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AlgaBioFix™ - A Novel Microalgae-Based Municipal Wastewater Treatment Process—MicroBio Engineering, 194 Wilson Street, Suite 65, Berkeley, CA  94710-1147; 510-367-5715, www.umassoils.com 

Mr. Tryg John Lundquist, Principal Investigator, trylundquist@microbioengineering.com

Mr. Tryg John Lundquist, Business Official, trylundquist@microbioengineering.com

DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-06ER84421

Amount:  $99,924 

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels in the atmosphere are the highest in over 650,000 years (Science, 11-25-05), reinforcing the need to slow or even reverse this upward trend.  The combination of municipal wastewater treatment with microalgal biofixation of CO₂ would represent a novel, cost-effective means to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and fix CO₂.  Microalgae can fix CO₂ at high rates, producing a biomass that can be converted to biofuels to replace fossil fuels.  Research is needed to prove that the addition of CO₂ to ammonia-rich wastewater-treatment ponds would increase the efficiency of CO₂ fixation, as well as reduce pollutant nitrogen and phosphorus to the low levels required by water quality regulations.  This project will develop a microalgae-based carbon sequestration technology using power plant flue gases for CO₂ and municipal wastewaters as nutrient sources.  The algal biomass harvested from mass culture ponds will be converted to methane fuel to be used as substitute for fossil fuels, with the residues used as fertilizers.  Phase I will demonstrate, at the laboratory scale, that the CO₂-supplemented primary effluent (settled sewage) will provide a much higher algal biomass yield and more nutrient removal, compared to controls without CO₂ addition.  In addition, a suitable site will be arranged for a Phase II pilot project; and a feasibility analysis – which will include engineering, economics, balances of mass and energy, and greenhouse gas abatement potential – will be developed.

Commercial Applications And Other Benefits as described by the awardee:  The technology should be applicable to the removal of nutrients from municipal wastewaters to prevent pollution of receiving waters.  The new process should result in the production of biofuels and fertilizers and the capture and recycling of power-plant flue-gas CO₂, providing sufficient revenues to allow the abatement of greenhouse gas emissions to be accomplished.