Integrated biofuel system - Bioethanol, biodiesel and microbial fuel cell

由于对能源的需求不断增加和难以获得不可再生供应，以及希望减少能源消耗对环境的影响，可再生能源在世界各地继续受到极大的关注。生物燃料，主要是通过糖和淀粉发酵生产的生物乙醇，已成为南美洲和北美洲液体燃料的主要供应者，美国目前的产量最大，为200亿升/年。加拿大的目标是到2010年达到14亿升/年，最近在几个省建成或正在建设主要设施。这项生物燃料调查的支助组织西北生物能源有限公司代表了萨斯喀彻温省正在开发的一个这样的设施。在这项研究中，生产生物乙醇的发酵过程将耦合到光合培养生产生物柴油或淀粉。这两个过程的耦合将代表一个微生物燃料电池与阳离子膜分离的两个培养基。两种微生物培养物的生长活动将产生一股电流作为第二能源;而光合藻类的生产将产生生物柴油或淀粉作为第三种可再生能源。生物乙醇培养物释放的二氧化碳将被生物柴油培养物消耗，从而产生二氧化碳中性系统。研究的目的是通过改变藻类细胞类型、藻类生长条件（pH值、光照）、电极表面积、电极结构材料和新型光合作用生物反应器的设计来优化总能量生产（生物乙醇、生物柴油、淀粉和电力）。这项研究将培养八名学生在可再生能源系统的不断增长的领域。生物燃料生产和微生物燃料电池设计。这项研究将产生一种新的生物燃料技术，使加拿大成为这一能源生产创新领域的世界领导者。

Renewable energy sources continue to be of great interest around the World due to the rising demand for energy and difficulties obtaining non-renewable supplies; as well as the desire to lessen the impact of energy consumption on the environment. Biofuels, primarily bioethanol produced by fermentation of sugars and starches, have become a large supplier of liquid fuel in both South and North America, with the United States currently producing the largest quantities, 20 billion litres/yr. Canada has a target of 1.4 billion litres/yr by the Year 2010 with major facilities recently inplace or currently under construction in several provinces. The supporting organization for this biofuel investigation, North West Bio-Energy Limited, represents one such facility under development in Saskatchewan. In this study, the fermentation process to produce bioethanol will be coupled to a photosynthetic culture to produce biodiesel or starch. The coupling of these two processes will represent a Microbial Fuel Cell with a cationic membrane separating the two culture media. The growth activities of the two microbial cultures will generate a flow of electricity as a secondary energy source; while the production of photosynthetic algae will produce biodiesel or starch as the third renewable energy source. The carbon dioxide released by the bioethanol culture will be consumed by the biodiesel culture, resulting in a carbon dioxide neutral system. Studies will be aimed at optimizing total energy production (bioethanol, biodiesel, starch and electricity) by varying algae cell type, algae growth conditions (pH, light), electrode surface area, electrode construction material and design of a novel photosynthesis bioreactor. This study will train eight students in the growing area of renewable energy systems ... biofuel production and microbial fuel cell design. This study will result in a new biofuel technology that will make Canada a world leader in this innovative area of energy production.