ABSTRACT Discovering Suitable Sites for Algae Cultivation and Scale-up Finding a suitable site for algae cultivation and conversion to oil and other co-products is no simple task, if scale-up to commercial volumes is the real goal. Firstly, site selection and strain selection are highly interdependent. Secondly, large scale cultivation and processing of algae for energy supply purposes requires a number of key resources – inter alia – flat land, water, energy in the form of sunlight, and various nutrients including nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and carbon dioxide (CO2). These nutrients are available in human waste streams – N and P in municipal waste waters and CO2 in exhaust streams from a variety of industrial sources (such as fossil fuel driven power stations). CSIRO and Sandia National Laboratories have developed a dynamic assessment tool to evaluate the potential resources available for cultivation of algae in select regions of Australia. Basic data inputs include location and nutrient load information for N, P and CO2 sources, and incident solar radiation data by subregion. Assumptions employed to develop estimates of resource potential can be manipulated by the model user through a graphic user interface, and updated results viewed in real time. Resource potential can be viewed in terms of biomass production potential, potential CO2 fixed, biocrude production potential or area required, and can be viewed by location and size of the potential resource. Preliminary results suggest that the CO2 resource is relatively plentiful compared to other necessary nutrients. The siting and prospects for successful large scale algae cultivation efforts will also be driven by (1) availability of suitable land and water at an affordable price; (2) temperature variations and environmental conditions that allow the chosen strain of alga to thrive; (3) distances to downstream processing facilities and markets. Thus the model is being enhanced to take all these additional constraints and interdependencies into account. |