R & D
Green and Slimy Could Be Golden
There’s a strange green brew percolating next to the Dale Station, a power plant owned by a Kentucky G&T.
Researchers in Kentucky are hoping algae, infused with flue gas, will decrease carbon emissions and provide biofuels. (Photo By: EKPC)
A mixture of algae and flue gas, the green brew is the focus of research by engineers at East Kentucky Power Co-op, Winchester, and an animal bioscience company. They are studying whether algae, infused with flue gas, can capture the carbon dioxide that is produced when coal is burned to make electricity.
For about six months, more than 1,000 gallons of the “primordial green goo,” as one G&T staffer calls it, have been bubbling. In six, eight-foot-long reactor tubes, algae are feasting on the power plant’s flue gas. As the algae grow, emissions decrease, researchers hope.
“We want to look at the feasibility of carbon reduction methods,” said Nick Comer, a spokesman for East Kentucky Power Co-op. “It’s a very small project now, but we hope we can expand it to other plants and develop it into something much bigger.”
In the experiment, the flue gas released by the power plant supplies the required carbon and nitrogen algae need to grow. The gas is piped into the reactor tubes that contain the algae culture. The algae sequester the gases and grow, resulting in a product rich in oil, protein and carbohydrates.
For its part, Alltech, the Nicholasville company working with the G&T, plans to use the algae to develop byproducts including animal feedstock and biofuels for vehicles.
“Seventy percent of the world’s oxygen comes from algae,” said T.P. Lyons, Alltech’s CEO, in a statement. “It is the world’s single-most important microorganism. We’re excited about harnessing this incredible raw material, while working with the co-ops to capture carbon dioxide.”