Integrated process for biogas production from algal biom ass (2.6)1th Dec. 2011Francesco O m etto

Personal Profile

Environmental Engineering (BS and MSc)University of Padua – Italy, March 2010

Wastewater treatments- biological/chemical treatment- design of wastewater treatment plan

Solid waste management- classification- treatment facilities - design landfill

Francesco OmettoPadova, Veneto (North-East Italy)

Lifelong Learning Programme ErasmusFeb.-Sep. 2009

University of Padua - Cranfield University

MSc Thesis“Biological degradation of fats, oils and greases”

Personal Profile

Integrated process for biogas production from algal biom ass (2.6)1th Dec. 2011Francesco O m etto

Integrated process for biogas production from algal biomass (2.6)

Start date: 2 August 2010 End date: 2 August 2013

Project overview

Raffaella VillaLecturer in Bioprocess Technology

Centre for Energy and Resource Technology

School of Applied Sciences (SAS)Department of Environmental Science and Technology

In collaboration with a Stream EngD project:

Project overviewIntegrated process for biogas production from algal biom ass

Bruce Jefferson Professor in Water Treatment Processes

Cranfield Water Science Institute

• Influence of wastewater algal species on theperformance of biogas production after nutrient removalin the anaerobic digestion (AD) process.

• Viability of an integrated process for producing algae fornutrient removal in a wastewater treatment system and,subsequently, using their biomass in digester to producebiogas.

• Complete training programme.

Project overviewIntegrated process for biogas production from algal biom ass

O bjectives

Algal biomass Harvesting

Feeding pre-

treatment

Anaerobic digestion

Wastewatertreatment

Wastewater

EnergyNutrients

Wastewater sludge

CO2

Project overviewIntegrated process for biogas production from algal biom ass

Integrated process

Know ledge gapIntegrated process for biogas production from algal biom ass

Only a few microalgae strains have been tested for wastewater treatment and biogas production

Native wastewater algae investigation required

Cambridge WWTP, Anglian Water

Algal sample to analyse and characterise

Know ledge gapIntegrated process for biogas production from algal biom ass

The harvesting process is expensive and make the global system not economically convenient

Economic Harvesting process

DAF - Dissolved Air FlottationBDAF - Ballasted Flottation (20% energy less) posiDAF (no coagulant, no contamination)

Increasing coagulant dose

Low energy harvesting technologiesIntegrated process for biogas production from algal biom ass

Know ledge gapIntegrated process for biogas production from algal biom ass

Algal membrane are very difficult to break; C/N ratio is a critical issue for AD;

Anaerobic digestion improvement

Cells breakage issueIntegrated process for biogas production from algal biom ass

Scenedesmus obliquus before and after CAMBI pre-treatment

Improvement of soluble COD

after pre-treatment+58%

(optic microscope x40)

Algal anaerobic digestionIntegrated process for biogas production from algal biom ass

AD 20/80 sludge seed/algaeTherm al pre-treatm ent (8h@ 100ºC)

Biogas ml/gVS des

Biogas ml/gVS des

Methaneml/gVS desMethane

ml/gVS des

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Control C. Vulgaris C. Sorokiniana S. Obliquus

no pre-treatment pre-treatment 100C

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Control C. Vulgaris C. Sorokiniana S. Obliquus

no pre-treatment pre-treatment 100C

Algal biomass Harvesting

Feeding pre-

treatment

Anaerobic digestion

Wastewatertreatment

Wastewater

EnergyNutrients

Wastewater sludge

CO2

Project benefitsIntegrated process for biogas production from algal biom ass

•Application of new low energy technologies•Improve algal digestion efficiency•Make the integrated process more sustainable and energetically balanced

Personal developm ent -TrainingIntegrated process for biogas production from algal biom ass

Cranfield UniversityResearch Student Core Skills:

G etting started w ith research;M anaging your supervisor;Refw orks;Research m ethods in the literature review ;Interpreting and presenting data;Personal developm ent plan;Technical w riting skill w orkshop;Tim e m anagem ent;W orking safety w ith chem icals;

ATW ARMEnhanced technologies for w ater and w astew ater treatm ent;

ExternalAlgal cultivation/m aintenance techniques;CCAP-O ban Scotland

English class;W astew ater analyses;O il extraction from m icroalgae;

Personal developm ent Integrated process for biogas production from algal biom ass

Cranfield UniversitySep. ‘10 Internal m onthly sem inar SAS (presentation of research project)Jan. ‘11 STREAM project: algae bioreactors (presentation of research project)Nov. ‘11 Research Student Conference (poster)

ATW ARMQ UESTO R/ATW ARM m eetingsJul.‘11Sum m erschoolEssen (DE),(presentation “W aterand Christianityin Italy”)

ExternalNov. ‘11 UNESCO sem inar ,Venice (IT)Nov.‘11UniversityofPadua,Padua (IT)Sep. ‘12 International Conference on Engineering for W aste and Biom assValorisation,Porto (PT)

Thank you

“In life, there is nothing to fear and everything to understand.”Marie Curie (1867-1934)