Wahiawa may be home to algae farm, biofuel production facility

WAHIAWA—Phycal Hawaii R&D is planning to build an approximately 30 acre algae farm on currently unused Del Monte pineapple fields north of Wahiawa. The company, which currently has an algae farm in Ohio and a research laboratory in St. Louis, will be cultivating and extracting algae oil to convert into biofuel as well as refine into drop-in replacements for diesel, jet fuel, and feedstock for other bioproducts. The company foresees October 2010 as the earliest date for construction.

The Wahiawa farm, an aquaculture project, will be a pilot facility for an expected two years to explore the methods of farming and processing the oil into biofuel. Phycal’s ultimate goal is to eventually expand into a commercial operation. According to Andrew Twomey, president of Phycal Hawaii, algae produces 10 times more oil per unit of weight than any other plant.

“The oil is like vegetable oil and can be refined into a number of products including bio diesel for power generation, and can be refined by big companies like Tesoro to be used for jet fuel,” Twomey explained. He said that because of Hawaii’s temperature, sunlight, and availability of currently unused land, the island is the perfect place for algae farming. Twomey also noted that Oahu is a fitting place to produce biofuel as “the cost of energy in Hawaii is high because the state imports its oil, so there is a market here for locally produced biofuel.”

Proponents of algae farming for biofuel point out that it is a sustainable practice. “Unlike making ethanol from corn, which takes months to process, algae matures in four days,” Twomey said.

Phycal’s approach to fuel farming involves harvesting the oil from algae rather than killing it by bathing the algae in solvents that can suck out the oil—a process that some strains of algae can go through multiple times.

“The process of obtaining the oil is called milking,” Twomey said. “We pull [the algae] out of the water, treat it, and the oil floats to the top. The algae lives through the process, goes back into the pond, and grows continuously. All the water we use is recycled too. We take treated, reclaimed waste water and use that to grow the algae, so it is used instead of dumped into the ocean.”

The Oahu facility will include shallow trenches about 15 centimeters deep for cultivating the algae, a processing building for extraction of oil, an anaerobic digester for conversion of biomass to methane gas, and water treatment capability. The facility will produce algae oil to complete technical qualification as a commercial product and the company intends to confirm their ability to produce at an acceptable cost.

“It’s a bold claim,” said Twomey, adding, “We will provide the oil to refiners for testing, and after a two-year period after we have demonstrated the viability of the process, we will have a commercial facility.” Phycal will do an updated presentation for the community prior to breaking ground for construction.

At a recent Wahiawa Neighborhood Board meeting, Phycal representatives passed out maps of the area with a layout of the farm. Community feedback was generally positive but attendees did express concerns about several issues such as the amount of land that will be needed if the facility turns commercial—a number estimated to be in the thousands of acres.

“Right now they can use previously used land, but what about when they have a huge commercial operation?” asked North Shore resident Gerald Fusco.

Community members were also concerned with the possibility of unpleasant odors that the processing facility could emit, an issue that will be addressed during the planning and permitting process. Meeting attendees mentioned the threat of algae blooms caused by high nutrient water that can contribute to reducing sunlight and oxygen in the ocean, resulting in death of coral reefs. Phycal’s representatives explained that the algae absorbs all nutrients in the water, and because there is no nearby stream to carry water to the ocean, there is no threat of algae bloom to Hawaii’s reefs.

According to Oilgae.com, micro-algae are the fastest growing photosynthesizing unicellular organisms and can complete an entire growing cycle every few days. Some algae species have high oil content, up to 60 percent oil by weight, and can produce up to 15,000 gallons of oil per acre per year under optimum conditions. Algae’s high yield is one of the main reasons why algae is considered as feedstock for oil.

According to the U.S. Energy Administration, Petroleum provides nearly nine-tenths of all the energy consumed in Hawaii. Petroleum-fired power plants supply more than three-fourths of Hawaii’s electricity generation. Hawaii’s Clean Energy Initiative establishes clear targets for both State and local utilities development and the use of renewable energy. The Draft Environmental Assessment, which will explore both the positive and negative effects the project may have on the environment, is expected to be published by May 2010.