High Heat Turns Kelp to Biofuel

Oct-21-14 A new hydrothermal process able to bring kelp to a very high temperature very quickly could make using kelp as a biofuel much more feasible.

Scientists have been looking toward biofuel as an alternative fuel option for some time, but the idea of using food biomass for fuel is a bit morally problematic as the world's population rises. In response, researchers have turned to other types of biomass, such as the ocean's abundance of seaweed. But processing wet, slimy seaweed into biofuel brings its own set of challenges—including the need for expensive and time-consuming catalysts.

The new processing technology, developed by a team from NTNU, is less costly than other methods and does not require a catalyst. The technique involves placing a slurry of kelp into long, narrow cylinders called "quartz tube reactors," heating the reactors very quickly to 662º F, and then maintaining that temperature for 15 minutes. This fast, high heat drastically intensified the liquidation of the material and delivers much higher yields, with 79 percent of the mass being converted into bio-oil compared to the 19 percent yield using previous methods.

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