29 Sep-01 Oct, 2009 - Bangkok, THAILAND
Swissotel Nai Lert Park Bangkok
Swissotel Nai Lert Park Bangkok
China is one of the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, mainly because it relies on coal for 70% of its power generation. Almost none of the carbon dioxide is captured, but more than one new 500MQ coal-fired plant is built every week.
One Chinese firm’s recent breakthrough puts the spotlight on Algae as the answer to carbon emissions in China and the rest of the world. The company ENN, headquartered in Langfang, China is a vertically integrated supplier of energy, committed to the development and utilization of clean energy.
ENN’s research has culminated in the creation of a bioreactor, specifically tailored to grow micro-algae using carbon captured from gasified coal. The micro-algae passes through a greenhouse filled with transparent pipes multiplying rapidly as it flows through tubes, stacked 14 high in four long rows.
ENN Scientists are currently testing different types of micro-algae to determine which one is more effective in cleaning up CO2 wastes from burning coal.
ENN’s Carbon Capture process involves a series of steps. First, coal is gasified in a simulated underground environment. The carbon dioxide produced is extracted using solar and wind power and "fed" to the algae encouraging their multiplication and growth. The algae can be harvested daily, and converted into bio-fuels, fertilisers or animal feed.
>>WATCH CNN's REPORT ON ENN AND THEIR ALGAE INNOVATIONS HERE<<
Over the next three years, researchers at ENN plan to scale up the trial to a 100-hectare (247 acre) site. If this proves commercially feasible, coal plants around the world could one day be using carbon-cleaning algae greenhouses or ponds.
Algal Carbon Capture is taking also off in other locations around the globe. In May 2009, the Obama Administration provided $2.4 billion in Funding for Carbon Capture and Storage Projects including research into carbon capture using algae. In India, leading Cement producer Holcim has initiated a project to sequester CO2 generated by cement kilns to produce high-energy algal biomass, which will then be reused as fuel in its cement kilns.
The upcoming 2nd Algae World Asia on 29 Sep-1 Oct in Bangkok spotlights emerging Algal Carbon Capture initiatives in Asia, including the project undertaken by ENN in China and Holcim in India.
Dr. Liu Minsheng, Director of ENN's Bioenergy Institute, will discuss the “Feasibility and Technology of Algal Biodiesel Production Using CO2 from Flue Gas” in his eagerly anticipated session!
Also on the agenda, is the session by Mr. Ramesh Kumar Suri, Regional Geocycle Project Head at Holcim (South Asia) Ltd., on “Recycling of CO2 in a Cement Plant by Producing a Carbohydrate Fuel through Controlling the Photosynthetic Process of Algal Growth.”
Explore the latest 2nd AlgaeWorld Asia >>AGENDA<< and submit your registrations and enquiries >>HERE<<.
