Algae is one of the most promising components for the development of sustainable biofuels. A current stumbling block for algae as a fuel feedstock is it can be expensive and time-consuming to harvest.
However, this may be changing as Algaeventure Systems HDD dewatering technology offers the promise of significantly cutting these costs. Headquartered in Marysville, OH, Algaeventure Systems was once a subsidiary of Univenture that was formed to explore technology barriers for algae to energy; it has since been spun off into a separate company.
The HDD system’s novel absorbent moving belt harvester reduces the energy costs of harvesting, dewatering, and drying microalgae by over 90%. The biggest breakthrough is that the harvester pulls water from the screened algae using low-energy capillary action. Thus the algae is dewatered without pressure and separates easily from the screen when dry. Drying can occur naturally through evaporation or mechanically with a small amount of waste heat. The technology offers the potential to transform the economics of algae-based biofuel production by removing one of the major barriers to large scale commercialization.
Recently Algaeventure received a funding award from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) recently formed Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Transformational Energy Research Projects program. Of the $151 million in funding, Algaeventure will receive US$5.9 million, the seventh highest award of over 37 recipients.
“The recognition and credibility that ARPA-E provides to our breakthrough technology is extraordinary”, says Ross Youngs, Algaeventure Systems Founder and CEO. “Our technology can be transformational to meeting our nation’s energy and national security needs.”
In a statement, the DOE said that Algaeventure Systems’ “application was among those of the very highest scientific and technical merit, and is part of an ARPA-E portfolio of high impact projects that have great potential to revolutionize the U.S. energy sector.”
Inspired by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), ARPA-E was created to support high-risk, highreward energy research that can provide transformative new solutions for climate change and energy security. In April 2009, President Obama announced $400 million in initial funding for ARPA-E through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Alison Pruitt is a freelance writer/editor living near Washington DC. She has written about a variety of issues, including education, healthcare, IT, the arts, and energy/environment -- and has worked with the U.S. Department of Energy. She has a B.A. from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. in English Literature from Rutgers University.
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