The biocrude fuel was combined with pulverised coal in a pilot-scale burner with a thermal capacity of approximately 4 MBtu/hr, the company said.

The testing was performed at a test bed installed at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Results show that the biocrude and coal fuel mixture burned well and produced 20 per cent lower nitric oxide (NOx) emissions than coal alone.

In the pilot-scale test, which was conducted in a scaled-down version of Siemens’ current pulverised coal burner design, the biocrude was blown into the fuel injector separately from the pulverised coal and mixing took place prior to combustion, the company said.

Up to ten per cent of the total heating value was provided by the biomass in the tests, which showed that the biocrude was easy to handle and inject into the burner unlike some other biomass fuels.

Siemens reported that the fuel burned well and emissions testing showed that the biomass and coal fuel mixture produced lower NOx emissions than coal alone.

Tests found that the biomass and coal mixture produced lower emissions with staging than without, as expected.

Siemens said it intends to conduct further tests of the pilot-scale burner with increased quantities of PetroAlgae’s biocrude fuel in the near future.

‘This testing has demonstrated that our burners are exceptionally well-suited to burn biomass fuel in combination with pulverised coal, providing utility and industrial customers a more sustainable and cleaner alternative to traditional fossil fuels,’ said Tony DoVale, president of Siemens Environmental Systems & Services.

PetroAlgae’s technology is designed to increase the growth and productivity of micro-crops in large-scale, open-pond bioreactors to produce biofuel.

The micro-crops absorb approximately twice their weight in carbon dioxide, and are harvested every few hours producing two products a high-quality protein and a carbohydrate-rich biomass material that can be used for both co-firing in coal-fired power plants and as a drop-in replacement for petroleum-based fossil fuels.

Dr John Scott, chairman and CEO of PetroAlgae, said, ‘These tests show that our biomass has great promise as a clean and environmentally sustainable alternative to fossil fuels such as coal, and our ability to produce this material at commercial scale gives me great confidence in the future.’

Prior to the pilot plant-scale testing with Siemens, PetroAlgae conducted combustion testing at the University of Utah in a bench-scale burner with the biocrude providing up to 100 per cent of the heating value.

These tests, which were performed with and without external air staging, showed similar positive results in terms of handling, injection and burning, the company said.

Firing the biomass fuel alone produced lower NOx emissions than with solely coal and the NOx reduction was more pronounced under staging conditions.

In fiscal 2009, revenue from the Siemens Energy Portfolio totalled about €23bn.

Copyright © 2010 NewNet

‘For an increasing number of private companies, algae is no longer a research project. As of the summer of 2009, more than $1 billion in private and public investment commitments since 2007 have contributed to the acceleration of a surprising diversity of algae-based biofuels technologies, business models, and product strategies. Oil and gas majors Chevron, Shell, British Petroleum have already demonstrated their commitment to algae for biofuels in research labs and private ventures.

This week, Exxon-Mobil’s $600 million dollar commitment to algae based biofuels with Synthetic Genomics represents another affirmative commitment by oil majors in algae. Exxon’s move follows a pattern in the industry by private investors, governments, biofuel leaders, and oil companies looking beyond the research and development phase, and now entering the next stage to scale up and build out industrial-scale systems based on several innovative, emerging and disruptive technologies,’ said Will Thurmond, president of Emerging Markets Online.

The study finds investments are predominantly going into next-generation algae production systems employing low-cost ponds and high-technology production methods, according to the report. For biofuels and green chemicals, algae will be grown in ponds, fermenters, photo bioreactors, and industrial facilities from an increasingly wide range of technologies aimed at improving productivity and reducing production costs.

Over the next 1000 days, the world will witness a series of emerging markets, technologies, players, and strategies for clean fuels, chemicals and co-products from algae, Thurmond said. Emerging Markets Online predicts by the end of 2011 more than a dozen algae projects will graduate from the pilot and demonstration phases and will enter first-stage commercial markets ‘The first ventures will include CO2-capture projects, government funded energy and defense initiatives, and early-stage commercial biofuels and biomass projects,’ he said.

According to the report, co-products from algae outside of biofuels markets, including green polymers, chemicals and animal feed will play a decisive role in the success of established and emerging algae production ventures. The selection of business models and co-product market strategies employed by algae producers will be critical to determining the long-term commercial viability and success of each venture.

Copyright © 2009 NewNet