The use of algae as carbon dioxide absorber in heat production industry

Abstract

There are approximately 15 million users of system heat in Poland, but unfortunately nearly 70% of the fuel used in heat production is fossil fuel. Therefore, the CO2 emission reduction in the heat production industry is becoming one of the key challenges. City Heat Distribution Enterprise Ltd. in Nowy Sącz (Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Energetyki Cieplnej sp. z o.o.) has been conducting a self-financed research and development project entitled The use of algae as carbon dioxide absorbers at MPEC Nowy Sącz. The project deals with postcombustion CO2 capture using Chlorella vulgaris algae. As a result of tests conducted in a 1000 l hermetic container under optimal temperature and light conditions, the recovery of biomass can be performed in weekly cycles, yielding approximately 25 kilograms of biomass per year. Assuming that half of the dry mass of the algae is carbon, it can be said that 240 grams of carbon is bound in one cycle, which, converted to CO2, gives 880 grams of this gas. Our results showed that around 45.8 kilograms of CO2 per year was absorbed. Additionally, it is possible to use waste materials and by-products of technological processes as a nutrient medium for algae