Life Cycle Assessment for Microalgae Oil Production

Benemann, John R.; Woertz, Ian; Lundquist, Tryg

doi:10.1089/dst.2012.0013

Cited by 47 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Of course, all such studies had to be based on assumptions regarding the production process, engineering designs, biomass and biofuel productivities, harvesting and processing, etc. It is not surprising that these studies not only arrive at very disparate results, but that the scales, designs, inputs, study boundaries, units, processes and LCA methodologies used (such as allocation of co-products) differed so fundamentally between studies as to not allow any direct or useful comparisons [28].…”

Section: Sustainability Of Microalgae Commoditiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microalgae for Biofuels and Animal Feeds

2013

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Abstract:The potential of microalgae biomass production for low-cost commodities-biofuels and animal feeds-using sunlight and CO 2 is reviewed. Microalgae are currently cultivated in relatively small-scale systems, mainly for high value human nutritional products. For commodities, production costs must be decreased by an order of magnitude, and high productivity algal strains must be developed that can be stably cultivated in large open ponds and harvested by low-cost processes. For animal feeds, the algal biomass must be high in digestible protein and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that can substitute for fish meal and fish oils. Biofuels will require a high content of vegetable oils (preferably triglycerides), hydrocarbons or fermentable carbohydrates. Many different cultivation systems, algal species, harvesting methods, and biomass processing technologies are being developed worldwide. However, only raceway-type open pond systems are suitable for the production of low-cost commodities.

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Section: Sustainability Of Microalgae Commoditiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microalgae for Biofuels and Animal Feeds

2013

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“…12 Other studies published after the work carried out by Algogroup indicate more positive energy balances for the microalgae sector, with NERs of up to 4. In these case studies, the coproducts of the sector are systematically upgraded (production of biogas, electricity) and the production schemes optimised.…”

Section: Other Impact Categoriesmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…The overall production would often consume more energy than available in the final fuel product: the Net Energy Ratio (NER), representing the ratio of the energy supplied by the fuel to the non renewable energy consumed to produce it, of algal biodiesel would be in a range of values extending from: -0.09 to 0.68 for extraction of lipids by dry pathway [9][10][11] 11 ; -0.96 to 1.34 for extraction by wet pathway [9]; -i.e. values less than 1, except for extraction by wet pathway and low nitrogen culture of algae [9], resulting in a negative energy balance 12 . These values can be compared with those for petroleum Diesel: 0.9, and for rapeseed biodiesel: 2.3 13 .…”

Section: By Environmental Indicator Categories Energy and Greenhouse mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In these case studies, the coproducts of the sector are systematically upgraded (production of biogas, electricity) and the production schemes optimised. Overall however, the LCA studies remain divided as regards this indicator (Benemann, 2012) [12]. 13 From ADEME 2010 report on LCA of G1 biofuels and JEC-EUCAR-CONCAWE 2008 report on future biofuels for the latter values.…”

Section: Other Impact Categoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Algogroup: Towards a Shared Vision of the Possible Deployment of Algae to Biofuels

Montagne

Aymard

Querleu

et al. 2013

Oil Gas Sci. Technol. – Rev. IFP Energies nouvelles

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AbstractCurrent microalgal cultivation strategies and the unrefined oil produced (priced at ~USD$294/barrel) (Benemann et al, 2012), have yet to produce globally significant amounts of commercially viable biofuels competitive with fossil derived crude oil currently at (USD$45.22/barrel WTI (Nymex) as of 28.08.2015) (Nasdaq, 2015). Underlying this issue is the economics of gross lipid production, a function of lipid content and cellular productivity.

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Enhanced microalgae growth and lipid production: a study of cytostatic inhibitors and glycerol assimilation

Zhang¹

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Current microalgal cultivation strategies and the unrefined oil produced (priced at ~USD$294/barrel) (Benemann et al, 2012), have yet to produce globally significant amounts of commercially viable biofuels competitive with fossil derived crude oil currently at (USD$45.22/barrel WTI (Nymex) as of 28.08.2015) (Nasdaq, 2015). Underlying this issue is the economics of gross lipid production, a function of lipid content and cellular productivity. The survival response of microalgal strains that promote the accumulation of carbon as lipids typically occurs under stress conditions (such as nutrient deficiency) at the expense of cellular growth. This study explored alternative strategies that inhibit metabolic processes, cell growth and division, through the use of cytostatic inhibitors such as sodium oxamate and conazole fungicides to induce lipid production in the absence of low nutrient conditions. Additionally, the exogenous supply of glycerol as a potential source of additional carbon was also investigated to improve photoautotrophic microalgae growth.An inducible trigger for the rerouting of carbon towards lipid synthesis under nutrient replete conditions has great potential for research and commercial applications of microalgal biofuels.Photoautotrophic growth of locally collected strains was optimised through nutrient screens and subsequently dosed using the tested inhibitors. The testing of these inhibitors showed that sodium oxamate was able to inhibit cell division and increase the lipid content in most of the tested microalgae strains. On the other hand, conazole treatment was largely observed to decrease the cellular biomass of the microalgae, which suggests that carbon assimilation may have been reduced.The results indicate that both types of inhibitors were able to cytostatically affect most of the tested strains and that a number of strains responded well with increased lipid production. This process has allowed us to test the effectiveness of the compounds and to identify potential high lipid producers. Some species of microalgae are able to supplement CO2 fixation with the utilisation of exogenous carbon substrates, typically acetate or glucose. By exploring their facultative heterotrophic capabilities, photoautotrophic limitations such as light shading may be overcome. From a biotechnological perspective it would be advantageous if waste carbon streams from other processes could be used to supplement microalgal growth. One such byproduct is glycerol from the biodiesel industry. The radiolabelled results validated that glycerol is assimilated into central metabolism of Chlorella protothecoides and may be able to contribute towards cellular growth.The data presented in this thesis highlights that the microalgal metabolic diversity for particular biotechnological applications can be probed and manipulated by utilising inhibitors and substrates known to function on specific metabolic pathways. In chapter two, the hypothesis that sodium 3 | P a g e oxamate can induce lipid production in microalga...

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Life Cycle Assessment for Microalgae Oil Production

Cited by 47 publications

References 28 publications

Microalgae for Biofuels and Animal Feeds

Microalgae for Biofuels and Animal Feeds

Algogroup: Towards a Shared Vision of the Possible Deployment of Algae to Biofuels

Enhanced microalgae growth and lipid production: a study of cytostatic inhibitors and glycerol assimilation

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