Browsing by Subject "Electrocoagulation"
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Item Algal Harvesting for Biodiesel Production: Comparing Centrifugation and Electrocoagulation(2013-08-09) Kovalcik, Derek JohnElectrocoagulation was compared to centrifugation at pilot scale for harvesting Nannochloris oculata and Nannochloropsis salina for biodiesel production. The pilot scale testing is a proof of concept and no optimization was conducted. Testing used the KASELCO commercial electrocoagulation system. The KASELCO electrocoagulation system successfully coagulated microalgae in laboratory testing. Aluminum and stainless steel electrodes successfully recovered algae in laboratory testing. Electricity consumed was lowest using aluminum electrodes in laboratory testing, but inconsistently coagulated microalgae at the pilot scale. Stainless steel electrodes consistently recovered algae and were selected as the primary electrode to treat microalgae at the pilot scale. Scaling power settings to pilot testing using laboratory data was successful following KASELCO?s proprietary guidelines. The KASELCO electrocoagulation system showed an electrical reduction in pilot scale operational cost for harvesting. Economic analysis using the Algae Income Simulation Model concluded that the KASELCO electrocoagulation system increase net present value of a commercial algae farm by $56,139,609 using a discount factor of 0.04. The KASELCO electrocoagulation system was calculated to use 26 kWh/ton at a commercial algae farm. However, cultivation and extraction processes are energy intensive, resulting in minimal electrical savings for the algae farm. The increase in net present value reduced production costs at the algae farm by 1%. The probability of success for the microalgae farm was zero for all scenarios analyzed. While a reduction in capital and operational costs were observed, several improvements, including harvesting using electrocoagulation, in cultivation, extraction, and conversion are necessary for economic success for biodiesel production using algae farms.Item Evaluation of selected new technologies for animal waste pollution control(Texas A&M University, 2006-10-30) Lazenby, Lynn AnneIn 1998, two upper North Bosque River segments were designated as impaired due to the nonpoint source (NPS) pollution of phosphorus (P) to these segments in the watershed. As a result, two Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) were applied which called for the reduction of annual loading and annual average soluble reactive P (Sol P) concentrations by 50 %. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of two prospective new technologies, an Electrocoagulation (EC) system, and a Geotube???? dewatering system to potentially aid the dairy farmers in meeting the goals set by the TMDLs. The EC system analyzed in this study used chemical pretreatment to coagulate and separate solids in effluent pumped from the dairy lagoon; the liquid then flowed over charged iron electrodes giving off ions that cause coagulation and precipitation of P and other metals. Overall, the performance of the system was consistently highly effective in reducing total phosphorus (TP) and Sol P, on average, reducing these constituents by 96% and 99.6% respectively from the dairy lagoon effluent. However this consistency did not hold for the rest of the analytes. In the Geotube???? dewatering system geotextile tubes were utilized to dewater dairy lagoon effluent. Results showed this system performed very well in filtering solids from the dairy lagoon effluent, removing an average of 93.5 % of the total solids between the two pumping and dewatering events of March and April. It was effective in removing nutrients and metals as well. The average percent reduction of TP and Sol P for the two events were very high at 97% and 85 % respectively.