CASTRIES St. Lucia, Feburary 23rd, 2012 -- The HélioBiotec platform has just been opened at theCommission for Atomic and Alternative Energies (CEA) centre in Cadarache (Bouches-du-Rhône).
Researchers at the centre work in conjunction with laboratories and industrialists to study and optimise the biological mechanisms of photosynthetic microorganisms, which have the capacity to produce, naturally, molecules which contain high levels of energy. Cultivated in large quantities, these organisms could in future produce so-called third-generation biofuels.
A disappointing first generation of biofuels
First-generation biofuels, the only ones currently on the market, are produced using plants such as beets and certain oil-producing crops. Their benefits are significantly limited, however, by the fact that they consume large amounts of land, water and inputs. Second-generation biofuels are currently being assessed, particularly in terms of their profitability and environmental impact.
These are produced by converting biomass into synthesis gas, which is then converted into a liquid fuel
(thermochemical technique). They can also be produced using microorganisms to digest biomass to generate ethanol (biological technique).
Some microalgae and cyanobacteria* can, under certain conditions, use photosynthesis to produce hydrogen, an energy source which can be used directly with fuel cells. These microorganisms also produce hydrocarbons and lipids, which can be converted into biodiesel. Algae, for example, can store up to 50% of their dry weight in lipid reserves.
These organisms are interesting in terms of energy because of their rapid growth and very high surface yields: some species could produce 10 to 20 times as much biodiesel as cultivated crops such as rape or sunflower for the same area. The research carried out in Cadarache over the past ten years or so is designed to identify the
most promising organisms, study their metabolism and optimise biological mechanisms to increase the
productivity of compounds with high levels of energy.
The development of the HélioBiotec platform since 2008 reflects the steady progress made in the research. “Since then, the laboratory has equipped itself with cutting-edge tools, which have in turn led to the opening of HélioBiotec,” explains Gilles Peltier from the Bioenergy and Biotechnology of Bacteria and Microalgae Laboratory (LB3M).
“The platform now has a range of sophisticated tools which can be used to pinpoint which of the many microalgae we study have beneficial characteristics, examine the quality of the elements they produce, such as lipids, and even cultivate those algae under controlled conditions.” Towards a better understanding of bioenergy production.
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