Photosynthetic carbon dioxide sequestration and pollution abatement

A system for producing biofuel from pollutant-fed algae which comprises:

• a means for scrubbing a pollutant-contaminated flue gas stream with a liquid scrubber solution, wherein the liquid scrubber solution is a sodium-based liquid solution for absorbing carbon-rich pollutants from the pollutant-contaminated flue gas stream to produce a carbon-rich liquid scrubber solution, wherein said means for scrubbing comprises an outlet for releasing cleaned flue gas;
• a means for feeding the carbon-rich liquid scrubber solution to a bioreactor to form a medium therein to support algae cell growth;
• a means for promoting growth of high oil content algae cells in the medium in the bioreactor, with said algae cells converting the absorbed carbon-rich pollutants from the carbon-rich liquid scrubber solution into cell matter during cell growth;
• a means for separating the algae cells from the medium in the bioreactor to form an effluence;
• a means for recycling the effluence for use as the liquid scrubber solution;
• a means for withdrawing oil in the algae cells from the remaining cell matter;
• a means for receiving the oil from the means for withdrawing the oil to synthesize biofuel and glycerin from said oil;
• and
• a means for recycling the remaining cell matter from the withdrawing means, for hydrolysis and return as hydrolyzed cell matter to the cell growth promoting means to further support algae cell growth.

A method for producing biofuel from pollutant-fed algae which comprises the steps of:

• scrubbing a pollutant-contaminated flue gas stream with a liquid scrubber solution in a scrubber, wherein the liquid scrubber solution is a sodium-based liquid solution for absorbing carbon-rich pollutants from the pollutant-contaminated flue gas stream to produce a carbon-rich liquid scrubber solution, wherein said scrubber comprises an outlet for releasing cleaned flue gas;
• feeding the carbon-rich liquid scrubber solution to a bioreactor wherein the bioreactor includes at least one chemostat and a plug flow reactor, and wherein the chemostat is formed with a conduit for growing algae therein and an input port for receiving the carbon-rich liquid scrubber solution and a nutrient mix to form a medium for maximum algae growth, with the chemostat having an output port for passing the medium with algae growth from the conduit of the chemostat, and further wherein the plug flow reactor is formed with a conduit having an input port for receiving the medium with algae growth from the chemostat;
• growing algae cells with high oil content in the bioreactor, with said algae cells converting the carbon-rich pollutants from the carbon-rich liquid scrubber solution into cell matter during cell growth;
• separating the algae cells from an effluence from the bioreactor to create the effluence;
• recycling the effluence for use as the liquid scrubber solution;
• processing oil from the algae cells to form biofuel;
• withdrawing oil in the algae cells from the remaining cell matter;
• synthesizing biofuel and byproduct from the oil with a reactor;
• hydrolyzing the remaining cell matter from the withdrawing step to create hydrolyzed cell matter;
• and
• recycling the hydrolyzed remaining cell matter to the bioreactor to further support algae cell growth.