Evaluation of the Installation of a Biofuel Producing Algae Farm in an Ethanol Plant

Abstract:

With the demand for Biofuels growing – worldwide – and with the efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), much would be gained, from an environmentally and economically, from increasing efficiency and offer of biofuels. Biofuels produced in algae farms enable a close relationship with ethanol plants. Such algae feeds off Carbon Dioxide from biomass burned in ethanol plants and boilers, so, along with Brazil’s privileged solar incidence, this allows conversion of GHG to biofuel. The goal of our study was to investigate ethanol plants as productive systems to understand how adding algae farms could change energy efficiency and emissions. The system analyzed includes the sugarcane sowing, plantation, handling, harvesting, industrial activities, and ethanol distribution. Our aim, from this analysis and using primary data from a company that builds algae farms, is to estimate the output of algae biofuel and decrease of GHG emissions in the process. The results from the Plant Studied show that adding an algae farm to its grounds would improve energy efficiency by almost three times, while generating four times less GHG in the production chain. If the plant chose to produce exclusively Biodiesel, production of B100 Biodiesel would be enough for their diesel needs for 19 years, with a 78.4% cleaner fuel in terms of GHG. Approximations show that if all the cane mills add algae farms in Brazil, Biodiesel generation would be equivalent to almost 70% of the Brazilian production of diesel from 2012.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 830)
• Pages: 117-124
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.830.117
• Online since: March 2016
• Authors: Victor Cabral da Hora Aragão Carvalho*, Marco Antonio Díaz Díaz, Marcos Sebastião de Paula Gomes
• Keywords: Algae Biofuels, Biodiesel, Ethanol, GHG Emissions

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