Algae to be Used to Produce Biofuel from Coal Emissions

Scientists from Michigan State University (MSU) are now looking to find new algae-based technologies that could capture power plant emissions and convert them into products, including biofuels and other chemicals.

Previous researches have revealed that photosynthetic green algae is capable of capturing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. However, it is not enough to match the emissions of a conventional power plant. A 100-megawatt coal-fired power plant releases around 3,000 and 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide per day. It would require thousands of acres of land to culture sufficient amount of algae to match the amount of emissions.

The MSU team is now working to condense this process into something viable. They aim to apply a process called "biomass cascade conversion". This process can fully optimize the components of algae for the production of high-value chemicals and biofuels.

An environment-friendly, high efficiency carbon dioxide absorbent is a key product of cascade conversion, one which absorbs carbon dioxide at a relatively high rate and requires significantly less space. Researchers state that biomass cascade conversion can present significant economic benefits for the environment and the power plant.

Polyurethanes, biofuel, and valuable chemicals can be produced from cascade conversion.