The Potential of Photosynthetic Microbes as a Source of Energy in the UK Water Industry in Wakefield

The Potential of Photosynthetic Microbes as a Source of Energy in the UK Water Industry

Yields of algae are several fold higher than any other form of biomass that relies on solar energy. Micro algae are rich in oils and a potential source of renewable fuels. However there are problems in view of the large amounts of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus that are needed for algal growth. Anaerobic digestion is another option that permits the recovery of energy from these micro algae with the benefit that it allows recovery of the nitrogen and phosphorus in the digestate. Treated wastewaters provide an ideal growing media containing some of the nutrients needed with a range of important trace elements. The off gas from both aeration and digestion is rich in carbon dioxide. Waste heat from CHPs provide the opportunity to speed up algal growth. There is a lot of interest in how algae might be exploited within the water industry and this event explores the present status and future potential of the technology.

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