2012|13 Annual Report Fraunhofer IGB

117 Dipl.-Ing. Ronja Münkel Phone +49 711 970-4069 ronja.muenkel@igb.fraunhofer.de Dr. Ulrike Schmid-Staiger Phone +49 711 970-4111 ulrike.schmid-staiger@ igb.fraunhofer.de Funding We would like to thank the German Federal Ministry of Edu- cation and Research (BMBF) for funding the project “EtaMax – More biogas from low-lignocellulosic waste and microalgal residues through a combined bio/hydrothermal gasiﬁcation”, promotional reference 03SF0350A. Project partners Daimler AG | EnBW Baden-Württemberg AG | FairEnergie GmbH | Fraunhofer IVV | Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) | Netzsch Mohnopumpen GmbH | Paul Scherrer Institute PSI | City of Stuttgart | Stulz Wasser- und Prozesstechnik GmbH modular way and hence can be easily used for new produc- tion facilities. Individual program modules can be recombined and may also contribute to controlling other production pro- cesses in algal biotechnology. Successful biomass production process With the aid of automation we were able to establish a stable growth process outdoors. Biomass was produced over a pe- riod of 113 days with an average productivity of 0.50 g/(L*d) (Fig. 5), with the average biomass concentration at the point of harvesting being 8.5 g/L. Process monitoring and control were performed exclusively on the basis of reactor tempera- ture and pH value. The established process does not depend on constant productivity and is therefore suitable for outdoor production with changing light and temperature conditions. On the basis of these trials, the production process now needs to be transferred to an industrial scale and production costs reduced further. 1 Microscope image of the microalga Chlorella vulgaris SAG 211-12. 2 Flow diagram of a 30-liter FPA reactor in the outdoor facility. 3 Outdoor facility for microalgae production with 30-liter FPA reactors. 4 Process visualization on the display screen of the SIMATIC S7-1200 controller. 5 Variations in biomass concentration of out- door cultures of Chlorella vulgaris over the trial duration of 113 days. Biomassconcentration[g/L] Cultivation period [d] 4 2 0 20 40 60 80 100 1200 10 8 6 12 Beginning of a new production phase 4 5 Contacts

2012|13 Annual Report Fraunhofer IGB

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