Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from an algae fractionation process for producing renewable diesel

Pegallapati, Ambica K.; Frank, Edward D.

doi:10.1016/j.algal.2016.06.019

Title: Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from an algae fractionation process for producing renewable diesel

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Abstract

In one approach to algal biofuel production, lipids are extracted and converted to renewable diesel and non-lipid remnants are converted to biogas, which is used for renewable heat and power to support the process. Since biofuel economics benefit from increased fuel yield, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory analyzed an alternative pathway that extracts lipids and also makes ethanol from carbohydrates in the biomass. In this paper, we examine the environmental sustainability of this "fractionation pathway" through life-cycle analysis (LCA) of greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. When the feedstock productivity was 30 (18) g/m(2)/d, this pathway emitted 31 (36) gCO(2)e/MJ of total fuel, which is less than the emissions associated with conventional low sulfur petroleum diesel (96 gCO(2)e/MJ). The fractionation pathway performed well in this model despite the diversion of carbon to the ethanol fuel.

Authors:

Pegallapati, Ambica K.;

Publication Date:: Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016

Research Org.:: Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) - Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)

OSTI Identifier:: 1390834

DOE Contract Number:: AC02-06CH11357

Resource Type:: Journal Article

Journal Name:: Algal Research

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 18; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 2211-9264

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: algae; biofuels; greenhouse gas emissions; life-cycle analysis; renewable energy

Citation Formats


                    Pegallapati, Ambica K., and Frank, Edward D. Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from an algae fractionation process for producing renewable diesel.  United States: N. p., 2016. 
        Web.  doi:10.1016/j.algal.2016.06.019.

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                    Pegallapati, Ambica K., & Frank, Edward D. Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from an algae fractionation process for producing renewable diesel.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2016.06.019

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                    Pegallapati, Ambica K., and Frank, Edward D. 2016.  
        "Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from an algae fractionation process for producing renewable diesel".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2016.06.019.

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@article{osti_1390834,

  title        = {Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from an algae fractionation process for producing renewable diesel},

  author       = {Pegallapati, Ambica K. and Frank, Edward D.},

  abstractNote = {In one approach to algal biofuel production, lipids are extracted and converted to renewable diesel and non-lipid remnants are converted to biogas, which is used for renewable heat and power to support the process. Since biofuel economics benefit from increased fuel yield, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory analyzed an alternative pathway that extracts lipids and also makes ethanol from carbohydrates in the biomass. In this paper, we examine the environmental sustainability of this "fractionation pathway" through life-cycle analysis (LCA) of greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. When the feedstock productivity was 30 (18) g/m(2)/d, this pathway emitted 31 (36) gCO(2)e/MJ of total fuel, which is less than the emissions associated with conventional low sulfur petroleum diesel (96 gCO(2)e/MJ). The fractionation pathway performed well in this model despite the diversion of carbon to the ethanol fuel.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.algal.2016.06.019},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1390834},
  journal      = {Algal Research},

  issn         = {2211-9264},

  number       = C,

  volume       = 18,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016},

  month        = {Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016}

}

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