Conceptual process design and ­simulation of microalgae oil ­conversion to aviation fuel

Abstract

Microalgae oil can be converted into aviation fuel to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and decrease the carbon footprint. This could be a significant step toward sustainable energy resources that have the potential to produce ‘drop‐in’ fuels. Algae‐based fuels are potential substitutes for fossil fuels due to the quality of their crude oil. However, this is only possible if appropriate conversion processes are undertaken. Conversely, microalgae species have low lipid content and biomass harvesting is still an energy‐demanding process. In this study, a conceptual design is developed for the conversion of microalgae oil to jet fuel. It is based on a process undertaken in the laboratory using a species named Nannochloropsis sp. Nutrients and CO2 were supplied to the growing culture for effective growth. Biomass harvesting was completed on the tenth day of the growth cycle. It was followed by physiological modification to improve lipid content. Finally, crude oil extraction was followed by bio‐oil hydrocracking at 350 °C, and fractionation of cracked bio‐oil between 70 and 300 °C to separate light‐, middle‐, and heavy‐end hydrocarbons for use in the production of jet fuel. During simulation, reforming and upgrading processes were added to the design to enhance the quality of the jet fuel to be produced on large scale in the future. The study, including the results, suggests that it is technically feasible to convert microalgae oil into jet fuel because of the similarity between algae bio‐oil and petroleum crude oil. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Drop-in biofuels production from microalgae to hydrocarbons: Microalgal cultivation and harvesting, conversion pathways, economics and prospects for aviation

“…Finally, we want to highlight that at present there is no economically feasible microalgal aviation biofuel production on a commercial scale, despite trial and pilot microalgae plants and demonstration flights with microalgal aviation biofuels [281][282][283][284][285]. Moreover, to make microalgal biorefineries and advanced drop-in aviation biofuels economically feasible, the whole algal biomass needs to be valorized in an integrated biorefinery [254,[286][287][288][289][290].…”

Temperature and nutrient coupled stress on microalgal neutral lipids for low‐carbon fuels production

“…Because of this analogy it is therefore proposed that the same conceptual process used for the conversion of microalgal oil into jet fuel in a study by Bwapwa et al 31 . may be used and adapted to obtain jet fuel from Chlorella sp 33 . The study developed, by simulation using experimental data a process that can convert any microalgal oil into jet fuel.…”

Bio-aviation Fuel: A Comprehensive Review and Analysis of the Supply Chain Components

“…Reimer and Zheng (2017) discussed possible strategies for enabling commercial BAF uptake, such as the simultaneous implementation of taxes on CJF and incentives for BAF utilization. The possibility of BAF production from different feedstocks, such as microalgae (Bwapwa et al, 2018), lignocellulosic biomass (Cheng and Brewer, 2017), urban and agricultural wastes (Jiménez-Díaz et al, 2017), and vegetable oils (Vásquez et al, 2017) have also been discussed in recent review papers. Kandaramath Hari et al (2015) presented production pathways utilizing second-and third-generation feedstocks with qualitative discussion on the feedstock.…”