An integrated assessment of location-dependent scaling for microalgae biofuel production facilities

Coleman, André M.; Abodeely, Jared M.; Skaggs, Richard L.; Moeglein, William A.; Newby, Deborah T.; Venteris, Erik R.; Wigmosta, Mark S.

doi:10.1016/j.algal.2014.05.008

Cited by 48 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(79 reference statements)

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“…The use of drylands for microalgal production, which in general are less suitable for cropping (Alexandratos & Bruinsma, ) and hold lower biodiversity values compared to more humid regions (Gaston, ), would decrease direct competition with high‐value agricultural and biodiverse lands. In contrast, several studies developed in the United States show that humid regions are the most feasible locations for large‐scale microalgal production (Coleman et al, ; Venteris, McBride, et al, ; Venteris et al, ; Wigmosta et al, ). These studies indicate that the consumption of water per liter of microalgal oil and the costs associated with water pumping would be lower in the Southeastern United States (i.e., mainly around the Gulf and East Coasts) compared to the drier southwestern lands, where water demands and water pumping costs increase as a result of higher evaporation rates relative to precipitation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Three main objectives were considered in the analysis: maximization of profitability in microalgal biodiesel production, minimization of direct competition with food production, and minimization of direct impacts on biodiversity (Figure S1). Based on the reviewed literature (Bennett, Turn, & Chan, ; Borowitzka et al, ; Boruff, Moheimani, & Borowitzka, ; Bravo‐Fritz, Sáez‐Navarrete, Herrera, & Ginocchio, ; Chiu & Wu, ; Coleman et al, ; Fortier & Sturm, ; Klise, Roach, & Passell, ; Lundquist et al, ; Mohseni, Pishvaee, & Sahebi, ; Niblick & Landis, ; Orfield et al, ; Prasad, Pullar, & Pratt, ; Quinn, Catton, Johnson, & Bradley, ; Quinn, Catton, Wagner, & Bradley, ; Roostaei & Zhang, ; Sharma et al, ; Venteris, McBride, Coleman, Skaggs, & Wigmosta, ; Venteris, Skaggs, Coleman, & Wigmosta, , ; Venteris et al, ; Venteris, Skaggs, Wigmosta, & Coleman, ; Wigmosta, Coleman, Skaggs, Huesemann, & Lane, ), a set of attributes that capture the complexity of microalgal biodiesel production were selected, either because they are essential for microalgal cultivation or because they have shown to maximize the profitability of microalgal biodiesel production (Sharma et al, ): water availability, lipid productivity, availability of flat lands, proximity to main transport networks (i.e., main roads and railroads), GNI per capita (used as a substitute for the availability of low labor costs), and proximity to known industrial CO 2 sources. Water availability is essential for microalgal cultivation (Chisti, ; Schenk et al, ) while lipid productivity is proportional to biodiesel production, increasing the profitability of microalgal biofuel production (Moody, McGinty, & Quinn, ; Quinn, Winter, & Bradley, ; Slade & Bauen, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Global mapping of cost‐effective microalgal biofuel production areas with minimal environmental impact

et al. 2019

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Sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels are urgently needed to avoid severe climate impacts and further environmental degradation. Microalgae are one of the most productive crops globally and do not need to compete for arable land or freshwater resources. Hence, they may become a promising, more sustainable cultivation alternative for the large‐scale production of biofuels provided that substantial reductions are achieved in their production costs. In this study, we identify the most suitable areas globally for siting microalgal farms for biodiesel production that maximize profitability and minimize direct competition with food production and direct impacts on biodiversity, based on a spatially explicit multiple‐criteria decision analysis. We further explore the relationships between microalgal production, agricultural value, and biodiversity, and propose several solutions for siting microalgal production farms, based on current and future targets in energy production using integer linear programming. If using seawater for microalgal cultivation, biodiesel production could reach 5.85 × 1011 L/year based on top suitable lands (i.e., between 13% and 16% of total transport energy demands in 2030) without directly competing with food production and areas of high biodiversity value. These areas are particularly abundant in the dry coasts of North and East Africa, the Middle East, and western South America. This is the first global analysis that incorporates economic and environmental feasibility for microalgal production sites. Our results can guide the selection of best locations for biofuel production using microalgae while minimizing conflicts with food production and biodiversity conservation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global mapping of cost‐effective microalgal biofuel production areas with minimal environmental impact

et al. 2019

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“…1 depicts an example of typical variation in productivity over a year using a biomass growth model, where seasonal temperature variation is a key variable [85]. Productivity during spring (March through May) and fall (September through November) are estimated to be approximately 47% and 34% lower, respectively, than during peak summer months (June through August) [85].…”

Section: Temperature Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the potential of polyculture to accelerate algal biofuel production

Newby¹,

Mathews²,

Pate³

et al. 2016

Algal Research

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To date, the algal biofuel industry has focused on the cultivation of monocultures of highly productive algal strains, but scaling up production remains challenging. Algal monocultures are difficult to maintain because they are easily contaminated by wild algal strains, grazers, and pathogens. In contrast, theory suggests that polycultures (multispecies assemblages) can promote both ecosystem stability and productivity. A greater understanding of species interactions and how communities change with time needs to be developed. Ultimately a predictive model of community interactions is needed to harness the capacity of biodiversity to enhance productivity of algal polycultures at industrial scales. Here we review the agricultural and ecological literature to explore opportunities for increased annual biomass production through the use of algal polycultures. We discuss case studies where algal polycultures have been successfully maintained for industries other than the biofuel industry, as well as the few studies that have compared biomass production of algal polycultures to that of monocultures. Assemblages that include species with complementary traits are of particular promise. These assemblages have the potential to increase crop productivity and stability presumably by utilizing natural resources (e.g. light, nutrients, and water) more efficiently via tighter niche packing. Therefore, algal polycultures show promise for enhancing biomass productivity, enabling sustainable production and reducing overall production costs.

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“…Other factors, such as land value, land availability, facilities cost, existing land use, closures to resources and infrastructures, climate requirements, government policies and supports have also been reported as fundamental barriers to development of the biofuel industry Coleman et al, 2014;Mata et al, 2010;Maxwell et al, 1985;Wigmosta et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently there is growing interest to examine how these opportunities vary across space and ideal land use suitability allocation Coleman et al, 2014;Das and Salam, 2014;Klise et al, 2011;Maxwell et al, 1985;Quinn et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Site selection for commercial biofuel production from algae and sugarcane, using GIS modeling in Queensland, Australia

Sedghamiz¹

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A number of factors including, growing energy consumption and increasing fossil fuel price along with greenhouse gas emission concerns, have increased global attention to biofuel as a potential sustainable energy product. Even with a transition to electricitydriven transport (e.g. electric cars), high energy-density fuels will still be required for larger vehicles (planes, boats, trucks) and communities that are not connected to the electricity grid. While environmental benefits of biofuel have been considered in promoting the industry, existing first generation biofuel crops compete with agricultural land or biodiverse natural landscapes. Nevertheless, biofuel (in particular second and third generation biofuel) could be an economic and self-reliant regional energy product. Additionally, it would increase the level of services, quality of life and creation of employment, etc. for rural areas. In Australia, the total primary energy consumption is projected to grow by nearly 42 per cent until 2049-50, therefore the demand for energy is expected to continue to mount. Hence it is critical to investigate cost-effective investment and sustainability in Australia's energy future.The Australian state of Queensland with suitable broad land and climate, is generally well suited to biofuel production. Among various types of biofuel resources, microalgae are considered as one of the best feedstocks for sustainable biofuel generation, as they can be grown on non-arable land with nearly any source of water (fresh, brackish or saline) and CO2. Queensland has vast land resources with an area of 1,730,648 square kilometres and the total length of Queensland's mainland coastline is 6,973 km (4,333 mi) and the appropriate climate needed to produce algae as an alternative viable source of fuel.Although QLD has vast land resources and suitable climatic condition for algae cultivation, there is a need to allocate the suitable sites according to climatic and environmental constraints and economic limitations such as land value, for sustainable and economic production of biofuel. For a cost-effective production, land value, biophysical parameters and access to resources and roads are critical criteria to consider for locating an algae farm. Therefore, the location decision is a priority to financial success in the biofuel industry. IIIIn this case study, optimal commercial-scale biofuel production sites in Queensland were identified using a Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) tool, and a staged Geographical information System (GIS) analysis. In this study, the low-value regions with land use consideration were identified and proximity to roads mapped by Euclidean distance.In another stage, they were combined with eco-climatic maps and ranked by their importance. Eventually, the MCA tool was employed to map the optimal locations. The outcomes of this study advance the techniques for biofuel site assessment and provide comprehensive and accurate results which can support the microalgae-based biofuel industry development in Queensland a...

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An integrated assessment of location-dependent scaling for microalgae biofuel production facilities

Cited by 48 publications

References 37 publications

Global mapping of cost‐effective microalgal biofuel production areas with minimal environmental impact

Global mapping of cost‐effective microalgal biofuel production areas with minimal environmental impact

Assessing the potential of polyculture to accelerate algal biofuel production

Site selection for commercial biofuel production from algae and sugarcane, using GIS modeling in Queensland, Australia

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