Can ATS™ systems be used to recover carbon dioxide (CO2) and produce feedstocks for biofuels?
A. ATS™ systems designed to recover nitrogen and phosphorus offer the added benefit of CO2 recovery and biomass production. While researchers to date have focused primarily on phytoplankton-based algae systems for these applications, the Algal Turf Scrubber® may offer a better solution. A critical measurement of an algae systems ability to recover CO2 is the systems algal production rate. Interestingly, algal production rates in Algal Turf Scrubber® system have exceeded those levels achieved at the Department of Energy’sNational Renewable Energy Laboratory Outdoor Test Facility (OTF) in Roswell, New Mexico by 50 to 230 percent. These production levels have been achieved not in laboratory scale systems, but in large outdoor water treatment facilities. Additionally, Algal Turf Scrubber® systems address one of the primary challenges of phytoplankton based systems by offering proven, low energy, cost effective biomass recovery. In the future, large scale Algal Turf Scrubber® systems design
