INTERVIEW WITH JOHAN ENGELBREKTSSON – AddScience

“The main idea of the ALFAFUELS project is to develop algal strains which produce isoprene and then produce jet fuel components by combining the isoprene molecules into larger molecules using light as an energy source”

Johan Engelbrektsson, research at AddScience speaks in this interview about its contribution to the ALFAFUELS project.

Q: What is the role of AddScience within the ALFAFUELS project?

A: The main idea of the ALFAFUELS project is to develop algal strains which produce isoprene and then produce jet fuel components by combining the isoprene molecules into larger molecules using light as an energy source. AddScience will develop and adapt analytical methods to analyze isoprene production in algal cultures and technical solutions to extract the isoprene from the algal cultures. The analytical methods are necessary to determine the productivity of the algal cultures accurately. The productivity in turn tells us the volume of algal culture which is needed to produce a certain amount of jet fuel, it is also an essential parameter to optimize both the cultures and the extraction solutions. The solutions to extract isoprene from the algal cultures will allow the transfer of purified isoprene to the jet fuel production step, but will also allow higher productivity from the algal cultures since a high concentration of isoprene in the cultures will inhibit production and might cause a total stop in production or the algae dying off.

Q: What are the challenges and how do you plan to overcome them?

A: The challenges are related to the optimization of algal cultures and the cost/energy efficiency of the extraction solutions. The analytical methods will need to be adapted for both laboratory and pilot scales as it is very costly to develop in a pilot scale. Most of the optimization will be done in the laboratory in small batches, and it is often difficult to translate the results from small batches to larger scales. The solutions to extract isoprene from the algal cultures will depend on both productivity and culture conditions such as gas flow through the culture. We will attempt to determine the most cost- and energy-efficient solution to reduce isoprene concentration remaining in the cultures so inhibition is minimized, while still allowing efficient recovery of the isoprene for further processing into jet fuel components. The development of both analytical methods and extraction solutions will rely on a combination of laboratory testing and modelling to find the best options.