Journal of Fundamentals of Renewable Energy and Applications
Open Access

From wastewater to bioenergy: Nutrient and energy recovery with algae treatment

International Congress and Expo on Biofuels & Bioenergy

August 25- 27, 2015 Valencia, Spain

Zouhayr Arbib, Ignacio de Godos, Maikel Fernandez, Enrique Lara, Bernardo Llamas and Frank Rogalla

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Fundam Renewable Energy Appl

Abstract :

Co-financed by the FP 7 programme of the EU Commission, the project “ENERGY.2010.3.4-1: Bio-fuels from algae” intends
to demonstrate on large scale the sustainable production of bio-fuels based on low cost microalgae. The objective of the
project is: (1) Implement on a 10 ha scale the full process chain, from growth to harvesting to processing; (2) Demonstrate
sustainable algae culture ponds, integrated with biomass separation; (3) Processing for oil and other chemicals extraction,
and downstream biofuel production and (4) Treat and reuse wastewater for nutrient recovery. In the FP7 All-GAS project the
major fuel component will be biogas, derived from anaerobic digestion of algal biomass grown in high-rate algal ponds and
from the anaerobic digestion of the raw wastewater in UASB reactors. CO2 is separated from the biogas and recycled, together
with a proportion of the carbon of the residual biomass after combustion together with supplements from local agricultural
biomass. The overall process produces more than 150 L of biomethane per cubic meter of treated wastewater, and a net energy
of 0.5 kWh th/m3. This process allows converting WWTPs from energy consumers to net producers, creating a new concept
of process sustainability based on microalgae.