Importan advances in Spanish studies to start biofuel production from microalgae.

n Spain, the biofuels production is rapidly advancing. This paper gives an account of the union of research centers with universities to harness the potential of algae.

Research Center and the Department Cepsa Cepsa working since 2010 in a research project to evaluate the feasibility of using microalgae in obtaining useful fatty acids for the production of biodiesel.
The initiative, as reported by the company in a note, which is under development at the International Center for Studies and Ecology and Environmental Conventions (Ciecem) located in the town of Almonte and managed by the University of Huelva, is directed by Professor Carlos Vilchez and also has the support of the University of Huelva, Cadiz University Bio-Oils.
In addition, the project has received financial support from the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.
Microalgae are photosynthetic organisms, microscopic in size, able to capture a fraction of the energy from the sun that used to generate nutrients and ensure their own development. For this, the solar energy captured performs a complex 'travel' in communion with different chemical molecules of cellular metabolism of the microalgae, some of which have value as fuel or can be converted into such through simple chemical transformations.
The research work, driven by the Spanish Company Petroleum aims to assess the feasibility of this use.
Thus, in a first stage, the search proceeded, isolation and laboratory culture of microalgae with ability to adapt to environmental conditions in the geographic area potentially develop their culture, then selecting those that have a better profile quantitative and qualitative, lipids of interest, in order to continue experimenting with such species to a larger scale than the laboratory.
One of the novelties of the investigation at this stage has been taken as a new species of microalgae samples of natural environments La Rabida refinery "capable of fixing CO2 by solar radiation." To date, it has been determined that the microalgae "more promising" than those obtained by the team in different natural environments accumulates about 35 percent of potentially useful lipids for biodiesel production.
EXPERIMENTS IN CROPPING SYSTEMS
The current phase of work through the laboratory work to stimulate the accumulation of lipids in microalgae and conducting experiments in farming systems inside and outside the order of 300 volumes of 700 liters, with the objective of power then scale the results obtained in the laboratory.
"The success of these initiatives come necessarily from the integration of professional knowledge and several different branches of science and engineering, primarily from microbiology, physiology and biochemistry of algae, bio mass production of microorganisms and chemistry of the extraction, separation and processing of oils into biodiesel, it matters in which the contribution and experience of Cepsa and BioOils are essential, "said the lead researcher, Carlos Vilchez.
Similarly, the Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Huelva, Jesus de la Rosa, in his speech highlighted the value of such initiatives jointly developed "the company and the university." "It is imperative that there is this combination so successful and so profitable for both parties," he added.
This work, driven by Cepsa, is "an example of the way" to be followed by university research, and also the support that the business "should be offered to science as a source of improvement and progress to ensure their future."
Commitment to research
For his part, Director of Technology Cepsa, Jaime Berbés, stressed the importance of innovation in Cepsa Group's activities and its effect on immediate profitability and ensure its competitive position in a changing and increasingly demanding.
"The role of Cepsa Research Center is essential not only for its ability to catalyze such initiatives internally, but because it is as a valid interlocutor with other entities, in this case with the University of Huelva and Cadiz, without whose participation can not imagine a project like that was presented today and many others that are developed in the framework of the Chairs Cepsa, which also include the University of Seville, "he stated.
As leader of this research, Cepsa is integrated into the international map of scientific and technological initiatives to search for new fuels from photosynthesis.
Source: http://www.europapress.es/epsocial/rsc/noticia-cepsa-cultiva-microalgas-utiles-producir-biodiesel-20120120190908.html