|
Latest
News
September 28, 2008
"Capturing CO2 is the easiest element" in algae production, says Carel Callenbach, the director of Ingrepro Micro Ingredients, which operates the largest algae farms in Europe, producing 80 tonnes a year.
Companies have been making biodiesel from algae for years, Callenbach said, but there's no money in fuel. It is expensive to make, and so far it cannot be produced in commercial quantities like ethanol or some other biofuels.
At Ingrepro's algae farm in Borculo near the border with Germany, the scum from the almost 2,000 square metre pool is filtered and processed into flaky green strips that crumble to the touch. The carbon exhaust from the steam engine used to dry the algae is pumped back into the pool.
Algae oil goes into paints, resins and bioplastics. Fuel has the lowest value of any product, said Callenbach. The key to profiting from algae farming is in the cake left over after extracting the oil. Ingrepro turns it into dozens of products, from horse feed to weed killer for golf courses. As a food additive for humans, it is a source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
AlgaeLink, by contrast, sells bioreactors rather than algae products. It nurtures the algae in a closed and controlled environment of clear tubes, speeding the reproductive process by two to four times as the water turns darker almost before your eyes.
But the process requires much more energy than open pools.
Van den Dorpel says making jet fuel will be viable within a few years if petroleum prices stay above $100 a barrel. Callenbach says algae fuel may be profitable in about five years.
Wijffels is skeptical. "Five years? I'm a little more pessimistic than that. But maybe that's the role of a scientist."
August, 2008
By combining the capabilities of Royal Haskoning and Ingrepro, expertise in the areas of growing algae, treating waste water and generating energy is substantially improved. Royal Haskoning's contribution to the Powerfarm(R) concept will include engineering and project coordination, and Ingrepro will supply specialist know-how about producing algae.
The Powerfarm concept utilizes the cradle-to-cradle principle. The residues from a variety of industries (such as the foodstuffs manufacturing, waste water purification and livestock farming) are considered to be "feed" rather than waste. Algae can convert these wastes to high-grade biomass, biodiesel or energy.
The organization is working with water boards, industries and farmers to find solutions to their waste problems. Discussions are currently taking place with a number of industrial companies and water boards in regard to developing a Powerfarm(R). Ingrepro has an alliance with the innovation network of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Food Quality for the pig farming sector in order to expedite the building of Powerfarms in this industry.
Ingrepro is the biggest industrial algae producer in Europe. Ingrepro is also unique in Europe because of its in-depth knowledge of cultivating algae (under extreme conditions) for the production of enriched algal biomass. For many years Ingrepro has been supplying algae to customer specifications for clients in the foodstuffs and feed industries, where they are processed in a very wide range of products.
May 21, 2008
Dutch biotechnology company Ingrepro BV Wednesday announced its plan to invest over 10 million euros (RM49.8 million) in algae plantations for healthcare products, feed additives and development of the PowerFarm concept in Malaysia.
The PowerFarm to be set up at Technology Park Malaysia is an industrial large scale algae production plant to produce cradle-to-cradle renewable biodiesel and biogas.
|
