CCS BY MICROALGAE A PILOT PROJECT IN THE THERMAL POWER PLANT OF NALCO, INDIA

Prof. Ranjan R. Pradhan (PhD)Proprietor, Indocan Technology Solutions (Canada)

C. V. Raman College of Engineering

International Workshop on Public Education, Training, and Community Outreach for Carbon

Capture, Utilization, and StorageJuly 30 - 31, 2014 Decatur, Illinois, USA

Contents

1. Climate change and our project2. Concept of the project 3. Implementation of the project4. Characterization of the Product from the

project5. Conclusion

Carbon Sequestration Pilot Plant NALCO, - CPPAngul, Odisha, India

The scale of CO2 disposal need far exceeds today's CO2 uses.

Sustainable CO2 capture and storage is at a reasonable cost can be a good alternative to utilize the abundantly available coal resources in India.

To solve the negative consequences there are two broad ways of fixing the global warming made by mankind.

These are: • CDR (Carbon dioxide removal) and • SRM (Solar radiation management)

How to Address Global Climate Change?

CDR (Carbon dioxide removal)Sustainable Carbon Capture For Thermal Power Plants

Thermal power plants, though a developmental need for India is a major GHG polluter (Thermal power plants contribute 25 % of the global GHG emission)

Extent of Pollution & Opportunity

500 MW thermal power plant generates about 8000 tons of CO2 per day

(This is a huge resource if can be reused)

500 MW thermal power plant generates about 8000 tons of CO2 per day

Forest land needed to capture this emission

A hectare of pine forest can capture about 1 ton carbon dioxide / year, So we need about 29200 sq km land or roughly 20 % of total area of Odisha

The dilemma!

Either restrict the growth & promotion of many thermal power plants

Or facilitate adequate forest coverage to compensate for the emissions

Neither of the above can be acceptable, and we need to look for feasible alternates for low carbon economy & support mandates

of Kyoto protocol

What are we missing in our existing practices?

To sustain economic growth, potential alternates of low carbon economy must be adopted

Two major possible technologiesAlgae-based Capture Technology

Geological Sequestration Technology

Sustainable Social problems arises

Safe Untested on large scale

No need to transport CO2 Need to transport CO2 to sequestration site

Generates biomass No additional revenue

Coupled with wastewater treatment

Coupled with oil recovery

$ = carbon credit + nutrient credit + biomass

$ = carbon credit

Major issues to drive policy decisions for Algal technology

1. Climate change mandate2. Vast land use change in India. (Intergovernmental Panel on climate Change –IPCC reported land use

change is one of the major contributor to carbon emission, i.e. equivalent to 25% of all the fossil fuel and cement plants emission combined)

3. India is rightly place for the technology to evolve – a) Optimum Climate and more than 340 days of sunshineb) Large number of coal based power plants being builtc) Carbon dioxide is a very useful resource for algae industry

& should not be wastedd) Algal biomass will initiate a new resource for biorefinery

value chain

ConceptThe amount of CO2 sequestered in-Tons/ Acre/Year

Calculation for Per Acre:

Carbon Content Assumed in Biomass is ~ 50 % ( Reference :  Knowledge Reference, National Forest Assessments, Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations, http://www.fao.org/forestry/17111/en/

Carbon to Amount CO2

1 mole of carbon give 1 mol of CO2Molecular wt of C = 12 & CO2 is 44So Molar ratio = 44/12 = 3.6 ( 1 kg of carbon is equivalent to 3.6 kg of CO2)

Key Players End Use of Algae

Seambiotic Food additives, Fish feed and biofuels

MBD Algae oil

Linc Energy Biodiesel, Fertilizers and power.

Trident Exploration Electricity

RWE energy Biogas plant

Glenturret Whisky distillery Animal feed for cattle and Shellfish farms

NALCO, India Biorefinery Value Chain

Biomass is a Bonus (in addition to capture)!

http://www.indocantechnologysolutions.com/index.php

Construction of Ponds :

Flugas Supply line from Duct of Unit – 7 and 8

Heat exchanger, scrubber & cooling tower erected

Ducts from Unit 7 & 8

Laboratory set-up of Algal cultivation bioreactor

system with online CO2 and

O2 monitoring & Control (SCADA)

0

50

100

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300

0 5 10 15 20

TURBIDITY

TIME

GROWTH CURVE OF MICROALGAE IN COMMERCIAL MEDIA(BATCH1,BATCH2,BATCH3)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 80

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

GROWTH CURVE OF MICROALGAE IN LOBORATORY (Strain 2)

TIME - Days

TURBIDITY NTU

Time - Days

Recovered Algal Biomass Potential

•Plants can tolerate less CO2 ( ~ 450 PPM)

•Plants growth has been increased by three times by enhancing CO2 conc. to about 450 ppm

•Algae can tolerate higher CO2 Conc (> 20 % CO2 OR 200,000 ppm)

•Algae growth rate can be enhanced upto 10 – 20 times with enhanced CO2 in lab scale

Characterization of the Product

Thermal characterization of algae biomass and

algae oil

Process / Technology Flow

NALCO – CPPFlue Gas@ 135 °C12 – 15 % CO2

Flue gas is processed to

make Suitable for Sequestration Application

Bacterial Mass

Cultivation System

Operation aided with

flue gas

Biomass Recovery System &

Quantification

Biomass Value Chain

and Utilization

Technologies

ApplicationsBiorefineryA biorefinery is a facility that integrates biomass conversion processes and equipment to produce fuels, power, and chemicals from biomass. The biorefinery concept is analogous to today's petroleum refineries, which produce multiple fuels and products from petroleum..

Process Conclusion

Algae – A Promising & Future Biomass from Flue gas:Each gram of algae will capture 1.8 gm of CO2. Cogeneration system of 16M m3 biogas capacity = ~ 260 tons of algae. Biogas generation efficiency = 0.26 – 0.34 m3 /KG volatile solids (VS) added. Algae biomass @ 89 % VS content potentially can produce ~ 115,000 m3 biogas for generating at least 55,000 KW4 of carbon negative electrical energy each cycle. With an algal cultivation system the equivalent forest land requirement can be reduces by a factor of 10, as more than 10 times biomass can be generate, and depending on the end us, the carbon sequestration may be valued further.

Land availability near power plant

Retrofitting algae systems in existing power plants

Economic viability demonstration in India

Industrial perception

Encouraging Socio Economic and Awareness of CCS with microalgae

Challenges yet to be addressed

Overview of regional CCUS educational and outreach efforts The ministry of 'environment and forests'

(Govt. of India) is now ministry of 'environment, forests and climate change',

Inclusive National Education Policy Inclusive Regional education policy Local Environmental Associations and

NGO

Thank youwww.ranjanpradhan.com

www.indocantechnologysolutions .com

Questions