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Title: Harmonization of experimental approach and data collection to streamline analysis of biomass composition from algae in an inter-laboratory setting

Journal Article · · Algal Research
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
  2. Harmon Consulting, Kamuela, HI (United States)
  3. Arizona State Univ., Mesa, AZ (United States)
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In order to establish and design long-term algae cultivation experiments, inter-laboratory projects need to harmonize the requirements of techno-economic and life-cycle analysis models, with standardized data inputs. In order to provide a consistent foundation and allow for integration and analysis of the results in computational technical and resource analysis models, we implemented closely coordinated, harmonized and objective analytical protocols along with a common language for measuring growth and productivity for the major algal components. We describe here the process by which we developed a harmonization framework for analysis across five geographically diverse testbed sites. Our goal was to align analytical procedures to ensure consistent reporting on biomass and lipid content, quality and yields to eliminate measurement variability as a source of uncertainty in production data. Developing standards for analysis that streamline reporting on composition and expected fuel yields from biomass is one of the major outcomes of this work and this provides a starting place for further advanced characterization of algae to support the techno-economical process analyses and account for the mass balance accounting of algal biomass. Initial analysis of data obtained from field studies shows trends in compositional shifts of lipid and protein content of the biomass that are in support of the physiological experiments demonstrated in the first geographically distributed unified outdoor cultivation trials.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office; USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308; EE0005996; AC36-08-GO28308
OSTI ID:
1373264
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1550511; OSTI ID: 1785543
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-5100-68598
Journal Information:
Algal Research, Vol. 25, Issue C; ISSN 2211-9264
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 15 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (17)

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Cited By (1)

Unified field studies of the algae testbed public-private partnership as the benchmark for algae agronomics journal November 2018

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09 BIOMASS FUELS
algae
biomass
composition
lipids
carbohydrates
protein
harmonization
Algae
Biomass
Composition
Lipids
Carbohydrates
Protein
Harmonization