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MABFUEL – Marine Algae as Biomass for Biofuels

Duration 2009 - 2013
Funding Body European Commission Marie Curie
Project Costs €1,430,841
Project Co-ordinator Bantry Marine Research Station (then Daithi O’Murchu Marine Research Station)
Number of Partners 7
Website EC Report Summary
MABFUEL – Marine Algae as Biomass for Biofuels

The main aim of this project was to investigate the feasibility of using algae (both micro and macro) as a feedstock for producing biofuels in Turkey and Ireland.

The project investigated the process of extracting algal-oil and conversion to biofuels which is similar to that for land-based crops (including hexane extraction, supercritical CO2, organic solvents and/or pyrolysis). The difficulties in efficient bio-fuel production from algae lie not only in the extraction process but in finding a species with a high lipid/carbohydrate content and fast growth rate, and a cost-effective cultivation system (for micro-algae) that is best suited to that species. Therefore, the project investigated the most suitable extraction procedures and the oil yields of native seaweed species and cultured micro-algae species from both Ireland and Turkey.