Algae Test & Evaluation Pilot Facility
The “Algae Test & Evaluation” pilot facility is located at the site of the City of Logan Water Reclamation Plant (WRP). Research and testing conducted at the AT&E facility addresses algae-based engineered systems for water quality improvement and production of biofuels for power for transportation vehicles, heat, and electricity that can be used by the City of Logan.
The 10-acre AT&E facility consists of two outdoor1/2-acre raceway bioreactors for conducting large-scale research on the growth and production of algae biomass for conversion to biofuels that include biodiesel and compressed natural gas (CNG). The raceway bioreactors are instrumented for continuous measurement of flow and also algae and water quality parameters that include chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, ammonia, and nitrate. In addition, phosphorus, turbidity, optical density, and lipids are also monitored for discrete samples.
A dissolved air flotation (DAF) unit that can process 50-150 gallons of water per minute is used to separate the algae from the water for algal biomass recovery. Additional unit processes for separation of algae from water include sand filters and cross-flow membrane systems.
Additional reactors include bench-scale and laboratory-scale photobiofilm reactors and stirred tank bioreactors for optimizing the growth and production of algae and algal lipids that are transformed into biodiesel. Several anaerobic reactors are available for conversion of algae biomass to CNG. Analytical equipment and instrumentation for water quality analysis, algae testing, and biodiesel and CNG characterization are housed in a 900 square foot laboratory building that is part of the AT&E facility.
The City of Logan Water Reclamation Plant includes 460 acres of facultative lagoons arranged into seven discrete ponds for treatment of 16 millions gallons per day of municipal wastewater from six communities. The WRP is the source of water and algae for the AT&E pilot facility. Two motor-driver boats are used for sampling algae and water in the lagoon system. The lagoon system is instrumented for continuous monitoring of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity.
View Photos of the Algae Test & Evaluation Pilot Facility
