Process Design and Economics for the Production of Algal Biomass: Algal Biomass Production in Open Pond Systems and Processing Through Dewatering for Downstream Conversion

Davis, Ryan W.; Markham, Jennifer; Kinchin, Christopher; Grundl, Nicholas J.; Tan, Eric; Humbird, David

doi:10.2172/1239893

Cited by 176 publications

(377 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Year 19 improvements were almost similar to case studies [65]. The FCI of this project was 78% of TCI, which is lower than the FCI (89%) of other algae-biofuel commercial plant, albeit the WC of this current project was 0.09 of TCI, which was higher than that of the algae-biofuel commercial plant [66].…”

Section: Itemssupporting

confidence: 69%

“…In the case of direct cost, the cost for installation, instrumentation, and controls were higher than the case studies, building cost was lower, and other costs such as piping and insulations, electrical facilities, and yard improvements were almost similar to case studies . The FCI of this project was 78% of TCI, which is lower than the FCI (89%) of other algae‐biofuel commercial plant, albeit the WC of this current project was 0.09 of TCI, which was higher than that of the algae‐biofuel commercial plant . The variations of the current study with other studies have been occurred due to the expense difference of key components based on different regions.…”

Section: Advantages Limitations Challenges and Recommendations To mentioning

confidence: 54%

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Techno‐economics and Sensitivity Analysis of Microalgae as Commercial Feedstock for Bioethanol Production

Hossain

Mahlia

Zaini

et al. 2019

Env Prog and Sustain Energy

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The foremost purpose of this techno‐economic analysis (TEA) modeling was to predict a harmonized figure of comprehensive cost analysis for commercial bioethanol generation from microalgae species in Brunei Darussalam based on the conventional market scenario. This model was simulated to set out economic feasibility and probabilistic assumption for large‐scale implementations of a tropical microalgae species, Chlorella vulgaris, for a bioethanol plant located in the coastal area of Brunei Darussalam. Two types of cultivation systems such as closed system (photobioreactor—PBR) and open pond approaches were anticipated for a total approximate biomass of 220 t year−1 on 6 ha coastal areas. The biomass productivity was 56 t ha−1 for PBR and 28 t ha−1 for pond annually. The plant output was 58.90 m3 ha−1 for PBR and 24.9 m3 ha−1 for pond annually. The total bioethanol output of the plant was 57,087.58 gal year−1 along with the value added by‐products (crude bio‐liquid and slurry cake). The total production cost of this project was US$2.22 million for bioethanol from microalgae and total bioethanol selling price was US$2.87 million along with the by‐product sale price of US$1.6 million. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to forecast the uncertainty of this conclusive modeling. Different data sets through sensitivity analysis also presented positive impacts of economical and environmental views. This TEA model is expected to be initialized to determine an alternative energy and also minimize environmental pollution. With this current modeling, microalgal‐bioethanol utilization mandated with gasoline as well as microalgae cultivation, biofuel production integrated with existing complementary industries, are strongly recommended for future applications. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38:e13146, 2019

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Section: Itemssupporting

confidence: 69%

Section: Advantages Limitations Challenges and Recommendations To mentioning

confidence: 54%

Techno‐economics and Sensitivity Analysis of Microalgae as Commercial Feedstock for Bioethanol Production

Hossain

Mahlia

Zaini

et al. 2019

Env Prog and Sustain Energy

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“…The economics at commercial-scale production currently favor algal biomass cultivation in outdoor raceways [176] due to the significantly higher projected costs for biofuel production using closed photobioreactors (PBRs) [5][6][7], although PBRs are expected to play a role in the production of inoculum in support of maintaining outdoor cultivation at commercial scales [177]. A major challenge for raceway cultivation is the identification of microalgae polycultures that have the potential to exhibit high seasonal or annual biomass productivities in outdoor ponds.…”

Section: Scalementioning

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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“…However, the algae‐to‐biodiesel industry is nascent and, as a result, the production of biodiesel from microalgae on an industrial‐scale is still pending . The estimated cost of biodiesel production from microalgae varies largely from 1.69 to 40.00 $/gasoline‐gallon‐equivalent (GGE), while the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) currently projects it at ‘best case’ to be $4.35–$4.49/GGE . Moving towards larger pond sizes can improve the economics of algal biomass production, thus making algae biodiesel viable for industrial applications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The estimated cost of biodiesel production from microalgae varies largely from 1.69 to 40.00 $/gasoline‐gallon‐equivalent (GGE), while the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) currently projects it at ‘best case’ to be $4.35–$4.49/GGE . Moving towards larger pond sizes can improve the economics of algal biomass production, thus making algae biodiesel viable for industrial applications. In addition, by(co)‐product valorisation can reduce overall emissions, on a life‐cycle basis and allow for fuller utilisation of microalgae in a biorefinery scheme .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life cycle assessment of algae‐to‐biodiesel shallow pond production systems in the Mediterranean: influence of species, pond type, by(co)‐product valorisation and electricity mix

Foteinis

Antoniadis-Gavriil

Tsoutsos

2018

Biofuels Bioprod Bioref

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The environmental sustainability of microalgae‐to‐biodiesel production systems was examined at open (outdoor) and closed (indoor, using artificial light and temperature control) raceway ponds in a Mediterranean climate (southern Greece). Spirulina platensis and Nannochloropsis sp. species were considered, with the latter having a slightly better environmental performance. In terms of energy efficiency, large cumulative energy demand (CED) values were observed, while the energy return‐on‐investment (EROI) ratio was well below 3 in all cases, indicating that, with current technology, algae‐to‐biodiesel systems have not reached sustainability yet. The impact on land use was minimal, as nonarable land was used. Shallow‐pond cultivation systems are energy intensive, especially the closed ones, and therefore were found to be associated with high environmental footprints. In all cases, the main environmental hotspot was, by and large, the electricity consumption from the Greek fossil‐fuel depended energy mix (90%). Pellet, a process co‐product, largely reduced the total environmental footprint by up to ~47%, which highlights the importance of co‐product valorization. Closed systems exhibited significantly higher environmental footprints compared to open ones, due to the large energy inputs for artificial solar irradiation and for indoor temperature control. In all the cases examined, the microalgae‐to‐biodiesel production system's environmental footprint was higher than that of fossil diesel (i.e. petrodiesel), indicating that ample room exists to improve their environmental performance. A sensitivity analysis revealed that the introduction of renewable energy solely to cover for electricity needs substantially improves environmental sustainability and could render microalgae‐to‐biodiesel systems an environmentally friendlier solution than petrodiesel. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

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Process Design and Economics for the Production of Algal Biomass: Algal Biomass Production in Open Pond Systems and Processing Through Dewatering for Downstream Conversion

Cited by 176 publications

References 73 publications

Techno‐economics and Sensitivity Analysis of Microalgae as Commercial Feedstock for Bioethanol Production

Techno‐economics and Sensitivity Analysis of Microalgae as Commercial Feedstock for Bioethanol Production

Assessing the potential of polyculture to accelerate algal biofuel production

Life cycle assessment of algae‐to‐biodiesel shallow pond production systems in the Mediterranean: influence of species, pond type, by(co)‐product valorisation and electricity mix

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