Pragati Prava
According to the International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, road transport contributes to around 16 per cent of global carbon emissions. Orissa-based scientist Dinabandhu Sahoo, who has developed the world’s first carbon-eating car using an algae-based solution, claims his experiment can work wonders in tackling global warming…
“Why should one drive a car thereby releasing toxins into the atmosphere and others suffer for want of clean air to breathe? The person emitting lethal substances into the atmosphere should pay for his action.” says Orissa-born scientist Dinabandhu Sahoo, director of the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), department of biotechnology under the Union ministry of science and technology, who has come up with a solution. Sahoo has developed a car that eats carbon dioxide emitted by it and the scientist claims that the algae-based technology can help solve the global warming issue.
The professor of biology at Delhi University, who has developed an algae-based apparatus for carbon capturing and reusing the same as bio-fuel, claims that algae can capture toxic carbon dioxide from a vehicle’s tailpipe and convert it to oxygen which can be released into the air or inside the car.
He says the inside air of a vehicle is more polluted than the outer environment as same pollutants remain inside the vehicle as well as in the air. However, inside the vehicle, the pollutants are in a concentrated form while they are in a diluted state outside. So, it is important to release the oxygen inside the vehicle.
Tech check
Sahoo tested over 1,000 algae strains and found a few strains which can be used to produce bio-fuel and capture carbon from a vehicle’s tailpipe. He, however, refuses to divulge the name of the algae.
The carbon neutral car uses a plastic tank half-filled with water to which he adds algae. The transparent tank is placed on top of the car and is connected to the tailpipe through a tube. When the car is in motion, the exhaust from the tailpipe gets channeled through the tube into the tank. The algae get into action and convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. The oxygen is either released into the air or into the car, depending on the user’s preference. But in both ways, the driver contributes to dilution of toxic air.
One kilogram of algae captures 1.8 kg of CO2 and produces 1.6 kg of oxygen, claims Sahoo. He adds that around 40 per cent of the total fluid generated can be processed into bio-fuel and other oils required for different industries.
The biologist had used his Maruti 800 car to conduct research-based tests.
A member of the Asian Network for Using Algae as a CO2 Sink, Sahoo says he has put 25 years of efforts in developing the “world’s first carbon capture vehicle” in early 2012. The apparatus was prepared in his laboratory in DU.
Cost advantage
A member of the International Seaweed Association, Sahoo says the apparatus and the process do not cost much. The initial cost – `20,000 to `25,000 – of installing the apparatus can be recovered in three to four years.
Sahoo, however, feels there are bottlenecks in the technology. He feels the apparatus is huge and slightly grotesque. He adds his experiment can work wonders, if the government or oil companies promote algae for capturing dirty emissions. Several automakers have approached him and the process to bring in more refinement and sophistication to the apparatus is on, make the design user-friendly, sleek and aesthetically appealing.
“The beauty of this technology is that the algae can be extracted and used to produce biodiesel, fertilisers and even cosmetics,” Sahoo says. The scientist is growing the algae in his lab for replenishing the stock.
When cell phones first came to the market it was not handy. As a number of firms came forward to improve the technology, we witnessed multiple sophisticated versions of the device. Similarly, the algae-based apparatus can be improved and made cheaper with technological advances, the scientist points out.
“The technology behind the apparatus requires a complete supply chain mechanism in which the used algae can be brought and reprocessed to produce bio-fuel,” he says.
Sahoo further adds that investing in algae-based solutions is the need of the hour, as India imports 70 per cent of its fuel requirements. Further, the country’s dependence on imported fuel will increase in the coming years. Algae have an advantage over jatropha as it can be grown in any temperature and in varied climatic conditions.
Future perfect
The scientist asserted that in the near future, it will be made mandatory for every vehicle and automakers to install the algae-based device to reduce pollution, as it happened with the catalytic converter decades ago.
Emission of carbon monoxide by automobiles was a major problem decades ago, when carbon dioxide was considered comparatively less-toxic. A major change occurred in the early 1970s when the device called catalytic converter was developed by the French mechanical engineer Eugene Houdry. It is an emission-control device that converts monoxide into CO2 by catalysing a redox reaction – an oxidation and reduction reaction. In due course, countries (US took the lead) including India made it mandatory for vehicle users and automakers to install the device, says Sahoo.
Viability of algae-based fuel
Though billions of dollars have been frittered away on biodiesel research, experts are still divided over its economic viability. Perhaps this is what is dissuading the government from considering algae as a carbon capture resource, feels Sahoo. Biodiesel is not commercially viable because it requires costly infrastructure and there is no proper way to manage the supply chain.
Expertspeak
According to researchers, algae or seaweed are a large and diverse group of simple tropical organisms. The plant-like organisms which grow on water produce more than 71 per cent of the earth’s oxygen. As carbon dioxide is one of the basic requirements for algae’s growth and its ability to release oxygen as a by-product, algae has become a solution for capturing carbon from vehicular emissions and replacing it with oxygen. Even the Defence Research and Development Organisation has decided to use the algae to provide oxygen to soldiers stationed at high altitudes in Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. In this context, Sahoo’s invention is a milestone.
Experts also argue that use of algae in carbon capture only makes sense if the used algae can be reused for other commercial purposes. The profit is in making valuable products like fuel, food and high-value chemicals from these algae after they are used for carbon capture.
Sahoo agrees with this view and says: “While working on my concept I was aware of this challenge. I have carefully chosen the algae used in the solution. Even though algae are a rich source of biodiesel, for biodiesel you need land to grow algae. In this case there is no need for land.”
Dinabandhu Sahoo is internationally known for his algal research. In his lab at Delhi University, he has shown how green algae can in large cluster produce fuel. Actually micro-algae with speedy generation time en masse do the job. It is of course practical and very useful to society. Algae-based fuel is a wonderful idea. For sure it could be a bright candidate for alternate fuel to be used. Like algal food is a successful venture, algal fuel is quite promising and commercially viable for pollution control. In Orissa, we have unique waterbodies like the Chilika lagoon, Bhitarkanika sanctuary, apart from numerous freshwater ecosystems. These host peculiar algal biomass. Such resources are to be tapped to replace the conventional non-renewable fuel. Several industries need to come up to meet the requirement while providing a clean air and water environment.
Rama Chandra Mohanty, Former professor and head of the department of Botany CSIR, Utkal University
As of date, bio-diesel from algae is not viable. It suffers from a poor energy efficiency ratio (energy invested and energy produced). Technology is still very expensive because algae production, harvesting and processing costs are still high. In the bio-diesel route, which most scientists have taken, extraction of oil and conversion into fatty acid methyl esters (bio-diesel) is involved. This process is expensive and not yet viable. But nature has taken a different route – conversion of wet algal biomass into crude oil (bio-crude) under high pressure and high temperature. This process is called hydrothermal liquefaction and is viable. A company in Australia, Muradel, has established a large-scale plant in Whylla for algal biocrude production. You need a huge quantity of high-density algae culture to capture the carbon from automobile exhaust. Sahoo is bubbling the exhaust in a shallow tank. Most of the carbon escapes into the air without being assimilated by the algae. If you produce one gram dry algal biomass you should have consumed 1.86 grams of carbon. It is biological and not magic. However, algae offer a hope when it comes to reducing pollution and global warming. They are photosynthetic plants and consume a huge amount of carbon dioxide and evolve oxygen. Original crude oil came from algae. It is logical to go back to algae for crude oil again and save the world.
V Subramanian, Director, Phycospectrum Environmental
Research Centre, Chennai
The technology based on Sahoo’s system of utilising biological matter will definitely be an eco-friendly device in combating pollution. His system is a longstanding approach to accelerate the commercialisation of eradication of carbon dioxide. Further, Sahoo has given serious thought to this biological system of recycling microalgae. Algae-based technology is very useful in evolving pollution-free air and producing billions of gallons of renewable diesel, gasoline and jet fuels. By nature, microalgae are rapidly multiplying organisms. More rapid growth means more capturing of carbon dioxide. Huge algal biomass can be generated in a given area. Also, microalgae are rich in lipid which is the source of bio-fuel. Such microscopic, unicellular algae are potential renewable lingo-cellulosic bio-fuel for high productivities. Fortunately, Orissa is rich in algal biodiversity. The Bay of Bengal and Chilika lagoon are the treasure trove of marine algae. The state government’s department of science and technology has taken adequate steps to generate bio-energy from both fresh water and brackish water microalgae.
Santosh Kumar Nayak,
Former head, department of Botany, PN Autonomous College, Khurda
Algae has vast biotechnological potential and can offer better solutions in substantially reducing pollution, provided both the government and private players recognise its potential and invest substantially in research and development along with popularisation. At present, algae-based fuel is not scientifically sound and viable as most of the desired attributes are required to be investigated and optimised. The main challenge is the production of huge amounts of algal biomass as raw material.
Surendra Singh, Professor at RD University, Jabalpur