Theoretical Maximum Algal Oil Production

Weyer, Kristina M.; Bush, Daniel R.; Darzins, Al; Willson, Bryan

doi:10.1007/s12155-009-9046-x

Cited by 366 publications

(239 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Recently, microalgae have been touted as a promising feedstock for conversion to liquid transportation fuel due to their unique ability to utilize carbon dioxide from industrial activities [44], high photosynthetic efficiency [45], and ability to be grown on marginal or otherwise non-arable land [46]. Algae derived biofuels do not directly displace or put market pressure on food crops, as do the production of biofuels derived from corn, soybean, or sugarcane.…”

Section: Legendmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design of Sustainable Biofuel Processes and Supply Chains: Challenges and Opportunities

et al. 2015

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Abstract:The current methodological approach for developing sustainable biofuel processes and supply chains is flawed. Life cycle principles are often retrospectively incorporated in the design phase resulting in incremental environmental improvement rather than selection of fuel pathways that minimize environmental impacts across the life cycle. Further, designing sustainable biofuel supply chains requires joint consideration of economic, environmental, and social factors that span multiple spatial and temporal scales. However, traditional life cycle assessment (LCA) ignores economic aspects and the role of ecological goods and services in supply chains, and hence is limited in its ability for guiding decisionmaking among alternatives-often resulting in sub-optimal solutions. Simultaneously incorporating economic and environment objectives in the design and optimization of emerging biofuel supply chains requires a radical new paradigm. This work discusses key research opportunities and challenges in the design of emerging biofuel supply chains and provides a high-level overview of the current "state of the art" in environmental sustainability assessment of biofuel production. Additionally, a bibliometric analysis of over 20,000 biofuel research articles from 2000-to-present is performed to identify active topical areas of research in the biofuel literature, quantify the relative strength of connections between various biofuels research domains, and determine any potential research gaps. OPEN ACCESSProcesses 2015, 3 635

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Section: Legendmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design of Sustainable Biofuel Processes and Supply Chains: Challenges and Opportunities

et al. 2015

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“…where is the volumetric irradiance (in joules per liter of processed volume), is the photosynthetically active radiation fraction (0.46), is the photon transmission efficiency, and is the photon utilization efficiency [30]. The volumetric irradiance can be converted to an areal irradiance, , according to: [29].…”

Section: Photosynthetic Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…where is the cost of living, which is defined as the fraction of glucose consumed for cellular operations [30]. The energy conversion of glucose to biomass energy can be grossly simplified as a single-step process, represented by .…”

Section: Photosynthetic Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the Highly Productive Case, the can be determined from Equation (10), using the grown mass productivity and the cultivation time as specified inputs ( 0.08 and 12.5 ). Therefore, inserting values for the (24.49 MJ/kg) and (1.19) into Equation (10) and specifying values for (0.5, based on the results of Weyer et al [30]) and (1100 kJ/L p , which converts to 6500 MJ/m 2 -yr [30]), the for the Highly Productive Case can be calculated as:…”

Section: Photosynthetic Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comprehensive Evaluation of Algal Biofuel Production: Experimental and Target Results

et al. 2012

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Worldwide, algal biofuel research and development efforts have focused on increasing the competitiveness of algal biofuels by increasing the energy and financial return on investments, reducing water intensity and resource requirements, and increasing algal productivity. In this study, analyses are presented in each of these areas-costs, resource needs, and productivity-for two cases: (1) an Experimental Case, using mostly measured data for a lab-scale system, and (2) a theorized Highly Productive Case that represents an optimized commercial-scale production system, albeit one that relies on full-price water, nutrients, and carbon dioxide. For both cases, the analysis described herein concludes that the energy and financial return on investments are less than 1, the water intensity is greater than that for conventional fuels, and the amounts of required resources OPEN ACCESSEnergies 2012, 5 1944 at a meaningful scale of production amount to significant fractions of current consumption (e.g., nitrogen). The analysis and presentation of results highlight critical areas for advancement and innovation that must occur for sustainable and profitable algal biofuel production can occur at a scale that yields significant petroleum displacement. To this end, targets for energy consumption, production cost, water consumption, and nutrient consumption are presented that would promote sustainable algal biofuel production. Furthermore, this work demonstrates a procedure and method by which subsequent advances in technology and biotechnology can be framed to track progress.

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“…However, very limited studies are available on mathematical studies to find out the effect of latitude and photoinhibition on carbon dioxide sequestration by microalgal production at large scale. The theoretical maximum of microalgal oil production with prime focus on the effect of latitude were studied by considering six various places in the world such as Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia (3°N); Honolulu of Hawaii (21°N); Tel Aviv of Israel (32°N); Phoenix of Arizona (33°N); Malaga of Spain (37°N) and Denver of Colorado (40°N) [7]. Likewise, Sudhakar and Premalatha, (2012) studied the theoretical estimation of microalgae in the six different countries of each continent such as Texas, Uruguay, Ethiopia, Madrid, Chennai, and Queensland [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Geographical Coordinates on Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Potential by Microalgae

Aly¹,

Balasubramanian²

2017

IJESD

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Abstract-There is a huge urge currently for the new, clean and renewable energy as well as the protection of environmental resources for the sustainable livelihood of human. In recent decades, microalgae received lots of attention for its carbon dioxide capturing potential and as a valuable feedstock for bioenergy. This study aimed to analyze the effect of geographical coordinates on carbon dioxide sequestration by microalgae using mathematical models. Ten sites at three different latitudes were chosen for the study based on geographical location of the places in the Equator, Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. The key model input parameters such as solar radiation and other climatic conditions for the identified potential sites were retrieved from NASA, USA databases and used as basis for estimating annual microalgal biomass production and carbon sequestration potential. The variation in microalgal productivities and carbon dioxide sequestering potential were very minimal at countries present in the Equator while the Tropic of Capricorn has relatively higher productivities than the countries present in the Tropic of Cancer. This study provides a baseline data for theoretical estimates and effect of photoinhibition on microalgal photobioreactor production systems in the selected study locations.

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Theoretical Maximum Algal Oil Production

Cited by 366 publications

References 24 publications

Design of Sustainable Biofuel Processes and Supply Chains: Challenges and Opportunities

Design of Sustainable Biofuel Processes and Supply Chains: Challenges and Opportunities

Comprehensive Evaluation of Algal Biofuel Production: Experimental and Target Results

Effect of Geographical Coordinates on Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Potential by Microalgae

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