborators: Vale Clydach Refinery, Tata (Port Talbot Works)