Implications of CO2 Sourcing on the Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Costs of Algae Biofuels

Singh, Udayan; Banerjee, Sudhanya; Hawkins, Troy R.

doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c02082

Title: Implications of CO₂ Sourcing on the Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Costs of Algae Biofuels

Journal Article · 18 September 2023 · ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c02082 · OSTI ID:2000786

^[1]; Banerjee, Sudhanya ^[1];

^[1]

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Production of algal biomass and its conversion to biofuels are important technological platforms within the larger umbrella of CO₂ capture and utilization. This analysis incorporates a life-cycle assessment (LCA) with respect to global warming potential and techno-economic assessment (TEA) of algae biofuels, focusing on the sourcing and delivery of CO₂. This analysis evolves past work in this area to include high-purity biogenic CO₂, industrial fossil fuel use, fossil power plants, and direct air capture, and uses a Sherwood plot approach to estimate the CO₂ capture energy penalty. We also show that allocation or displacement facilitates a more intuitive distinction between biogenic and fossil sources of carbon. Thus, the LCA better reflects the influence of coproduct handling strategies as compared to previous works. The TEA is also strongly influenced by the CO₂ concentration in the flue gas. Currently, when CO₂ is sourced from large-point sources, the price of biofuels ($4.5–6.5/GGE) may become comparable to fossil diesel. However, as DAC systems become more economical, they may deliver competitive CO₂ sources for biofuels in 2050 with a total cost of <$7/GGE. Based on the net emissions and costs, algae biofuels with CO₂ sourced from biogenic sources are consistent with a decarbonized economy as of now, with substantial potential for DAC with decreasing costs.

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Research Organization:: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO); USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-06CH11357

OSTI ID:: 2000786

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2007158; OSTI ID: 2375790

Journal Information:: ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Vol. 11, Issue 39; ISSN 2168-0485

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Title: Implications of CO2 Sourcing on the Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Costs of Algae Biofuels

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Title: Implications of CO₂ Sourcing on the Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Costs of Algae Biofuels