Energy from marine biomass. Final report

Technical Report · Tue Mar 20 00:00:00 EST 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5547313· OSTI ID:5547313

Tompkins, A. N.

The fabrication, assembly and successful deployment of the first open ocean, deep water Biological Test Farm related to the continuing search for alternative energy sources are discussed. This Farm is dedicated to the study of the growth and nutrition of Macrocystis pyrifera (Giant California Kelp) with the far reaching goal of commercializing an ocean grown biomass feedstock for production of substitute natural gas (SNG). The innovative fabrication and vertical deployment of a 1500 foot long, 24 inch diameter flexible pipe for the upwelling of nutrient rich bottom water to the Test Farm was completed. Efforts to develop an optimized marine derived anaerobic culture for the conversion of kelp to methane gas were continued. The successes of this research during 1978 continue to hold promise of maximizing the anaerobic conversion/methane generation process to the theoretical yield limits using marine strains compatible with kelp in the aquatic habitat and with the attendant environmental constraints of the digester. To this end, this research has shown that high salt concentrations, up to 7% can be accomodated, ambient temperature digestion can proceed with no apparent loss in gas production as opposed to the classic mesophilic (37/sup 0/ C) process, and the key help constituents, mannitol and algin, are completely utilizable and theoretically convertible to methane. A Gas Cost Analysis was conducted in 1978 as part of the on-going Systems Requirements and Economic Analysis task. This task is designed as a key program tool for coordinating and guiding the experimental and analytical work performed on the Marine Biomass Program. The first-order results of the Gas Cost Analysis indicate that the Marine Biomass SNG costs will be competitive with other SNG sources falling in the range of $3 to $6 per million BTU. The cost could even be less when credits for by-products, such as fertilizer or co-products such as fish and shellfish are included.

• Research Organization: General Electric Co., Philadelphia, PA (USA). Re-Entry and Environmental Systems Div.
• DOE Contract Number: ET-78-F-03-2165
• OSTI ID: 5547313
• Report Number(s): SAN-2165-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
BIOMASS PLANTATIONS
COMMERCIALIZATION
METHANE
BIOSYNTHESIS
SEAWEEDS
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
BY-PRODUCTS
CHEMICAL REACTION YIELD
DATA
DESIGN
DIAGRAMS
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
GROWTH
HARVESTING
NUTRIENTS
OPTIMIZATION
TABLES
UPWELLING
ALKANES
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BIOCONVERSION
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
DATA FORMS
DIGESTION
ECONOMICS
ECOSYSTEMS
FLUIDS
HYDROCARBONS
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
PROCESSING
SYNTHESIS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
YIELDS
090122* - Hydrocarbon Fuels- Preparation from Wastes or Biomass- (1976-1989)
140504 - Solar Energy Conversion- Biomass Production & Conversion- (-1989)