The document describes a student project to model the production of biodiesel from algae. The goals are to develop a sustainable alternative fuel using algae as an oil source. The design uses a basic biodiesel production process with algal oil as the input. The model considers safety, environmental, and economic factors. It evaluates recycling waste products to reduce costs and improve sustainability. The project timeline is six weeks to complete the SuperPro model. Literature research and past lab experience inform the design and evaluation.

1. Production of Biodiesel
from Algae
Kylie Bednarick, Ali Bostwick, and Amanda Dotseth
BE 4380

2. Introduction
● First generation biofuels have not gained traction in large markets, largely due to
costs and sustainability issues
● Third generation biodiesel produced from algae can circumvent the sustainability
issues and has gained wider acceptance as a viable fuel source
https://i0.wp.com/www.globaltrad
emag.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/10/Biodies
el.jpg?fit=965%2C393

3. The Problem
● Recognition of need:
○ We are already beginning to see the
effects of climate change, we should be
doing everything possible to mitigate
these effects
○ Main contributor to CO2 emissions:
trucks, planes, and tractors running off
petroleum diesel
● Definition of need:
○ The market needs a viable, economically
sound, sustainable alternative to
petroleum based diesel
https://www.coherentnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Algae-
Biofuels.jpg

4. Goals
● Bioprocess (biological)
○ Using algae as source of oil
○ Provide sustainable alternative to conventional fuel
○ Achieve a carbon neutral process
● Structural
○ Project only requires model so specifics of structural calculations for stable equipment will not be
mentioned
● Mechanical
○ Model will begin operating with already successfully extracted oil from algae

5. Constraints
● Skills
○ Knowledge of biodiesel production process, familiarity with SuperPro Designer software to model
the system
● Budgetary and Space
○ This is a modeling project with no specific budgetary or space constraints imposed since it is not
being actualized
● Logistics
○ Some processes will have different running times, so bottlenecking could become an issue
● Time
○ This model is to be completed in a time period of six weeks

6. Considerations
● Safety
○ General laboratory safety techniques and PPE should be required at all times due to the harmful
nature of the sodium hydroxide methanol mixture
● Ethical
○ EPA standards and guidelines will be followed for waste disposal, a safe and comfortable work
environment should be promoted at all times
● Ecological
○ Hazardous waste from this process will be disposed of responsibly
● Ultimate Use
○ Provide a sustainable alternative to petroleum based diesel

7. Questions
User- Consumer
1. What will be the unit cost for a full tank of gas in the average car for this product?
2. Would I need to make any adjustments to my automobiles and other forms of machinery in order to use
this product?
3. Is this product safe for me to use?
Client- Field Distributors
1. How much will the product cost, wholesale?
2. Will I need to make any adjustments to my equipment in order to distribute this product?
3. How will we benefit by distributing this product over regular diesel?
Designer-the Bioprocessing Engineer
1. How can I repurpose the waste product of glycerol?
2. How can I make this process efficient in order to maximize the yield of biodiesel?
3. How can I make the production and sales of this product economically feasible?

8. Literature Review
● Research on exact composition of algal oil
● Biodiesel production methods
● Percent oil in biomass, and how it varies by species
● Percent yields for transesterification reaction using various reactants

9. Governing Equations Mass
BalancesHeat Exchanger:
A = Q/UTlm
A = Total heat exchange area
Q = Total heat transferred
U = Overall heat transfer coefficient
Tlm = log-mean temperature difference
Sedimentation/Settling:
Sedimentation coefficient:
s = vω2R=2a2(ρ-ρ0)9μ
With respect to oil
-kO=dOdt
With respect to alcohol
-kA=dAdt
With respect to glycerol
kG=dGdt
With respect to biodiesel
kB=dBdt

10. Hard Data
● General information on oil yield by crop (corn, soybean, oil palm, algae, etc)
● Information on oil content of algal species (% dry weight)
● Product yields with different bases (sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide,
sodium methoxide, potassium methoxide)
● Algal yields from different bioreactor types (open pond or closed
photobioreactor), used to determine a reasonable influx of algal oil

11. Past Experiences
● All students have knowledge of the production of biodiesel through the current
curriculum of BE 4380.
● All students have operated SuperPro for labs covered in the current curriculum of
BE 4380.
● Kylie Bednarick is currently enrolled in the biodiesel production creative inquiry
taught by Biosystems Engineering professor Ms. Jazmine Taylor.

12. Design Options
● Press the oil as a first step
● Recycle the left over methanol from washing
● Adding base, methanol, and oil altogether in the beginning
● Using enzyme or acid catalyzed reactions
http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/wp-
content/uploads/2015/02/BiofuelLifeCycle.jpg

13. Synthesis of Design

14. Evaluation of Design
● Scale up the design to maximize
personnel use
● Using glycerol to grow algae ourselves to
cut down on costs
● Selling glycerol
● Using biodiesel to fuel process

15. Sustainability Measures
● Ecological
○ Reduces the overall carbon footprint and produces valuable, sustainable byproducts that can
continue to be used
● Social
○ Reduce societal reliance on petroleum products
○ Improve world’s natural beauty
● Economical
○ Co-products and recycling of materials
○ In house growth of algae
● Ethical
○ Reducing harmful effects on environment, animals, and people
○ Byproducts are sustainable and non-hazardous

16. Conclusions
● Attainable if scaled up and implemented into a larger process that incorporated
cost saving measures
● Sustainable, relatively simple reaction
○ Products can be reused
○ Algae can be produced in house using byproducts
○ Cuts back on petroleum based materials, contributes to carbon capture, produces non-hazardous
waste

17. Timeline

18. Resources
Feng, X. (2014, May). Biomass and lipid production of Chlorella protothecoides under heterotrophic cultivation on a mixed waste
substrate of brewer fermentation and crude glycerol. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
Gao C, Wang Y, Shen Y, Yan D, He X, Dai J, Wu Q. (2014, July). Oil accumulation mechanisms of the oleaginous microalga Chlorella
protothecoides revealed through its genome, transcriptomes, and proteomes. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
Miao, X., & Wu, Q. (2005, June 04). Biodiesel production from heterotrophic microalgal oil. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
Ozcelik. A. (2016, April 11). The effect of different washing processes on fuel properties in camelina methyl ester. Retrieved March 5,
2018
Taylor, J. (2018) “Biodiesel Creative Inquiry Lab handout”. Clemson University. Clemson, SC. Print.
Walker, T. (2018) Biodiesel Lecture notes. Clemson University. Clemson, SC. Print.
Yang. F, Hanna. M, Sun. R. (2012, May 13) Value-added uses for crude glycerol--a byproduct of biodiesel production. Retrieved
March 4, 2018.
Zhiyou. W. (2012, June 18) New Uses for Crude Glycerin from Biodiesel Production. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
Zhiyou. W. (2014) Biodiesel Production Process. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
Zhiyou. W. (2018) Algae for Biofuel Production. Retrieved March 3, 2018.