ISEF Application 2012

Research Proposal

Prepared by:

Mohammad-HosseinSarrafzadeh

Biotechnology and Environment Group

School of Chemical Engineering

College of Engineering

University of Tehran

Tehran, Iran

Title of proposed research:

CO2 Algal Fixation and Biomass Production from Power-PlantsFlue Gas

Feb 2012

ISEF Research Proposal

Table of contents

  1. Motivation and need for the project2
  2. Background2
  3. Objectives 4
  4. Scope, design and methodology5
  5. Schedule7
  6. Significance7
  7. Plan for dissemination7
  8. Publications8

1)Motivation and need for the project

As an associate professor at University of Tehran (School of Chemical Engineering), with more than 6 years experiences in teaching Environmental Engineering and Biochemical Engineering courses for graduate and undergraduate students, with several research projects on wastewater treatment, with several years of responsibility in my school Energy and Environment Division, with several careers on environmental challenges in my country due to petroleum industries, am very interested to do this project. Applying the biotechnological solutions for environmental problems is my main field and I hope such multidisciplinary project lets me to first learn more and then practice all of my different research experiences in such great topic.Almost each five years, I am trying to open a new research subject for my academic space and in fact, I have selected the topic presented as this proposed research as my main research field during the next five years. Help of KFAS by accepting my ISEF applicationwill let me to exchange and share the idea with Korean scientific and make a networking on the topic.

2)Background

Presently Fossil fuels account for about 80% of global energy demands. Excessive application of fossil fuels caused the environmental pollution and health disorders. One of the main results of overusing of fossil fuel is global warming which is considered nowadays as a dilemma worldwide. Climate change is the major effect of increase in gaseous pollutants concentration in atmosphere which can induce catastrophic consequences in future. The main source of carbon dioxide emission, fossil fuels, represents about 75% of total carbon dioxide emission. In this regard, application of renewable fuels is necessary to be replaced by fossil fuels. Biofuels, thanks to their low emission, provide excellent opportunity for using as an alternative energy source. Microalgae due to their high productivity and high oil content considered as the main potential alternative energy source which have economically ability to be replaced by previous energy resources. Photosynthetic microorganisms utilize the inorganic carbon dioxide and nutrients for their growth. Therefore, they can be produced near to industrial plants with high pollutants emission such as power plants. The major advantage of establishment of photobioreactor near to other industries is the availability of cheaper inorganic carbon and nutrient resources which economically enhance the production of these microorganisms. Additionally, this can bring about biofixation of carbon dioxide and wastewater treatment simultaneously. Microlagae are generally cultivated in open systems using natural light because they are cheaper than the closed systems. However, these systems have some disadvantages rather than a closed system such as lesser productivity, exposure to external pollution, excessive necessitate of water due to water evaporation and lesser capability to control condition.

Power Plant flue gas contains high amount of carbon dioxide which causes the mentioned environmental problems. This gas has other pollutants such as SOx and NOx which should be not exceed from a standard amount. Today, power plants alone account for more than 20% of annual carbon dioxide emission worldwide. Regarding the exponential growth of request for energy a feasible method for pollutants fixation in power plants and in the same timelooking for sustainable energy sources, seems to be necessary.

In this regard, several methods are suggested such as gas injection into ground or ocean or chemical or physical absorption of CO2 by catalysts or other material. However, these methods disclose some problems. For example, injection of gas to ocean decreases pH of water which can induce some disadvantages for aquatic species. Additionally, other methods such as application of catalysts make other difficulties such as the obstacles for the recovery or storage of used catalysts.

One of the most efficient and feasible method for carbon dioxide fixation is biological fixation which can be done by using microorganisms such as cyanobacteria or microalgae. Nowadays, the application of these microorganisms is developing rapidly due to its high fixation efficiency and its quality to be utilized in other industries. For example, cyanobacteria and microalgae are the main option for biofuel production. Moreover, some microalgae species can be used in food or drug industries. Microalgal advantage to other sources for biofuel production which make them attractive is their easier cultivation condition. They can grow in lower area of land with lower quality of water and soil. Furthermore, they can grow exceedingly faster than other and can provide more biomass and oil per area unit of cultivation. Therefore, microalgae exhibits extremely higher efficient for CO2 fixation and biomass production and is a truly ideal option to be applied for carbon dioxide sequestration of industrial flue gas. In this regard, the photobioreactors can be constructed next to an industrial plant such as a power plant. In this case, the microalgae can uptake the carbon dioxide from effluent gas as the carbon source for photosynthesis, nutrients from the wastewater and the necessary heat from the excessive heat which is produced through the electricity production process. In addition, the produced biomass can be converted to biofuel which can be used as the energy source in electricity production cycle. These benefits make the biological fixation of carbon dioxide using microalgae highly attractive and cost-effective.

Selected references:

[1]Hallenbeck, P.C., Benemann, J.R., 2002. Biological hydrogen production:fundamentals and limiting processes. Int. J. Hydrogen Energ. 27, 1185–1193.

[2]Lopez, C.V.G., Fernandez, F.G.A., Sevilla, J.M.F., Fernandez, J.F.S., Garcia, M.C.C.,Grima, E.M., 2009. Utilization of the cyanobacteria Anabaena ATCC 33047 in CO2 removal processes. Biores. Technol. 100 (23), 5904–5910.

[3]Yoo, C, Jun, S.Y., Lee, J.Y., Ahn, C.Y., Oh, H.M., 2010. Selection of microalgae for lipidproduction under high levels carbon dioxide. Bioresour. Technol. 101, S71–S74.

[4]Amit Kumar, Sarina Ergas, Xin Yuan, Ashish Sahu, Qiong Zhang,
Jo Dewulf, F. Xavier Malcataand Herman van Langenhove, 2009, Enhanced CO2 fixation and biofuel production via microalgae: recent developments and future directions, Trends in Biotechnology, Vol 28, No.7

[5]Chisti Y. Biodiesel from microalgae. Biotechnol Adv 2007;25:294–306.

[6]Shih-Hsin Ho, Wen-Ming Chen , Jo-Shu Chang, 2010, Scenedesmus obliquus CNW-N as a potential candidate for CO2 mitigation and biodiesel production, Bioresource Technology 101, 8725–8730

[7]Gouveia, L., Oliveira, A.C., 2009. Microalgae as a raw material for biofuelsproduction. J. Ind. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 36 (2), 269–274.

[8]Kanhaiya Kumar, Chitralekha Nag Dasgupta, Bikram Nayak, Peter Lindblad, Debabrata Das, 2011, Development of suitable photobioreactors for CO2 sequestration addressing global warming using green algae and cyanobacteria, Bioresource Technology 102 (2011) 4945–4953

[9]Rodolfi., L., Zittelli, G.C., Bassi, N., Padovani, G., Biondi, N., Bonini, G., Tredici, M.R.,2009. Microalgae for oil: strain selection, induction of lipid synthesis andoutdoor mass cultivation in a low-cost photobioreactor. Biotechnol. Bioeng.102, 100–112.

[10]Morais MG, Costa JAV. Isolation and selection of microalgae from coal .redthermoelectric power plant for bio.xation of carbon dioxide. Energy ConversManage 2007;48:2169–73.

[11]Liang, Y.N., Sarkany, N., Cui, Y., 2009. Biomass and lipid productivities of Chlorellavulgaris under autotrophic, heterotrophic and mixotrophic growth conditions.Biotechnol. Lett. 31, 1043–1049.

[12]Takagi, M., Karseno, Yoshida, T., 2006. Effect of salt concentration on intracellularaccumulation of lipids and triacylglyceride in marine microalgae Dunaliellacells. J. Biosci. Bioeng. 101, 223–226.

[13]Illman, A.M., Scragg, A.H., Shales, S.W., 2000. Increase in Chlorella strains calori.cvalues when grown in low nitrogen medium. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 27, 631–635.

[14]Scragg, A.H., Illman, A.M., Carden, A., Shales, S.W., 2002. Growth of microalgae withincreased calori.c values in a tubular bioreactor. Biomass Bioenerg. 23, 67–73.

[15]Dahai Tang, Wei Han, Penglin Li, Xiaoling Miao, Jianjiang Zhong, 2011, CO2 biofixation and fatty acid composition of Scenedesmus obliquus and Ch. pyrenoidosa in response to different CO2 levels, Biore. Tech. 102, 3071–3076

3)Objectives

This project deals with different aspects of CO2 fixation and converting it to bioenergy through assessing the technical, financial, socio-economic, institutional, and regulatory influences on air pollution control.

In short term the following objectives could be mentioned:

-Looking for the suitable microalgae type in CO2 fixation

-Determination of power-plant flue gas composition and its effect on microalgae growth

-Determination of power-plant wastewatercomposition and its effect on microalgae growth

-The type of appropriate reactor and available sun light

-Selection of pilot scale near a power-plant

In long term more technological developments, reducing air pollution, biodiesel production, could be considered. Some secondary objectives are:

  • Creation of networks to facilitate exchange of experience and information
  • Conduct and contribute to conferences to push forward exchange of experience.

4)Scope, design and methodology

The microalgae are usually cultivated in photobioreactors. The photobioreactors provide the autotrophic condition for cultivation of microalgae. In autotrphic cultivation the carbon is supplied by the inorganic carbon source such as carbon dioxide or bicarbonate. In this case, since the microorganism use photosynthesis for its growth, it needs an external light source which can be provided by sun or a lamp. There are two type of photobioreactor: closed systems and open systems. In closed systems the cultivation is done under an sterilized condition and usually the medium mixing is applied by aeration. In these systems, the microalgae can be cultivated in some transparent tubes next to an external light source, as we can see in Fig 1.

Fig 1- closed systems of microalgal cultivation

The closed cultivation shows high productivity, less pollution and more condition control in order to certain species selectivity. However, in these systems, the higher construction, operation and maintenance costs make it less economical to be used in industry.

The second type of photobioreactor is open cultivation system. In this case, the microalgae are cultivated in a raceaway pond in which laminar flow of water with maximum height of 30 cm is provided by the paddlewheel. The disadvantages of these systems are the high possibility of its pollution, high amount of water evaporation and the necessity of a heater for controlling the temperature in the cold periods. Nonetheless, the less construction, operation and maintenance costs make them more economical to be utilized in industrial scales.

Fig 2- open systems of microalgal cultivation

In this research, the cultivation of some industrially important species of microalgae such as, Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus obliqus and Dunaliella tertiolecta, is studied in closed and open cultivation systems. These species thanks to their high biomass productivity and lipid contents are the ideal candidates for biofuel production and carbon dioxide fixation.Moreover, its produced biomass can be converted to the valuable products such as food and drug supplements. For example, biomass of Chlorella vulgaris is a raw material of industry of production of the very expensive tablets which is put on the market with the name of Algomed.

We should analyze the effect of NOx and SOx with their common concentration in flue gas of power plant, 100 ppm and 60 ppm, on biomass production and carbon dioxide fixation in three type of setups: Erlenmeyer flask, tublar photobioreactor and open pond. In this regard, the tubular photobioreactor in laboratorial scale and the open pond in semi- industrial scale are constructed in University of Tehran. Moreover, our researches study the production of biofuel and other valuable products from biomass of microalgae in semi-industrial scale when the condition of effluent of a power plant, including its gaseous pollutants concentration, is simulated. According to aforementioned facts, these results are strongly important to develop this novice industry in our country.

5)Schedule

The research project has been proposed for one year from September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2013

6)Significance

Many groups in University of Tehran as the mother university in the country work on the renewable energies. However my proposed project is very new and emerging and in my point of view if research goes well it will be the best type of renewable energy with the potential of decreasing the pollution of consuming fossil fuels. A main line of research on the subject with contribution of Korean research institute could be established at my university.

7)Plan for dissemination

-Technical and progress reports prepared for KFAS and University of Tehran

-Media coverage: there are countless media resources interested in renewable energies and environmental issues. Free media coverage can be an easy way to get results out to as many people as possible. Local newspaper, television and radio stations, universities, corporations and national organizations normally have an office of communications. We could work with these offices to disseminate research findings to public.

-Press releases: these offer one of the most efficient and effective ways to disseminate research results. Manuscripts accepted by international journals that describe significant results are likely to attract broad interest and should also be considered for media coverage.

-Featuring the research project in KFAS and universities newsletters and websites

-Attending seminars, international conferences, community forums and fairs on renewable energies, environment and chemical engineering conferences

-Publication of the research outcomes at the internationally referred journals

-Distribute research summary document (RSD) …

8)Publications

Type of articles / Number
International peer reviewed articles (WOS indexed) / 35
Other international peer reviewed articles / 7
Persian peer reviewed articles / 6
Peer reviewed conferences / >60
Submittedpapers / 6
  1. Shahtalebi, Sarrafzadeh, Mckay “Intraparticle diffusion model for adsorption of copper (II) ions onto pyrolytic tyre char’’ Desalination and Water Technology, in press 2012
  2. Manafi Mahshad; Mehrnia; Sarrafzadeh; Manafi "Phenol removal from synthetic wastewater by free and immobilized Alcaligenes faecalis" Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry, in press 2012
  3. Mafirad; Sarrafzadeh, Mehrnia “membrane in submerged membrane bioreactors”, Wastewater Science and Technology, in press 2012
  4. Sadeghi, Mehrnia, Sarrafzadeh “Treatment of Synthetic Olefin Plant Wastewater at Various Salt Concentrations in a Membrane Bioreactor", Clean, in press 2011
  5. Mafirad; Mehrnia; Azami; Sarrafzadeh “Effects of biofilm formation on membrane performance in submerged membrane bioreactors”, Biofouling, 27 (5), 477-485, 2011
  6. Azami, Sarrafzadeh, Mehrnia ‘’Fouling in membrane bioreactors with various concentrations of dead cells” Desalination, 2011
  7. Manafi, Mehrnia, Sarrafzadeh “Phenol Removal from Synthetic Wastewater by Alcaligenes Faecalis: Online Monitoring”, International Journal of Chemical and Environmental Eng., 2(2),103-107, 2011
  8. Masoumeh Zargar, Mohammad Hossein Sarrafzadeh, Bahram Taheri , Omid Tavakoli “Surveying of soil and groundwater pollution in a petroleum refinery and potential of bioremediation for oil decontamination”, Petroleum Science and Technology, in press 2011
  9. Azami, Sarrafzadeh, Mehrnia ‘’Influence of sludge rheological properties on the membrane fouling in submerged membrane bioreactor’’, Desalination and Water Technology, 2011
  10. Shahtalebi, Sarrafzadeh, Rahmati “APPLICATION OF NANOFILTRATION MEMBRANE IN THE SEPARATION OF AMOXICILLIN FROM PHARMACEUTICAL WASTEWATER’’,Iran. J. Environ. Health. Sci. Eng., 2011, Vol. 8, No. 2
  11. Azami H., Mehrnia M.R., Sarrafzadeh M.H., Mafirad S., Kazemzadeh M., Madaeni S.S. “Effect of concentration of cations on activated sludge properties and membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors for wastewater treatment”, J. Chem. Petrol. Eng. 44 1-8, 2010
  12. Khalili, Mehrnia, Mostofi, Sarrafzadeh “Analyze and Control Fouling in an Airlift Membrane Bioreactor: CFD Simulation and Experimental Studies” Process Biochemistry, 2011
  13. Rassouli, Sarrafzadeh, Tavakoli “An investigation on the nitrogen content of a petroleum refinery” Iran. J. Environ. Health. Sci. Eng., 2010, Vol. 7, No. 5, 391-395
  14. Amiri, Mehrnia, Azamai, Shavandi, Sarrafzadeh “The effect of heavy metals on membrane ...”
  15. Poustchi, Mehrnia, Sarrafzadeh “Removal of dissolved organic carbon by multi-walled”Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment, 4, 59-66, 2010
  16. Poustchi, Mehrnia, Fatourehchi, Sarrafzadeh “Dynamic membrane formation on synthetic fabric cloths” Filter media, 2, 9-12, 2010
  17. Amani, Sarrafzadeh, Haghighi,Mehrnia “Comparative study of biosurfactant producing bacteria in MEOR applications”, Petroleum Science and Engineering, 75,209-214, 2010
  18. Amani, Haghighi, Sarrafzadeh, Mehrnia, Shahmirzaee “Optimization of the production of biosurfactant from Iranian indigenous bacteria for reduction of surface tension and enhanced oil recovery”, Petroleum Science and Technology, 2010
  19. Amani, Mehrnia, Sarrafzadeh, Haghighi “Scale up and application of biosurfactant from Bacillus subtilis in enhanced oil recovery” , Applied Biochemis Biotechn, 2010
  20. F Pajoum Shariati, MR Mehrnia, B Madadkhah, M Heran,Ch Wisniewski, Sarrafzadeh MH “Membrane bioreactor for treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater containing acetaminophen” Desalination, 250, 98-100, 2009
  21. Khalili, Mostofi, Mehrnia, Sarrafzadeh “Flow Characteristics in an Airlift Membrane Bioreactor”, Chemi Prod Proc Model, 2010
  22. Sarrafzadeh MH, Jafari AR Use of cheap media to enhance glucose oxidase production during batch cultivation of Aspergillus niger, Pak. J. of Biotech.,2009
  23. Nasr, Soudi, Mehrnia, Sarrafzadeh Characterization of novel biosurfactant producing strains of Bacillus spp. isolated from petroleum contaminated soil, Iran J Microb, 2009
  24. Rasouli, Sarrafzadeh “Optimization of Nitrification-Dentrification Process for Nitrogen Removal from Wastewater” Chemistry and Chem Eng J, 2009
  25. Rasouli-Kenari H, Sarrafzadeh MH,Mehrnia MR. “Factors affecting the biological nitrogen removal from wastewaterin simultaneous nitrificationdenitrification process”J Biotechnology, 136S,S670, 2008
  26. Ghaniyari S, Sarrafzadeh MH, Bagheri M. Treatment of high strength wastewater containing nitrogenouscompounds in an anaerobic multistage biofilter” J Biotechnology, 136S,S464, 2008
  27. Shafeeyan MS, Sarrafzadeh MH. “Enzymatic treatment of alphacellulose fibers by using a commercial cellulose” J Biotechnology, 136S,S670, 2008
  28. Sarrafzadeh MH, Najafloo A, Gerami A.“Statistical analysis of oxygen effect on the culture of Bacillus thuringiensis”J Biotechnology, 136S,S477, 2008
  29. Rasouli Kenari H, Sarrafzadeh MH, Salehi Z, Mehrnia M. “Effective factors in selection of an appropriate biological method for nitrogen removal from wastewater”, IAChE Journal, 34, 56-65, 2008
  30. Hamedi J, Moghimi H, Sarrafzadeh MH, Kafashi B. “Consistency index, a suitable parameter for biomass measuring of Streptomyces clavuligerus in the clavulanic acid fermentation broth”, Chemistry and Chem Eng J, 2008
  31. Eshratabadi P, Fatemi H, Sarrafzadeh MH, “Enhanced degumming of soyabean oil and its influences on degummed oil and lecithin”, Iranian J. of Chem. Eng., in press, 2008
  32. Sarrafzadeh MH, Shamaei S, Loni E, Mirsaeed N “An Investigation on the Edible Oil Loss during Caustic Refining and the Necessity of Its Control”, J. of Food industry and science, Vol (4), N(1), 35-43, 2007
  33. Eshratabadi P, Fatemi H, Sarrafzadeh MH, Salarvand Z “An Investigation of Extraction and Specification of Lecithin from Different Soybean Varieties”, J. of Food Industry and Science, Vol (4), N(1), 65-71, 2007
  34. Sarrafzadeh MH, Bigey F, Capariccio B., Mehrnia M., Guiraud JP, Navarro JM; “Simple indicators of plasmid loss during fermentation of Bacillus thuringiensis”, Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 40, 1052-1058, 2007
  35. Sarrafzadeh MH, “The dielectric properties of biological cells and its application in biotechnology”, IAChE Journal, 28, 33-40, 2007
  36. Sarrafzadeh MH, Galindo S., Guiraud JP, Navarro JM ”Metabolic events during sporulation of Bacillus thuringiensis H14 under different oxygenation rates”, submitted, 2007.
  37. Jafari AR, Sarrafzadeh MH, Alemzadeh I., Vossoughi M, " Effect of Stirrer Speed and Aeration Rate on the Production of Glucose Oxidase by Aspergillus niger", J. Biol. Sci., 7(2), 270-275, 2007
  38. Sarrafzadeh MH, Bigey F, Navarro JM "Changes in physiological properties as a criterion for detection of loss of plasmid in Bacillus thuringiensis" Iranian J. of Biotechnology, in press, 2007.
  39. Sarrafzadeh MH, Navarro JM; “The effect of oxygen on the sporulation, -endotoxins synthesis and toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis H14”, World J of Microbiology & Biotechnology, 22, 305-310, 2006.
  40. Sarrafzadeh MH, Belloy L, Esteban G, Navarro JM, Ghommidh C; “Dielectric monitoring of the growth and sporulation of Bacillus thuringiensis”, Biotechnology Letters, 27(7), 511-517, 2005
  41. Sarrafzadeh MH, Guiraud JP, Lagneau C, Gaven B, Carron A, Navarro JM; “Growth, sporulation, δ-endotoxins synthesis and toxicity during culture of Bacillus thuringiensis H14”, Current Microbiology, 51, 75-81, 2005.
  42. Sarrafzadeh MH; “Biotechnology: the man for all seasons”, Farayand, N.3, 169-177, 1996
  43. Azami, Sarrafzadeh, Mehrnia, ‘’Fouling in membrane bioreactors with various concentrations of dead cells’’, Submitted Desalination
  44. Azami H., Sarrafzadeh M H, Mafirad S, Mehrnia M R. “Soluble microbial products (SMPs) production in activated sludge systems: a review”, Iranian Journal of Environmental Health, Science and Engineering, in press 2011
  45. Sadeghi, Mehrnia, Nabizadeh, Sarrafzadeh‘’Treatment of synthetic olefin plant wastewater at various salt concentrations in a membrane bioreactor’’ Submitted Clean
  46. Shahtalebi, Sarrafzadeh, Mckay “Intraparticle diffusion model for adsorption of copper (II) ions onto pyrolytic tyre char’’, Submitted J. Haz. Mat
  47. Darvishi, Sarrafzadeh, Mehrnia ‘’Biodegradation of Phenol Pollutant by Using Conventional Process of Activated Sludge’’, Submitted
  48. Najaflu, Sarrafzadeh “Nutritional requirements of Bacillus thuringiensis during different phases of growth, sporulation and germination evaluated by Plackett-Burman method”, Submitted IJCChE

CONFERENCES

  1. EDAS Mashayekhi
  2. Rahmani, Sarrafzadeh "Separation of Ceftazidime from Pharmaceutical Wastewater by Nanofiltration"