Presentation to the Regional Innovation Network on May 21, 2014 in Grande Prairie

1. Pollutants-to-Products
(P2P)
GPRC-CRI microalgae research and technology
Abigail Adebusuyi, PhD

2. In brief
• Introduction
• Projects
• P2P microalgae technology
• Summary
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3. About P2P
• A GPRC-CRI initiative (started in 2007)
• Goal
• “To develop environmentally sustainable technologies to turn
pollutants into useful products using natural processes”
• Partners
• Industry (20) and government (5) partners
• Including oil/gas, forestry, environmental and engineering companies
• Funding
• Total funding of $3.5M ($2.3M from NSERC)
• Projects
• Based on the goal of the P2P initiative
• Currently four projects
• Focus on carbon capture by microalgae
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4. Meet the people
• Core (2011)
• Dr. Weixing Tan – Principal Investigator
• Dr. Abigail Adebusuyi– Research Associate
• Dr. Bruce Rutley – Director of CRI
• Bob Hall – Manager, CRI Innovation Services
• Aurele Lemay – Technician
• GPRC Faculty members
• Dr. Phil Johnson, Dr. Les Rawluk,
Dr. George Ding, Dr. Ali Al-Asadi,
Dr. Georgia Goth
• GPRC Staff members
Mr. Rick Scott, Ms. Audrey Wells
• GPRC Students
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5. What we do
• White Spruce Reforestation
(since 2000)
• Enhancing sustainable
reforestation
• 40 M Sw seedlings planted in
Alberta each year
• Better seedlings through better
conditioning in nursery
• Increased survival by >2-3%,
saving $1 M for industries
• Increased growth – more wood &
carbon sequestration
• Near completion
• Partners
• Canadian Forest Products
• Manning Divers. For. Pro.
• Pacific Regeneration Tech.
• Tolko Forest Products
• Vanderwell Contractors
• Weyerhaeuser Canada
• Alberta Assoc. of Colleges &
Technical Institutes (legacy)
Planted white spruce
seedling
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6. What we do
• Turning waste water to wood
fiber (since 2008)
• Collaboration with Alberta Rural
Organic Waste to Resources Net work
(AROWRN)
• Sustainable wastewater cleaning
technology
• Nutrients (N, P, minerals) and water in
effluent wastewater to fertilise hybrid
poplar trees
• Diverting effluent from natural
watercourses
• Using trees and soils to clean
wastewater
• Enhancing tree growth & carbon
sequestration
• Ongoing but as a minor GPRC project
• Partners
• Ainsworth Engineering
• Aquatera Utilities Ltd.
• Canadian Wood Fiber Center
• County of Grande Prairie
• Alberta Assoc. of Colleges &
Technical Institutes (legacy)
Planted hybrid poplar tree
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7. What we do
• Enhancing oilsand landscape
reclamation through winter
planting
• New project (2012)
• Sustainable oilsand reclamation
• Large areas of disturbed wetland from
oilsand operation
• Unsatisfactory reforestation due to lack
of access in summer and too wet
condition
• Winter planting to help access wetland
• No previous study on wetland at
operational level
• >95% survivability in the 1st year
• 3 years project ending in 2015
• Partners
• Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance
(ConocoPhillips Canada, Shell Canada,
Statoil, Suncor Energy Inc., Nexen Inc.,
and Total E&P Canada)
• AB Sustainable Development
• AB Environment
• Next Gen. Reforestation
• Global Restoration Corp.
Planted black spruce
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8. What we do
• Bio-Capture of CO2 & Air
Pollutants Using Microalgae
(since 2007)
• Sustainable air cleaning technology
• Microalgae -
• aquatic plants that utilize CO2
• >100 times more efficient than most
land plants
• Flue gas from sources (a boiler or
power generating plant) fed directly to
algae
• Most of the CO2 and air pollutants
removed by algae
• Microalgae biomass used for valuable
products
• Partners
• ConocoPhillips
• EnEco Systems Inc
• Woodmere Nursery
• Rheaume Engineering
• Pond Biofuels
• Converted Carbon Technologies
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Chlorella vulgaris

9. happiness-one-quote-time.blogspot.com
P2P microalgae technology: Tests and trials
• Low productivity
• Production of high quality biomass
• Tendency for microalgae processes to crash
• Require lots of research
• Limited funding for research and development
• Commercialization
• High capital cost
• Challenging market to enter
• Many large development ventures
• Various technologies
• No clear commercial successes
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“Trouble creates a capacity to handle it”—
Oliver Wendell Holmes

10. What we are up against!!!
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Cellana’s patented ALDUO™ process
Heliae’s Technology
Algenol’s Direct to ethanol technology

11. In the
beginning
(table top system)
Now - developing 5-
panel 10- row beta -
model
Completed
alpha ‘ PBR (2-
row single
panel-model
Moving up –
alpha – PBR
Single row
P2P microalgae technology: Progress
snapshots
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12. Where we live
Carbon Capture Solarium
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13. P2P microalgae technology: Success
• Innovative technologies
• Microalgae production system
• Automated photobioreactor system
• Increase in microalgae productivity
• Efficient use of sunlight energy
• Portable hybrid systems for use in
any climate
• Two patents
• “Sun Tracking Growing Systems for
Photosynthetic Organisms”
• “Method and Apparatus for Reducing
Foam Formation in a Circulating
Nutrient Systems Having Gas
Introduction”
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14. P2P microalgae technology: Success
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• Nutrient formulation
• Stoichiometrically balanced
medium (Trade secret)
• Increase in growth yield
• Facilitate pH stability
• Reduce “culture crash”
• Cheap medium components
• Reduce cost of microalgae
production

15. Selling P2P microalgae technology
• Strategy
• Directs technology development
• World class business development team
• Commitment from industry partner
• PBR demonstration
• Nutrient formulation
• Consultation services
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16. Marketing focus
• Specific targets for commercialization
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Nutrients
Water
Reuse H2O
& nutrientsCO2 & Pollutants
Directly from
Source
Sunlight
Algae
Harvesting &
Separation
• Biofuels
(Gas&Diesel)
• Animal Feeds
• Human Foods
/Proteins
• Health/Natural
Supplements
• Pharmaceutical
Products
• Cellulose
O2
Inputs
Outputs
Microalgae
Production
Systems

17. What next?
• Applied Research activities
• Optimization of microalgae production systems
• Nutrient recycling
• Microalgae harvesting
• Microbial control in photobioreactor systems
• Path to commercialization
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18. What to remember
• P2P
• Great potential
• Four projects with major focus on
microalgae technology
• Reasonable achievements
• Targeted commercialization of
specific technologies
• Opportunities
• Open to additional collaborations
• Have expertise to share
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19. In closing…
• Thanks to all our partners +
• Comments and questions?
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