ecoduna - Algal demonstration biorefinery

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Name
ecoduna algal biorefinery
Company
ecoduna
Location
Bruck an der Leitha (Austria)
Category
Demonstration
Status
Running
Platforms
Oil, biogas and electricity & heat
Feedstock
Microalgae
Products
Biofuels, omega-3/6 fatty acids, fertilizer and electricity & heat
Start-up
2012
Production capacity
Approximately 17 tons/year of biomass (oil content of about 40%).
4-5 tons/year of oil and 2-3 tons/year of fuel are obtained from the algal biomass.


Figure 1. “Hanging Gardens” at ecoduna algal biorefinery (extracted from Ecoduna web page)

GENERAL INFORMATION

ecoduna is an Austrian company that has developed a process for the industrial-scale cultivation of microalgae. It was founded by Franz Emminger and Martin Mohr in 2010 in Bruck an der Leitha (Austria) after five years of research. Since 2010, the process of production and the technology have been further developed, refined and patented worldwide. A demonstration and research plant (ecoduna algal biorefinery) was completed in 2012, making possible procedural testing of a live operation and establishing the basis for the development of technical and commercial maturity. Additionally, two parallel pilot projects in Germany and Denmark have been successfully established.

CULTIVATION TECHNOLOGY

Its cultivation system is based on a well-engineered and worldwide patented technology to grow biomass in an industrial scale called “hanging gardens” that is characterized by:
  • Exceedingly enlargement of surface to allow 100% photo active volume (440 l/m2).
  • Light dilution through sun-tracking modules (photobioreactors) to achieve optimal light quantity and to avoid shading and light irritation.
  • Continuous support of micro-organism with nutrients and light without losses of efficiency.
  • Specific control and sensor systems.
  • Closed production system which saves resources (minimizes water loss through evaporation and makes possible the recycling and recirculation of resources) and eliminates contamination.
  • Hydrostatic transport without pumps that avoids growth limiting stress and minimizes energy costs.
  • Service, maintenance and cleaning without interrupting ongoing production as it is possible to disconnect individual modules from the chain of production.
The result is an economic (low running costs) continuous (365 days per year) production process with a high output per hectare per year (> 200 tons/ha·yr) and a short amortisation period (return on investment within 6 to 7 years).

BIOREFINERY MODEL

According to the IEA Bioenergy Task 42 Biorefining classification, the demonstration facility is a 3-platform biorefinery producing biofuels, omega-3/6 fatty acids, fertilizer and electricity & heat from microalgae. After harvesting and cell disruption, two streams are obtained: a lipidic extract and residual biomass. The oil extract is separated into high value oils and a product that is refined to biofuels. The anaerobic digestion of the residual biomass produce biomethane and essential nutrients.

Besides production of valuable biomass for commercial use, the technology can be used for process-oriented applications:
  • CO2 fixation. Wherever CO2 is released through industrial processes, an accompanying biomass production can capture waste CO2, transform it and release oxygen.
  • Water treatment. Algae also live in polluted water and incorporate waste for photosynthesis.


Figure 2. Model of the ecoduna algal biorefinery (extracted from Reference 3)
 _____________________________________________________________________________
REFERENCES
1 www.ecoduna.com (accessed on 2nd May 2016).
2 IEA Bioenergy Task 42 Biorefining. Sustainable and synergetic processing of biomass into marketable food & feed ingredients, products (chemicals, materials) and energy (fuels, power, heat).  Wageningen, the Netherlands, August 2014.
3 IEA Bioenergy Task 42 Biorefining. Country report Austria.  September 2014.

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