The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded UOP, a Honeywell company, a $1.5 million cooperative agreement for a demonstration project. The technology involves capturing carbon dioxide and using it for producing algae, which will be utilized for energy and biofuel production.
A carbon dioxide capturing demonstration system will be designed by the company by utilizing the funds from the government. The system will capture carbon dioxide from the exhaust stacks at its manufacturing facility located in Hopewell, Virginia. The captured gas will be delivered to an algae cultivation system. Algae oil that is extracted from algae can be used for producing biofuels. The residual algae after the conversion process can be used to produce pyrolysis oil, which can be burned to produce renewable power.
This project is managed by National Energy Technology Laboratory of U.S. Department of Energy. The cultivation system for algae will use wastewater discharged from the manufacturing facility. The nitrogen in the wastewater will be consumed by the algae providing further environmental benefits for the project.
Cice president and general manager of UOP's Renewable Energy and Chemicals unit, Jennifer Holmgren, said the integrated technologies and concepts that will aid in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions will be demonstrated through this project while presenting the potential for new sources of renewable energy. Holmgren further added that integrated approaches are the best solutions for making renewable energy economically sustainable.