NRC launches algal CO2 conversion program aimed at reducing oil sands emissions

An Algal Carbon Conversion Pilot Project (ACCPP) is the first of the National Research Council's flagship programs to be announced. It will leverage previous NRC research for using algae as a biofuel by testing its viability for using photosynethesis to recycle CO2 emissions from oil sands and other industrial processes. The $19-million, three-year project teams the NRC with Calgary-based Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (CNRL) — one of the world's largest independent producers of crude oil and natural gas — and Toronto's Pond Biofuels to construct a demonstration-scale algal biorefinery at CNRL's site near Bonnyville AB.

The ACCPP's objectives include the reduction of emissions stemming from oil sands production and the further processing of algal biomass to make biofuel and livestock feed. Working at the Bonnyville site will give the project access to flue gas emissions, waste water and waste heat which will be incorporated into the process.

The NRC's $9.5 million is being matched by —CNRL ($6.3 million) and Pond Biofuels ($3.2 million). If the technology is proven and leads to the construction of multiple biorefineries, it's anticipated that up to 20% of CO2 emissions from "large final emitters" will be diverted by 2060.

"We want to prove the techno-economic viability of using algae at scale. The pilot project is intended to get empirical numbers to prove the technology so that industry could invest in a full-scale commercial plant," says Dr Aleks Patryzkat, executive director of the NRC's Algal Carbon Conversion Program. "Algal research activity has been quite robust in Canada, the US and elsewhere. We have reached a convergence point that pushed it forward to a larger scale project."

The NRC will underpin the project with four distinct R&D streams (see chart) that employ about 50 full- and part-time researchers and technicians with the potential for more as the project gathers momentum. The Bonnyville facility will be completed by the end of 2013 and run for two years at which point the private sector is expected to take over.

"If the technology is commercialized and industry deploys it, NRC's involvement will change. We could tackle further R&D questions that remain to be answered," says Patryzkat, who worked for 10 years at the NRC's former Institute for Marine Biosciences in Halifax. "If the technology solutions are developed and they become commercial, there will be some revenue streams for NRC. We have the technology pipelines."

The flagship has 13 R&D projects within the four research streams which are industrially relevant but still somewhat distant from the market. "They're further from ready commercial solutions and closer to basic science and research," says Patryzkat.

Algae has long been held out as a potential source of oil. Energy giant Exxon Mobil Corp has undertaken a $600-million project in conjunction with Craig Venter's Synthetic Genomics Inc to grow algae for conversion into motor oil. But the firm recently acknowledged that the process is still 25 years away from producing enough raw material at commercial scale. What's required is more basic science to overcome key challenges.

Patryzkat acknowledges that Exxon's free standing operation and its aim to grow algae for motor fuel production is "quite far from the commercial realm". He says the NRC-led project is quite different in nature with a shorter-term value proposition and the participation of an industrial CO2 emitter that can use the end product for a specific configuration.

"In the area of algae research, we're taking the conversion route which includes many other objectives. A lot of other research efforts focus on open pond operations whereas we have a unique partnership — a potential deployer of the technology heavily involved in the project at the R&D and proof stages," says Patryzkat. "We need to meet the company specifications in three years and we have a really good chance to move into the commercial realm by 2016.

In addition to engaging industry, the NRC algae conversion program has reached out to Canadian academic and other research institutions, holding workshops across Canada over the past three years. The sessions were used to convey the objectives of the program and explore potential synergies.

R$