Environmental Performance of Algal Biofuel Technology Options

Vasudevan, Venkatesh; Stratton, Russell W.; Pearlson, Matthew N.; Jersey, Gilbert R.; Beyene, Abraham G.; Weissman, Joseph C.; Rubino, Michele; Hileman, James

doi:10.1021/es2026399

Cited by 149 publications

(105 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Additionally, much of the biomass energy is not recovered as liquid fuel but remains in the LEA. Finally, wet extraction processes have not been demonstrated, yet dry processes require excessive drying energy (Vasudevan et al 2012).…”

Section: Context and Motivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life cycle comparison of hydrothermal liquefaction and lipid extraction pathways to renewable diesel from algae

Frank

Elgowainy

Han

et al. 2012

Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change

190

150

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Algae biomass is an attractive biofuel feedstock when grown with high productivity on marginal land. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) produces more oil from algae than lipid extraction (LE) does because protein and carbohydrates are converted, in part, to oil. Since nitrogen in the algae biomass is incorporated into the HTL oil, and since lipid extracted algae for generating heat and electricity are not co-produced by HTL, there are questions regarding implications for emissions and energy use. We studied the HTL and LE pathways for renewable diesel (RD) production by modeling all essential operations from nutrient manufacturing through fuel use. Our objective was to identify the key relationships affecting HTL energy consumption and emissions. LE, with identical upstream growth model and consistent hydroprocessing model, served as reference. HTL used 1.8 fold less algae than did LE but required 5.2 times more ammonia when nitrogen incorporated in the HTL oil was treated as lost. HTL RD had life cycle emissions of 31,000 gCO 2 equivalent (gCO 2 e) compared to 21,500 gCO 2 e for LE based RD per million BTU of RD produced. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased when yields exceeded 0.4 g HTL oil/g algae because insufficient carbon was left for biogas generation. Key variables in the analysis were the HTL oil yield, the hydrogen demand during upgrading, and the nitrogen content of the HTL oil. Future work requires better data for upgrading renewable oils to RD and requires consideration of nitrogen recycling during upgrading.

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Section: Context and Motivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life cycle comparison of hydrothermal liquefaction and lipid extraction pathways to renewable diesel from algae

Frank

Elgowainy

Han

et al. 2012

Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change

190

150

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…These types of conversions were applied for decanters ( [18]; [19]) and belt filters ( [18]; [20]). Other conversions were based on the reported amount of CO2 emissions per ton biodiesel for disk stack centrifugation ( [21]; [20]; [22]), decanters ( [18]; [19]), chamber filters ( [21]; [19]), inorganic flocculation ( [23]; [24]; [25]) and organic flocculation ( [26]; [24]). This approach allowed to estimate the amount of greenhouse gas emissions based on literature data across several studies and report it as an interval between minimum and maximum reported values.…”

Section: A Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Innovative harvesting processes for microalgae biomass production: A perspective from patent literature

Deconinck¹,

Muylaert

Ivens

et al. 2018

Algal Research

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“…Embora, os custos associados à filtração são baixos, o entupimento da tela e membrana devido à incrustação limita sua adequação à maioria das espécies de microalgas (SINGH; DHAR, 2011). Na colheita da biomassa os processos podem ser aplicados em conjunto como a floculação e posterior centrifugação, sendo uma forma mais viável de realizar o processo (VASUDEVAN et al, 2012;SORATANA;HARPER;LANDIS, 2012).…”

Section: Processo De Colheita Da Biomassaunclassified

Produção de Bioetanol Utilizando Microalgas: Uma Revisão

et al. 2016

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ResumoA busca por biocombustíveis foi impulsionada nas ultimas décadas devido à preocupação com o esgotamento das fontes enérgicas não renováveis. Essa revisão de literatura oferece uma abordagem da aplicação de microrganismos para a produção de bioetanol, com ênfase para as microalgas. A elevada eficiência de conversão fotossintética, o rápido crescimento, a possibilidade de manipulação do meio de cultivo a fim de produzir biomassa com elevado teor de lípidos e carboidratos, e o uso de áreas com baixa aptidão agrícola fazem das microalgas uma das matérias primas mais promissoras para a produção de biocombustíveis. A existência de uma grande variedade de métodos para a obtenção de biomassa microalgal e posterior produção de bioetanol, estimulou diversos estudos para aumentar o potencial de produção e aperfeiçoar o processo. Estudos apontam que para a produção de bioetanol atingir viabilidade econômica, a produção da biomassa algal deve objetivar ainda a obtenção de outros compostos, de maior valor agregado, como pigmentos, proteínas, ácidos graxos poli-insaturados, obedecendo ao conceito das biorrefinarias integradas. The search for biofuels has been driven in recent decades due to concern over the depletion of nonrenewable energetic sources. This literature review provides an approach to the application of microorganisms for the production of bioethanol, with emphasis on microalgae. The high efficiency of photosynthetic conversion, rapid growth, the possibility of manipulation of the medium to produce biomass with high fat and carbohydrates, and the use of areas with low agricultural potential of microalgae are one of the most promising raw materials for the production of biofuels. The existence of a large variety of methods for obtaining microalgal and subsequent production of bioethanol, biomass stimulated numerous studies to increase the production potential and improve the process. Studies show that for the production of bioethanol achieve economic viability, production of algal biomass should also aim at obtaining other compounds with higher added value, such as pigments, proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, according to the concept of integrated biorefineries.

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Environmental Performance of Algal Biofuel Technology Options

Cited by 149 publications

References 9 publications

Life cycle comparison of hydrothermal liquefaction and lipid extraction pathways to renewable diesel from algae

Life cycle comparison of hydrothermal liquefaction and lipid extraction pathways to renewable diesel from algae

Innovative harvesting processes for microalgae biomass production: A perspective from patent literature

Produção de Bioetanol Utilizando Microalgas: Uma Revisão

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