Valcent Product Inc
High Density Vertical Bioreactor
http://www.valcent.net/s/Ecotech.asp?ReportID=182039
The Holy Grail in
the renewable energy sector has been to create a clean, green process which
uses only light, water and air to create fuel. Valcent's
HDVB algae-to-biofuel technology mass produces algae,
vegetable oil which is suitable for refining into a cost-effective,
non-polluting biodiesel. The algae derived fuel will
be an energy efficient replacement for fossil fuels and can be used in any
diesel powered vehicle or machinery. In addition, 90% by weight of the algae is
captured carbon dioxide, which is "sequestered" by this process and so
contributes significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gases. Valcent has commissioned the world's first commercial-scale
bioreactor pilot project at its test facility in
Current data projects high yields of algae biomass, which will be harvested and
processed into algal oil for biofuel feedstock and
ingredients in food, pharmaceutical, and health and beauty products at a
significantly lower cost than comparable oil-producing crops such as palm and soyabean (soybean).
The HDVB technology was developed by Valcent in
recognition and response to a huge unsatisfied demand for vegetable oil
feedstock by Biodiesel refiners and marketers. Biodiesel, in 2000, was the only alternative fuel in the
United States to have successfully completed the Environmental Protection
Agency required Tier I and Tier II health effects testing under the Clean Air
Act. These tests conclusively demonstrated Biodiesel's
significant reduction of virtually all regulated emissions. A U.S. Department
of Energy study has shown that the production and use of Biodiesel,
compared to petroleum diesel, resulted in a 78.5% reduction in carbon dioxide
emissions.
Algae, like all plants, require carbon dioxide, water with nutrients and
sunlight for growth. The HDVB bioreactor technology is ideal for location
adjacent to heavy producers of carbon dioxide such as coal fired power plants,
refineries or manufacturing facilities, as the absorption of CO2 by the algae
significantly reduces greenhouse gases. These reductions represent value in the
form of Certified Emission Reduction credits, so-called carbon credits, in
jurisdictions that are signatories to the Kyoto Protocol. Although the carbon
credit market is still small, it is growing fast,
valued in 2005 at $6.6 Billion in the European Union and projected to increase
to $77 Billion if the
Valcent's HDVB bioreactor system can be deployed on
non-arable land, requires very little water due to its closed circuit process,
does not incur significant labor costs and does not employ fossil fuel burning
equipment, unlike traditional food/biofuel crops,
like soy and palm oil. They require large agricultural acreage, huge volumes of
water and chemicals, and traditional farm equipment and labor. They are also
much less productive than the HDVB process: soybean, palm oil and conventional
pond-grown algae typically yield 48 gallons, 635 gallons and 10,000 gallons per
acre per year respectively.