To further catalyze development of sustainable algae biomass technologies for fuels, our group has developed strategies for bioconversion of whole algae biomass of both attached and suspended microalgae into advanced biofuels. Our strategy utilizes co-cultures of engineered strains of E. coli or Corynebacterium glutamicum to utilize complex sugars and amino acids in algae hydrolysates as substrates for the production of branched C4 and C5 fusel alcohols. Bench scale tests have shown titers of &gt;12 g/L of these products. We have further shown low cost isolation and upgrading of these of biofuel intermediates to finished fuels for both spark ignition (SI) and compression ignition (CI) engine architectures. Our data demonstrate that branched C4 and C5 alcohols show significant potential as high performance drop-in fuels or blending agents with gasoline due to their high octane number as well as their low corrosivity and high energy density, especially when compared to ethanol. Our results also indicate that these compounds can be chemically upgraded with residual lipids in the algae hydrolysate for the production of high performance biodiesel that shows improved combustion properties and cold flow properties compared to traditional biodiesel products. Whereas the C4 and C5 fusel alcohols display excellent properties in SI engines, the fatty acid fusel esters show similar promise for CI engines, indicating that substantial fuel production and tenability can be attained from diverse algal biomass sources, regardless of lipid content. Utilizing all components in the biomass for biofuel production allows prioritization of biomass productivity over accumulation of starches or lipids, opening the door to a wide variety of new algae technologies with the potential for significant market impact.

Algal biomass conversion to fusel alcohols and further upgrading as high performance drop-in fuels

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.