Light capture and processing technology for enhanced biofuel production by microalgae

藻类在大规模生产碳中性生物燃料方面前景广阔，避免了陆地生物燃料（如棕榈油）的许多问题，因为它们只需要陆地作物空间的10%左右，并且可以使用废水进行生长和营养。然而，目前的生产系统对化石和第一代生物燃料都是不经济的，需要重大的逐步改进来解决这个问题。有机会提高藻类上游生产和下游加工的成本效益，以缩小藻类生物燃料和化石燃料之间的差距，但这些将需要与目前采用的方法截然不同的方法。该可行性研究项目将是Xanthella之间的合作，Xanthella是一家位于奥班的生物技术中小企业，生产紧凑、高效的藻类光生物反应器，以及圣安德鲁斯大学的一组物理学家，他们是光学材料和光物理学方面的专家。该项目旨在实现在太阳能照明下运行的藻类光生物反应器（PBRs）的性能成本比的一步变化，以生产碳中性生物燃料。这将通过开发用于Xanthella内部照明光生物反应器设计的创新太阳光收集组件来实现。

Algae hold great promise for the large scale production of carbon-neutral biofuels that avoid many of the problems of terrestrial biofuels (such as Palm Oil) in that they require only about 10% of the space of terrestrial crops and can use waste water for growth and their nutrients. Current production systems are, however, uneconomic against both fossil and first generation biofuels and require significant step wise improvements to redress this. There are opportunities for improvements in the cost effectiveness of both upstream production and downstream processing of algae to close the gap between algal biofuel and fossil fuels but these will require radically different approaches from those currently employed.This feasibility study project will be a collaboration between Xanthella, a biotechnology SME based in Oban who produce compact, efficient algal photo bioreactors, and a team of physicists at the University of St Andrews who are experts in optical materials and photophysics. The project aims to deliver a step change in the performance-cost ratio of algal photo bioreactors (PBRs) operating under solar illumination for the production of carbon neutral biofuels. This will be achieved through the development of an innovative solar light collection component for use in Xanthella's internally-lit photobioreactor designs.