A company that grows algae for biofuel feedstock said this week it has overcome technical hurdle that has restricted greater production levels in the industry.
Bionavitas, Inc. unveiled a patent-pending method of submersing a light source in dense algae growth to multiply growth levels.
The company’s Light Immersion Technology™ (LIT) is said to produce an order of magnitude more algae biomass than existing growth
methods, thereby increasing yields and reducing the cost to make
algae-based biofuels price competitive with petroleum products.
Algae are a promising feedstock for biofuel production, with yields that are potentially hundreds of times greater than those of traditional land-based oil crops such as soy beans or rapeseed (canola oil). However, nearly every large scale approach to algae growth has been challenged by a simple fact of nature: as algae grow, they become so dense they block the light needed for continued growth.
This “self-shading” phenomenon results in a layer that limits the amount of algae per acre that can be grown and harvested. Bionavitas said it’s technology allows the algae growth layer in open ponds to be up to a meter deep. This represents a 10 to 12 time increase in yield over previous methods that produced only 3-5 centimeters of growth, the company said.
“With the recent successful test flights by Continental Airlines and Japan Airlines using biofuels made partially with algae, we’re seeing a broader recognition and acceptance of the huge commercial potential for algae,” said Michael Weaver, co-founder and CEO of Bionavitas. “Our Light Immersion Technology gives algae a legitimate shot at becoming a cost-effective and sustainable biofuel feedstock because we have cracked the code of the previous problem related to self-shading in algae growth."
The Light Immersion Technology uses a system of light rods that extend deep into the algae culture. In external canal systems, the rods distribute light from the sun into the culture.
In closed bioreactors, the rods evenly distribute more readily absorbed red and blue spectrum light from high efficiency LEDs.
“In order to grow algae in the large-scale, cost-efficient manner needed for biofuels, we have specifically designed our technology to require as little energy as possible,” said Weaver. “Light Immersion Technology has all of the attributes needed to allow algae to compete with petroleum. It is designed as a passive, low input, net energy positive system which is inexpensive to mass produce.”
Because Light Immersion Technology is designed to be independent of the light source, distributing solar as well as artificial light, Bionavitas believes it can leverage its technology across many marketplaces. The company plans to make the technology available not only for biofuels but also for health and environmental purposes.
To address the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical markets, Bionavitas will put its Light Immersion Technology to work in a series of closed bioreactors to create high quality algae that meets the specifications of the health industry.
By co-locating with a heavy industrial or power generation operation, Bionavitas wants to put algae to work in cleaning up toxic and/or contaminated water sources and capturing large carbon dioxide emissions.
Bionavitas is baed in Redmond, Washington.
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