The potentials and challenges of algae based biofuels: A review of the techno-economic, life cycle, and resource assessment modeling

Abstract

Microalgae biofuel production has been extensively evaluated through resource, economic and life cycle assessments. Resource assessments consistently identify land as non-limiting and highlight the need to consider siting based on combined geographical constraints of land and other critical resources such as water and carbon dioxide. Economic assessments report a selling cost of fuel that ranges between $1.64 and over $30 gal(-1) consistent with large variability reported in the life cycle literature, -75 to 534 gCO2-eq MJ(-1). Large drivers behind such variability stem from differences in productivity assumptions, pathway technologies, and system boundaries. Productivity represents foundational units in these assessments with current assumed yields in various assessments varying by a factor of 60. A review of the literature in these areas highlights the need for harmonized assessments such that direct comparisons of alternative processing technologies can be made on the metrics of resource requirements, economic feasibility, and environmental impact.

The Environmental Biorefinery: Using Microalgae to Remediate Wastewater, a Win-Win Paradigm

“…The results vary greatly between studies depending on the hypotheses and the value chosen for the key parameters (such as lipid productivity). On average, the estimated production cost of microalgae biodiesel is around 2.5 €/L [8]. Still, these costs are too high to address the current energy market (0.6 €/L for petroleum diesel) and not competitive enough to convince the petrochemical industry that microalgae could become a valuable feedstock even in the long term.…”

Are technology myths stalling aviation climate policy?

“…Microalgae are considered to have several advantages over other feedstocks, such as the ability to live on marginal grounds (but in artificial or natural water-basins), efficiently convert sunlight to oil, grow year-round and produce many high value by-products (Hu et al 2008). But there are also barriers: land-use (Skarka 2012) and water use, low or negative lifecycle carbon emission reductions (Quinn & Davis 2014), cost and alternative use (Coplin 2012). The prospects of algae as a feedstock to produce biofuels consequently remain unclear.…”

Techno-Economic Analysis of Biodiesel Production from Microalgae: A Review

“…Through the technical and economic analysis of these two kinds of cultivation methods, it is found that there is an obvious economy difference between two approaches (Table 3) [23,24].…”