Ecoduna is a privately held company that is specializing in the development and  production of photo bioreactors for the cultivation of micro-algae.

Ecoduna offers a new biosolar system and innovative photobioreactors which massively reduce the energy input for micro algae cultivation, and considerably increases the quality and quantity of the algae produced.

So far it was not possible to breed algae under economic circumstances except in open pond systems, whereby the evaporation of water and contamination of undesired species do limit this system. Difficulties in even distribution of carbon dioxide and nutrients occur, and the availability of land my be a factor of limitation in many cases.

In all the closed systems the massive energy input has been the main limiting factor, besides stress by pumping and barriers of discharging the oxygen limited upright systems.

Both systems have not really reached the state of real continuity as required by up to date process design.

The challenge was to combine all the qualities of open pond and upright cultivation systems, keeping the energy costs down to the level of open pond but utilizing the land and water in a much more efficient way to achieve real continuity.

In an advanced process design, as with hanging gardens, the energy input for carbon integration is used for more than one purpose.  The same amount of energy necessary for integrating the Carbon dioxide into the solvent is also used as the means of transport throughout the complete reactor, and also to create a turbulent flow within the reactor, to avoid microfilm culminating on the reactor surface. An even distribution of the cells to the light surface and an even distribution of nutrients is achieved.

Increasing requirement of renewable fuels, raw materials, clean water and oxygen create an opportunity for the large-scale cultivation of micro algae without the downside associated with traditional fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide and waste water containing nitrates can be used as cheap and readily available resources in biogenic industrialisation.

Ecoduna’s system “hanging gardens” creates viable conditions for the industrial expansion of micro algae breeding.

Speaker Profile
Martin Mohr qualified as architectural designer  and worked in development and process design for a number of years. He teaches process design and project management in the “Donau Universität Krems” since 2000 and process design at the “St.Galler Business School St.Gallen”  since 2007. Mohr was a founding Director of Ecoduna SRO in 2003, specializing on alternative fuels and sustainability solutions and is founding Director of ecoduna OG, a company formed to marked and further develop the inventions of Martin Mohr and his associate Franz Emminger in the  field of photo-bioreactors.

Mohr has a keen interest in energy efficiency and sustainability. The current project “hanging gardens” is been granted the  “Genius award 2008” by the camber of comers in Austria. One of ecodunas photobioreactor  will be realized in a carbon capture project in industrial scale in Germany.

Algae World Asia 2009 Bangkok Speaker
Day 1 – Tuesday, September 29
12:00      Comparison of Open Pond and Closed Photobioreactor

ALGAE WORLD ASIA 2009 is a conference dedicated towards providing objective insights on the commercialization of Algae Biofuels, as well the latest advances and constraints in Algae cultivation, harvesting & processing. To find more about Algae World Asia in Bangkok from September 29 to 30, 2009, please visit http://www.futureenergyevents.com/algae/.