DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Lifecycle assessment of microalgae to biofuel: Comparison of thermochemical processing pathways

Abstract

Microalgae are currently being investigated as a renewable transportation fuel feedstock based on various advantages that include high annual yields, utilization of poor quality land, does not compete with food, and can be integrated with various waste streams. This study focuses on directly assessing the impact of two different thermochemical conversion technologies on the microalgae to biofuel process through life cycle assessment. A system boundary of a “well to pump” (WTP) is defined and includes sub-process models of the growth, dewatering, thermochemical bio-oil recovery, bio-oil stabilization, conversion to renewable diesel, and transport to the pump. Models were validated with experimental and literature data and are representative of an industrial-scale microalgae to biofuel process. Two different thermochemical bio-oil conversion systems are modeled and compared on a systems level, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and pyrolysis. The environmental impact of the two pathways were quantified on the metrics of net energy ratio (NER), defined here as energy consumed over energy produced, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Results for WTP biofuel production through the HTL pathway were determined to be 1.23 for the NER and GHG emissions of -11.4 g CO2-eq (MJ renewable diesel)-1. WTP biofuel production through the pyrolysis pathway results in a NERmore » of 2.27 and GHG emissions of 210 g CO2 eq (MJ renewable diesel)-1. The large environmental impact associated with the pyrolysis pathway is attributed to feedstock drying requirements and combustion of co-products to improve system energetics. Discussion focuses on a detailed breakdown of the overall process energetics and GHGs, impact of modeling at laboratory- scale compared to industrial-scale, environmental impact sensitivity to engineering systems input parameters for future focused research and development and a comparison of results to literature.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [1]
  1. Utah State Univ., Logan, UT (United States). Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  2. Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States). Biological and Chemical Processing Dept.
  3. CF Technologies, Hyde Park, MA (United States)
  4. Utah State Univ., Logan, UT (United States). Biological Engineering
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Sustainable Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)
OSTI Identifier:
1177612
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1247629
Report Number(s):
INL/JOU-14-32120
Journal ID: ISSN 0306-2619; PII: S0306261914012586
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC07-05ID14517; 2.13.2.6
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Applied Energy
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 154; Journal ID: ISSN 0306-2619
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
09 BIOMASS FUELS; Microalgae, supercritical fluids, pyrolysis, Hydro

Citation Formats

Bennion, Edward P., Ginosar, Daniel M., Moses, John, Agblevor, Foster, and Quinn, Jason C.. Lifecycle assessment of microalgae to biofuel: Comparison of thermochemical processing pathways. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.12.009.
Bennion, Edward P., Ginosar, Daniel M., Moses, John, Agblevor, Foster, & Quinn, Jason C.. Lifecycle assessment of microalgae to biofuel: Comparison of thermochemical processing pathways. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.12.009
Bennion, Edward P., Ginosar, Daniel M., Moses, John, Agblevor, Foster, and Quinn, Jason C.. Fri . "Lifecycle assessment of microalgae to biofuel: Comparison of thermochemical processing pathways". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.12.009. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1177612.
@article{osti_1177612,
title = {Lifecycle assessment of microalgae to biofuel: Comparison of thermochemical processing pathways},
author = {Bennion, Edward P. and Ginosar, Daniel M. and Moses, John and Agblevor, Foster and Quinn, Jason C.},
abstractNote = {Microalgae are currently being investigated as a renewable transportation fuel feedstock based on various advantages that include high annual yields, utilization of poor quality land, does not compete with food, and can be integrated with various waste streams. This study focuses on directly assessing the impact of two different thermochemical conversion technologies on the microalgae to biofuel process through life cycle assessment. A system boundary of a “well to pump” (WTP) is defined and includes sub-process models of the growth, dewatering, thermochemical bio-oil recovery, bio-oil stabilization, conversion to renewable diesel, and transport to the pump. Models were validated with experimental and literature data and are representative of an industrial-scale microalgae to biofuel process. Two different thermochemical bio-oil conversion systems are modeled and compared on a systems level, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and pyrolysis. The environmental impact of the two pathways were quantified on the metrics of net energy ratio (NER), defined here as energy consumed over energy produced, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Results for WTP biofuel production through the HTL pathway were determined to be 1.23 for the NER and GHG emissions of -11.4 g CO2-eq (MJ renewable diesel)-1. WTP biofuel production through the pyrolysis pathway results in a NER of 2.27 and GHG emissions of 210 g CO2 eq (MJ renewable diesel)-1. The large environmental impact associated with the pyrolysis pathway is attributed to feedstock drying requirements and combustion of co-products to improve system energetics. Discussion focuses on a detailed breakdown of the overall process energetics and GHGs, impact of modeling at laboratory- scale compared to industrial-scale, environmental impact sensitivity to engineering systems input parameters for future focused research and development and a comparison of results to literature.},
doi = {10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.12.009},
journal = {Applied Energy},
number = ,
volume = 154,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jan 16 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Fri Jan 16 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}

Journal Article:

Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 173 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Save / Share:

Works referenced in this record:

Extraction and conversion pathways for microalgae to biodiesel: a review focused on energy consumption
journal, April 2012

  • de Boer, Karne; Moheimani, Navid Reza; Borowitzka, Michael Armin
  • Journal of Applied Phycology, Vol. 24, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1007/s10811-012-9835-z

Thermochemical conversion of raw and defatted algal biomass via hydrothermal liquefaction and slow pyrolysis
journal, April 2012


Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of microalgae for biofuel production: State of the art review and future prospects
journal, June 2013


Catalytic hydrothermal processing of microalgae: Decomposition and upgrading of lipids
journal, April 2011


Hydrothermal Liquefaction and Gasification of Nannochloropsis sp.
journal, June 2010

  • Brown, Tylisha M.; Duan, Peigao; Savage, Phillip E.
  • Energy & Fuels, Vol. 24, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1021/ef100203u

Recovery of liquid fuel from hydrocarbon-rich microalgae by thermochemical liquefaction
journal, December 1994


Hydrothermal Liquefaction of a Microalga with Heterogeneous Catalysts
journal, January 2011

  • Duan, Peigao; Savage, Phillip E.
  • Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol. 50, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1021/ie100758s

Hydrothermal Treatment (HTT) of Microalgae: Evaluation of the Process As Conversion Method in an Algae Biorefinery Concept
journal, December 2011

  • Garcia Alba, Laura; Torri, Cristian; Samorì, Chiara
  • Energy & Fuels, Vol. 26, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1021/ef201415s

Effect of operating conditions of thermochemical liquefaction on biocrude production from Spirulina platensis
journal, May 2011


Liquefaction of micro-algae with iron catalyst
journal, September 1997


Oil production from algal cells of Dunaliella tertiolecta by direct thermochemical liquefaction
journal, December 1995


Hydrothermal processing of microalgae using alkali and organic acids
journal, September 2010


Production and characterization of bio-oil from hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae Dunaliella tertiolecta cake
journal, December 2010


Characterization of Product Fractions from Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Nannochloropsis sp. and the Influence of Solvents
journal, June 2011

  • Valdez, Peter J.; Dickinson, Jacob G.; Savage, Phillip E.
  • Energy & Fuels, Vol. 25, Issue 7
  • DOI: 10.1021/ef2004046

Chemical properties of biocrude oil from the hydrothermal liquefaction of Spirulina algae, swine manure, and digested anaerobic sludge
journal, September 2011


Analysis of energy conversion characteristics in liquefaction of algae
journal, December 2004


Bio-oil production from sub- and supercritical water liquefaction of microalgae Dunaliella tertiolecta and related properties
journal, January 2010

  • Zou, Shuping; Wu, Yulong; Yang, Mingde
  • Energy Environ. Sci., Vol. 3, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1039/C002550J

Catalytic Conversion of Nonfood Woody Biomass Solids to Organic Liquids
journal, April 2014

  • Barta, Katalin; Ford, Peter C.
  • Accounts of Chemical Research, Vol. 47, Issue 5, p. 1503-1512
  • DOI: 10.1021/ar4002894

Pyrolysis of Centimeter-Scale Woody Biomass Particles: Kinetic Modeling and Experimental Validation
journal, June 2014

  • Corbetta, Michele; Frassoldati, Alessio; Bennadji, Hayat
  • Energy & Fuels, Vol. 28, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1021/ef500525v

Effect of particle size and temperature on woody biomass fast pyrolysis at high temperature (1000–1400°C)
journal, July 2012


Effects of temperature and holding time during torrefaction on the pyrolysis behaviors of woody biomass
journal, September 2011

  • Wannapeera, Janewit; Fungtammasan, Bundit; Worasuwannarak, Nakorn
  • Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, Vol. 92, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jaap.2011.04.010

Pyrolysis of Wood/Biomass for Bio-oil: A Critical Review
journal, May 2006

  • Mohan, Dinesh; Pittman,, Charles U.; Steele, Philip H.
  • Energy & Fuels, Vol. 20, Issue 3, p. 848-889
  • DOI: 10.1021/ef0502397

Modeling chemical and physical processes of wood and biomass pyrolysis
journal, February 2008


Life cycle assessment of a microalgae biomass cultivation, bio-oil extraction and pyrolysis processing regime
journal, July 2013


Net Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emission Evaluation of Biodiesel Derived from Microalgae
journal, October 2010

  • Batan, Liaw; Quinn, Jason; Willson, Bryan
  • Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 44, Issue 20
  • DOI: 10.1021/es102052y

The Energy Return on Investment for Algal Biocrude: Results for a Research Production Facility
journal, July 2011


Combinatorial Life Cycle Assessment to Inform Process Design of Industrial Production of Algal Biodiesel
journal, August 2011

  • Brentner, Laura B.; Eckelman, Matthew J.; Zimmerman, Julie B.
  • Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 45, Issue 16
  • DOI: 10.1021/es2006995

Life cycle assessment of biodiesel production from microalgae in ponds
journal, January 2011


Life cycle comparison of hydrothermal liquefaction and lipid extraction pathways to renewable diesel from algae
journal, June 2012

  • Frank, Edward D.; Elgowainy, Amgad; Han, Jeongwoo
  • Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Vol. 18, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1007/s11027-012-9395-1

Comparative energy life-cycle analyses of microalgal biomass production in open ponds and photobioreactors
journal, February 2010


Life cycle energy and CO2 analysis of microalgae-to-biodiesel: Preliminary results and comparisons
journal, May 2011


Algae biodiesel has potential despite inconclusive results to date
journal, January 2012


Integration of Microalgae Systems at Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants: Implications for Energy and Emission Balances
journal, October 2012

  • Menger-Krug, Eve; Niederste-Hollenberg, Jutta; Hillenbrand, Thomas
  • Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 46, Issue 21
  • DOI: 10.1021/es301967y

Algae biodiesel life cycle assessment using current commercial data
journal, November 2013


Life cycle energy and greenhouse gas analysis for algae-derived biodiesel
journal, January 2011

  • Shirvani, Tara; Yan, Xiaoyu; Inderwildi, Oliver R.
  • Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 4, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1039/c1ee01791h

Quantitative Uncertainty Analysis of Life Cycle Assessment for Algal Biofuel Production
journal, December 2012

  • Sills, Deborah L.; Paramita, Vidia; Franke, Michael J.
  • Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 47, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1021/es3029236

Micro-algae cultivation for biofuels: Cost, energy balance, environmental impacts and future prospects
journal, June 2013


Evaluating industrial symbiosis and algae cultivation from a life cycle perspective
journal, July 2011


Environmental Performance of Algal Biofuel Technology Options
journal, February 2012

  • Vasudevan, Venkatesh; Stratton, Russell W.; Pearlson, Matthew N.
  • Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 46, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1021/es2026399

Microalgae as biodiesel & biomass feedstocks: Review & analysis of the biochemistry, energetics & economics
journal, January 2010

  • Williams, Peter J. le B.; Laurens, Lieve M. L.
  • Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 3, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1039/b924978h

Assessment of a dry and a wet route for the production of biofuels from microalgae: Energy balance analysis
journal, April 2011


The carbon footprint and non-renewable energy demand of algae-derived biodiesel
journal, January 2014


Life cycle assessment on microalgal biodiesel production using a hybrid cultivation system
journal, July 2014


Biodiesel from microalgae – Life cycle assessment and recommendations for potential improvements
journal, November 2014


Life cycle assessment of biodiesel production from algal bio-crude oils extracted under subcritical water conditions
journal, October 2014


Microalgae to biofuels lifecycle assessment — Multiple pathway evaluation
journal, April 2014


Evaluating microalgal integrated biorefinery schemes: Empirical controlled growth studies and life cycle assessment
journal, January 2014


Life Cycle GHG Emissions from Microalgal Biodiesel – A CA-GREET Model
journal, May 2014

  • Woertz, Ian C.; Benemann, John R.; Du, Niu
  • Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 48, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1021/es403768q

Life Cycle Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions for an Ethanol Production Process Based on Blue-Green Algae
journal, November 2010

  • Luo, Dexin; Hu, Zushou; Choi, Dong Gu
  • Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 44, Issue 22
  • DOI: 10.1021/es1007577

Sustainable Algae Biodiesel Production in Cold Climates
journal, January 2010

  • Baliga, Rudras; Powers, Susan E.
  • International Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol. 2010
  • DOI: 10.1155/2010/102179

Life cycle assessment of bio-jet fuel from hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae
journal, June 2014


Biodiesel from microalgae
journal, May 2007


Geographical Assessment of Microalgae Biofuels Potential Incorporating Resource Availability
journal, November 2012


Life cycle assessment of electricity generation using fast pyrolysis bio-oil
journal, February 2011


Microalgae harvesting and processing: a literature review
report, August 1984


Bio-Oil Separation and Stabilization by Supercritical Fluid Fractionation. 2014 Final Report
report, March 2014


New perspectives on the energy return on (energy) investment (EROI) of corn ethanol
journal, July 2010

  • Murphy, David J.; Hall, Charles A. S.; Powers, Bobby
  • Environment, Development and Sustainability, Vol. 13, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1007/s10668-010-9255-7

Well-to-wheels energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of ethanol from corn, sugarcane and cellulosic biomass for US use
journal, December 2012


Resource demand implications for US algae biofuels production scale-up
journal, October 2011


Works referencing / citing this record:

Photobioreactor cultivation strategies for microalgae and cyanobacteria
journal, March 2018

  • Johnson, Tylor J.; Katuwal, Sarmila; Anderson, Gary A.
  • Biotechnology Progress, Vol. 34, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1002/btpr.2628

A review on biological systems for CO 2 sequestration: Organisms and their pathways
journal, October 2018

  • Mistry, Avnish Nitin; Ganta, Upendar; Chakrabarty, Jitamanyu
  • Environmental Progress & Sustainable Energy, Vol. 38, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1002/ep.12946

Hydrothermal treatment of organic waste
journal, August 2017

  • Vlaskin, M. S.; Kostyukevich, Yu. I.; Grigorenko, A. V.
  • Russian Journal of Applied Chemistry, Vol. 90, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1134/s1070427217080158

Evaluation of microalgae-based biorefinery alternatives
journal, June 2016

  • Fozer, Daniel; Valentinyi, Nora; Racz, Laszlo
  • Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, Vol. 19, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1007/s10098-016-1242-8

Upgrading of palmitic acid over MOF catalysts in supercritical fluid of n-hexane
journal, January 2017


Hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae to produce biofuels: state of the art and future prospects
journal, August 2017


How to identify suitable ways for the hydrothermal treatment of wet bio-waste? A critical review and methods proposal
journal, July 2018

  • Reißmann, Daniel; Thrän, Daniela; Bezama, Alberto
  • Waste Management & Research, Vol. 36, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1177/0734242x18785735

Bio-processing of algal bio-refinery: a review on current advances and future perspectives
journal, January 2019


Integration of biology, ecology and engineering for sustainable algal-based biofuel and bioproduct biorefinery
journal, November 2018