(image: Korea Bizwire)
JINJU, Dec. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean research team announced on Monday that it had developed new technology to produce low-cost biodiesel from wastewater using euglena, a type of algae.
The new process, developed by a research team from Gyeongsang National University, injects euglena into wastewater to cultivate it at high density.
If a single module of a 100-cubic meter euglena cultivation system is installed, it can process 99 percent of nitrogen phosphorous within the return flow water at a public sewage treatment facility per year.
In particular, the dry mass of the produced euglena is estimated at 9.6 tons per year, with the annual amount of carbon dioxide absorption and biodiesel production estimated at 20.4 tons and 3,200 liters, respectively.
At present, the nation’s localization rate of biodiesel that is produced by recycling waste cooking oil remains at 30 percent, while the remainder is imported from other countries.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
