I-Corps Teams: Pathways to Market for ICARUS Algae Cultivation and Harvesting Technology

University Of South Florida, Tampa FL

Investigators

Abstract

The days of global dependence on fossil fuels are numbered, as supply cannot sustainably keep up with demand. Next generation fuels must be developed to protect our quality of life, environment, and wallets. Although microalgal biofuels are a promising alternative to fossil fuels, many bottlenecks in large scale cultivation and processing are holding back the industry. These technical challenges include reducing culture collapse due to the invasion of grazers, providing economically viable nutrients, taking advantage of marginal land, and increasing culture density to reduce processing costs. To address these issues, this I-Corps team has developed a cultivation method called the "Isolated Cultivation of Algal Resource Utilizing Selectivity (ICARUS)." ICARUS is a membrane-based method for cultivating microalgae using wastewater, a method that overcomes many of the challenges of large-scale production. The proposed technology has the potential to impact the public sector (wastewater treatment plants), the private sector (large-scale algal production facilities, biomass processing facilities, biofuel facilities), and academia (R&D of new algal strains). The hybrid technology will encourage an integration of the synergistic goals of the USEPA (wastewater treatment) and the USDOE (development of algae biofuel), meanwhile creating new opportunities for a cutting edge workforce trained in multiple sectors essential to the national economy. Successful commercialization of the proposed technology could make wastewater treatment net energy positive, while making algal biofuels cost-competitive with fossil fuels. ICARUS also provides a platform for a unique public-private business model for algae biofuel production, where typically risk-averse treatment plants may benefit from efficient technology providing additional treatment.