Algal conversion of flue gas carbon dioxide to polymer feedstock the project objectives are to develop and demonstrate the algal oil extraction and fatty acid separation at engineering-scale, develop,…

This $1,250,000 Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (CFDA 81.089 - Fossil Energy Research and Development) is funding Global Algae Innovations, Inc., a small disadvantaged business, to develop and demonstrate an integrated process for producing algal-based polyurethane consumer products from flue gas carbon dioxide.

The key objectives include: 1) scaling up algal oil extraction and fatty acid separation, 2) optimizing the integrated process for producing algal-based polyurethane, 3) conducting outdoor growth tests, 4) characterizing the polyurethane product and quantifying its performance, and 5) evaluating the economic, environmental, and community benefits through techno-economic and life cycle analyses. The award also includes a $132,000 sub-award to chemical engineering consultant William Samuel Rickman to provide specialized services towards developing and demonstrating the algae triglyceride extraction, hydrolysis, and purification technologies.

Algal conversion of flue gas carbon dioxide to polymer feedstock the project objectives are to develop and demonstrate the algal oil extraction and fatty acid separation at engineering-scale, develop, test, optimize, and quantify process parameters for the integrated process for production of algal-based polyurethane consumer products from flue gas carbon dioxide, perform two 30-day (approx.) outdoor growth test campaigns of the integrated process without negatively affecting the biomass quality or nitrogen utilization efficiency, characterize the polyurethane product; and quantify the performance, usability, and benefits, evaluate the CO-products and report on the results, accurately quantify the economic, environmental, and community benefits of the process for an algal-based polyurethane product through use of the field test results in a techno-economic analysis (tea), life cycle analysis (LCA), and environmental justice questionnaire.