THE PROBLEM
Microalgae cultivation is an emerging market with wide potential for fuels, foods, animal feed, pharmaceuticals, industrial applications, and environmental benefits. In addition, microalgae offer many environmental advantages compared to conventional wastewater treatment (WWT): energy saving, higher nutrients removal from effluent, reduction of CO2 emissions, etc. However, the growth of this market is limited by some technological difficulties that must be overcome to achieve a more profitable industry and sustainable wastewater management.
Additionally, the case of microalgae cultivation for other high-value products in close systems presents other problems such as the high price of closed photobioreactors (PBRs) compared with the volume they contain. Current technologies cannot offer an efficient mixing of the microalgae culture, therefore the tubes have to be thin to allow for enough light radiation. This fact implies that the amount of tubes has to be large leading to high investment costs.
THE SOLUTION:
D&BTech propose a breakthrough concept that combines three main novelties to improve cultivation of microalgae in open tanks, with the aim to be also adapted to the PBRs systems in the near future:
1. High Yield Propeller Driving System (REHYS). Current solution based on paddlewheels is replaced by a submerged propeller pump, saving around 40% in comparison to paddlewheel.
2. Additionally, by an innovative design of the channels (raceways), the hydraulic pressure drops (head loss) is reduced and, therefore, the energy consumption of the drive unit is minimized too. It is possible to reduce the head loss by 20%.
3. Our patented Stirring Blade Technology for enhancing mixing to provide a more uniform distribution of nutrients, light, air, and CO2 in microalgae culture. It allows a deeper light absorption of the culture. It also prevents microalgae and suspended solids from settling on the bottom of the pond. Stirring of algal culture is enhanced by stable longitudinal vortex tubes generated by streamlined bodies which generates intense vortices with reduced losses. This system has been proven to increase performance by a 50-80%, although more data of microalga growth needs to be taken.
The main objective of this Phase 1 is to carry out a throughout Feasibility Study that assesses the technical, commercial and financial feasibility of our novel solution.
