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KBR to design Qld biofuels plant

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KBR announced on Tuesday that it has been chosen to provide engineering services for a Queensland fuel from algae pilot plant.

  

It was recently announced that the plant, to be located in South East Queensland, is to receive about $1.5m of funding from the Queensland Government.
Construction is planned to begin in August and the plant is expected to be operational within six months. KBR will provide a range of services, including design for the pilot plant, project controls and other specialist inputs.
An international consortium of researchers and private enterprise plans to build the plant with three algal bioreactors (tanks in which algae are grown under light) to test the best design for optimum growing conditions. It is believed to be the first time design aspects have been tested to this level of detail.
The project, led by the University of Queensland’s (UQ) biofuels team and German photobioreactor specialists, aims to create economically viable fuel.
Initial research by the UQ consortium shows that algae have significant potential as a fuel source because they grow considerably faster than other land-based plants, can be grown on infertile land or low quality soil, and can survive on low quality water. These features make them a potentially cost-effective fuel source.
In addition, some species can produce hydrogen gas, valuable products for the pharmaceutical industry and essential dietary compounds. All these will also be studied in the research plant.
“KBR chose to support this project because it complements the company’s commitment to a sustainable future,” said KBR Infrastructure and Minerals president Colin Elliott. “A focus on sustainability and the effects of climate change are forcing a review in emissions and waste management and therefore in energy sources of the future. The development of algal bioreactor plants is an opportunity for us to contribute to an important initiative which could have a significant impact in the future.”
More information: www.kbr.com
 


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