3/13/2017 BengaltakesleadinfuelfromalgaeTimesofIndia

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Bengal takes lead in fuel from algae

TNN | Aug 29, 2009, 04.56 AM IST

KOLKATA: Bengal is taking the lead in algae fuel a third-generation biofuel that has generated tremendous excitement
worldwide. A city-based organization is conducting a pilot project at the Kolaghat thermal power plant and is expected to start
production next year.

What's unique about this rst-of-its-kind project in India is that the technology will eventually not only lead to a cleaner
automobile fleet across the country but also help power plants reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emission.

"Algae yields a very high amount of bio-fuel compared with jatropha or soyabean because almost the entire algal organism
uses sunlight to produce lipids or oil. Studies show that algae can produce 60-80% of their biomass in the form of oil," said
professor Sarajit Basu, the mentor of the project and an expert on bio-fuel.

Algae fuel leaves no carbon residue. Up to 99% of CO2 in solution can be converted, which is returned to the air when the bio-
fuel is burnt. This can help reduce polluting units' carbon footprint.

"The algae technology can be integrated with a power plant or a sponge iron factory where CO2 emission is very high. For
instance, the 1,260-MW Kolaghat thermal power plant emits 15,000 tonnes of CO2 every day. We can trap this gas and
channelise it into a pond where algae will be farmed. CO2 and dissolved nutrients will give a major spurt to algal biomass,"
Basu said.

"The possibilities are immense. Fifty per cent of the CO2 emitted can be used for algal farming, 25% for farming of spirulina (an
edible algae, very high in protein content), and the rest can be compressed in its uncontaminated form to produce dry ice. The
oil-cakes again are an excellent fuel which can be burnt to generate power to run this entire process. So, it will be a self-

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sustaining technology," said S M Ghosh, the head of Bio-Fuel Mission of Sun Plant Agro, which plans to start commercial
production of algae bio-fuel by 2010. "We are taking land on lease near Canning for this," said A K Singh, managing director of
Sun Plant Agro.

Both West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL) and Sun Plant Agro will earn carbon credit for the algae project.

"Algae can be the fuel of the future. It can produce nearly 300 times more oil per acre than soybean or jatropha, and has a short
harvesting cycle, thereby lowering the production cost," said Sunil Jha, chief manager (projects) of Sun Plant Agro.

"What's better, we can use wasteland for algal farming as algae can grow in arid and saline conditions. They can be grown in
oceans, freshwater ponds or even wastewater, minimizing land acquisition issues and expenses. Moreover, they can grow 20
to 30 times faster than food crops. Regional production of microalgae and processing into biofuels will provide economic
benets to rural communities," said Dr Basu.

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