Advanced Sustainable Biofuels Production from Purified Microalgae and Oleaginous Yeasts via Integrated Solar Hydrothermal Liquefaction

SUNFUSION endeavors to comprehensively address a novel process of microalgae and oleaginous yeasts conversion into shipping and aviation biofuels, by advancing state-of-the-art core technologies: (i) innovative PBR and open raceway ponds for microalgae and yeasts cultivation and optimization; (ii) a concentrated solar thermal (CST)-coupled continuous hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) reactor with solar energy covering the thermal needs of the process; (iii) a solar-aided thermal energy storage (TES) system which at later stages will be fully integrated to the overall process; (iv) hydrotreatment units to obtain the final, advanced sustainable biofuels; (v) recovery of gaseous and aqueous streams from HTL and synergistic cultivations of microalgae and yeasts that will be recycled to the microalgae cultivation leading to a zero emission and zero waste process.

HTL is a thermochemical process used for the production of sustainable biofuels from the depolymerization and repolymerization of highly moist organic biomass, having the inherent advantage of avoiding the cost-intensive part of biomass drying.

These points will introduce high-risk/high-return novelties that will play an impactful role in forwarding the process subcomponents to TRL 4. At least 7 L of biocrude from microalgae and 1 L from yeasts are planned to be produced and upgraded.

A testing period of above 12 months will take place under on-sun conditions at temperatures exceeding 350oC, with the solar-to-biocrude energy efficiency target set to exceed 50%, which is an ambitious number that will allow the sustainable transformation of solar energy to energy carriers in the form of biofuels.

Finally, an overall process assessment will take place to evaluate the technology in terms of technical, economic and environmental aspects.

The visionary concept beyond SUNFUSION project envisages the integration of the main components of the process in a mobile platform that will be operational in off-grid places.