Processing Green to be Green – Production of Renewable Diesel from Algae
Team Members Heading link
- Alice Guzik
- Adisa Hadzic
- Ian Lim
- Alexis Miranda
Advisors: Betul Bilgin, Phd, Lance Baird
Project Description Heading link
The world’s increasing population is translating to an increase in the combustion of fossil fuel, thereby increasing the emission of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Globally, communities have been making strides toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions by switching to renewable fuel sources instead of using fossil fuels such as petroleum-derived products. This project uses green algae as a sustainable source of feedstock to produce renewable diesel. In comparison with other plant-based energy sources, green algae do not affect the human food chain because it is inedible and can be grown on land that cannot be used for crops; algae produce the highest yield of oil per acre because of its high growth rate and high lipid content. The renewable diesel produced from algae is a clean, stable, and high performing fuel that meets all specifications and has a high cetane number. The chemical composition of renewable diesel is comparable to that of petroleum diesel since, unlike biodiesel, it does not contain oxygen making it completely compatible with the existing diesel storage, transport, and dispensing infrastructure while retaining the ability to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Our project, inspired by UOP’s Ecofining process, converts pretreated algae oil into renewable diesel using an integrated process of hydrodeoxygenation followed by isomerization. Our renewable diesel effectively reduces greenhouse gas emissions because it is produced from atmospheric CO2 used by the algae to make our lipid feedstock. Based on a palatable oil market price for the lipid feedstock used in the process and a RIN value of $0.50, the process is highly profitable, generating an NPV of $159 million on an initial investment of $223 million. Although there is a growing fleet of electric and hybrid cars, there will continue to be a need for renewable diesel for existing infrastructure as a low-cost, sustainable fuel that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions while equaling the long driving range and high performance of petroleum-derived diesel.
See supporting documentation in the team’s Box drive.