(474e) Biochar Based Activated Carbon As Adsorbent to Recover Volatile Chemicals From Photobioreactor

Transformative concept is to establish an continuous cyanobacterial platform to convert CO₂ into energy dense fuels and organic chemicals. This will involve the following objectives: 1) Engineer cyanobacterial to produce and excrete linalool, 2) Develop an integrated, recirculating adsorption recovery system, which harvest volatile products from gas stripping from photobioreactor. The model product is linalool, a C10 alcohol with an energy density of 40 mj/kg, heat of vaporization of 0.19 mj/kg, and octane of 102.

At room temperature, 1 atm, linalool evaporated from spiked cyanobacterial solution, which contains linalool  (0.4%wt at beginning) by air bubbling (100 ml/min), has been completely captured by activated carbon (from woody biochar after steam physical activation at 800 C for 20 minutes). After selective temperature swing desorption,  95% pure linalool was recovered as product. The adsorption dynamic and equilibrium was investigated. Simultaneouly, lifetime of activated carbon adsorbent was quantified.

This transformational technology will allow us to exploit two un- or under-utilized resources in the Midwest and Great Plains (wind and CO₂) by converting them into storable, transportable, energy-dense, and infrastructure-compatible renewable liquid fuels.