Algae: the new green power
A revolutionary procedure to transform algae into biodiesel has been given a boost with $166,000 in funding from the Queensland Government.
The process, an Australian first, develops a sustainable green alternative to fossil fuels by producing biodiesel for transport and industry. A partnership between James Cook University (JCU) and Australian company MBD Biodiesel Ltd, the project complements the State Government’s Townsville Centre of Enterprise tropical science initiative, which uses Townsville’s unique tropical conditions to its scientific and economic advantage.
While most other biodiesels come from agricultural crops like canola, soy and palm oil, algae can be grown with ease in ponds or tanks on poor quality land. The process, which is also being trialled in Europe and the United States, produces a by-product ‘algal cake’ for use as animal feed.
MBD Biodiesel Director Dr Marc Stammbach said the Queensland Government funding provided from the Department of Tourism, Regional Development and Industry was a significant step towards setting up a Biodiesel plant and algae farm in Townsville.
“The first stage will be the identification and development of suitable algae strains to achieve stable, continuous, high yield algae production,” Dr Stammbach said.
“MBD will provide the algae photo-bioreactor which will be situated at JCU. Next year we plan to build a 35,000 tonne algae pilot farm followed by a 400-hectare algae farm by 2010 which can ultimately consume in excess of 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and provide algae oil for a 250,000 tonne biodiesel plant,” he said.
Professor Rocky de Nys, Head of Aquaculture at JCU, will lead the first stage of the project in Townsville with Doctor Kirsten Heimann, Director of the university’s North Queensland Algal Identification/Culturing Facility.
Professor de Nys said algae require large volumes of carbon dioxide to grow which means less carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere so it will make sense in future to situate such farms near major industry and power stations.
“Companies that do produce carbon dioxide will eventually be able to claim carbon credits as the carbon dioxide can be stored or captured and released into algae farms,” Professor Nys said.
The alternative fuels and technologies sector is considered a priority industry by the Queensland Government.
www.mbdbiodiesel.com (non-government site)
Last reviewed 17 July 2008
