Microalgal biorefinery:Biofilm photo-reactor and extraction methods

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Microalgal technologies, used as a method of conversion of (sun)light to liquid fuels, hold several advantages over conventional crops: they can produce up to 100 times more biomass per unit of crop area; the lipid content of this biomass can be up to 70% (dry basis); the doubling time can be in the order of few days; and they can grow in aggressive environments, including saline or even alkaline waters. Despite all these advantages, biodiesel produced using current microalgal cultivation and processing technology is not economic. Most of the costs are associated with various separation and extraction steps that have not been addressed. Furthermore, a "biorefinery" (multi-product) approach to microalgae processing could significantly improve the overall process economics. To address these issues we propose the use of a microalgal biofilm technology whereby microalgae will grow in photoreactors packed with a fibrous substrate (large area to volume ratios). By simple changes in the feed to the reactor we plan to evaluate various aqueous extraction techniques, ranging from aggressive alkaline emulsions (designed to break the cell walls and extract all the biomass) to mild non-toxic