Biodiesel Production Opportunities in New Zealand

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Biodiesel Production Opportunities in New Zealand

• Potentials using Microalgae

Ehimen Ehiaze Department of Physics University
of Otago
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Biofuels in NZ

• Increasing interest in the role of liquid
  bio-energy carriers in the New Zealand energy
  sector
• Biofuel Sales Obligation

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Current NZ Domestic transport Consumption
3.8 Million Registered Vehicles in New
Zealand. 483L of Petro-diesel per
person
Data source New Zealand Energy Data File
(2006). MED
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Potential Feedstock Available in NZ for Diesel
Replacement

• Animal Fats
• Waste Oils
• Vegetable Oils
• Woody Biomass

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Trans-esterification Process

• One tonne of fat would yield 0.9 tonnes of
  biodiesel.

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Synthetic Diesel
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Animal Fats

• Local Production (150 X 103 t/a)
• Consumption (30 X 103 t/a)
• 120 X 103 t/a
• Potential Biodiesel Output108 X 103 t/a

Picture Sources http//www.maf.govt.nz/photos/gif
s/
8
Waste Vegetable Oils

• Estimated Output
• 3.0 X 103 5.0 X 103 t/a
• Potential Biodiesel Yield 3.6 X 103 t/a

Picture source www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/storie
s/L_IMAGE.1...
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Vegetable Oils

• Rapeseed Cultivation
• Indicative oil yield 0.8t/ha/a
• For 10 replacement 243,000 ha

Picture source www.gabi.de/21seiten/h_03_pjrapese
ed.php www.werol.ee
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Woody Biomass

• Forest arisings, Wood processing wastes, Short
  rotation forest and Firewood 3.1 X 106 t/a
• Potential production 310 X106 L/a
• 15 replacement
• Entire Roundwood Production 30 X 106 t/a
• 90 replacement

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Land use
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Other problems....

• Low Conversion efficiencies
• Periodicity in feedstock availability
• Loss of Biodiversity

http//www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/redlist2007/photoga
llery_2007.htm
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• If we cannot rely on these sources in NZ, what
  are our alternatives
• ?

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Algae

• Microalgae

• Macroalgae

Macrocystic pyrifera
Chlorella vulgaris
Picture sources www.smbaykeeper.org
www.nies.go.jp/biology/mcc/strainlist-c.htm
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Average microalgal cell composition ( dry
weight)
Data from Becker (1994) Microalgae
Biotechnology and Microbiology
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Areal Productivity of Microalgae
Picture sources www.ircnet.lu/src/request/picture
s/bioreactor.gif www.en.wikipedia.org/aquaculture
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Biodiesel Yields Comparison
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Land requirement Comparison New Zealand Case
Study

• Biodiesel from Rapeseeds

• Biodiesel from Microalgae

To meet 10 NZ petrodiesel replacement.
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Potentials for Improving Algal Biodiesel Economics
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WATCH OUT !
...........COMING TO A STATION NEAR YOU