U.S. Department of EnergyOffice of Scientific and Technical Information
Renewable Diesel from Algal Lipids: An Integrated Baseline for Cost, Emissions, and Resource Potential from a Harmonized Model
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Energy's Biomass Program has begun an initiative to obtain consistent quantitative metrics for algal biofuel production to establish an 'integrated baseline' by harmonizing and combining the Program's national resource assessment (RA), techno-economic analysis (TEA), and life-cycle analysis (LCA) models. The baseline attempts to represent a plausible near-term productionscenario with freshwater microalgae growth, extraction of lipids, and conversion via hydroprocessing to produce a renewable diesel (RD) blendstock. Differences in the prior TEA and LCA models were reconciled (harmonized) and the RA model was used to prioritize and select the most favorable consortium of sites that supports production of 5 billion gallons per year of RD. Aligning the TEA and LCAmodels produced slightly higher costs and emissions compared to the pre-harmonized results. However, after then applying the productivities predicted by the RA model (13 g/m2/d on annual average vs. 25 g/m2/d in the original models), the integrated baseline resulted in markedly higher costs and emissions. The relationship between performance (cost and emissions) and either productivity or lipidfraction was found to be non-linear, and important implications on the TEA and LCA results were observed after introducing seasonal variability from the RA model. Increasing productivity and lipid fraction alone wasmore »
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Sustainable Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1044475
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/TP-5100-55431; ANL/ESD/12-4; PNNL-21437
TRN: US201214%%673
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- Resource Type:
- Technical Report
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 09 BIOMASS FUELS; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; BIOFUELS; BIOMASS; LIFE CYCLE; LIPIDS; METRICS; PERFORMANCE; PRODUCTION; PRODUCTIVITY; RESOURCE ASSESSMENT; RESOURCE POTENTIAL; TARGETS; algae; algal biofuels; renewable diesel; technoeconomic; LCA; harmonization
Citation Formats
Davis, Ryan, Fishman, Daniel, Frank, Edward D., Wigmosta, Mark S., Aden, Andy, Coleman, Andre M., Pienkos, Philip T., Skaggs, Ricahrd J., Venteris, Erik R., and Wang, Michael Q. Renewable Diesel from Algal Lipids: An Integrated Baseline for Cost, Emissions, and Resource Potential from a Harmonized Model. United States: N. p., 2012.
Web. doi:10.2172/1044475.
Davis, Ryan, Fishman, Daniel, Frank, Edward D., Wigmosta, Mark S., Aden, Andy, Coleman, Andre M., Pienkos, Philip T., Skaggs, Ricahrd J., Venteris, Erik R., & Wang, Michael Q. Renewable Diesel from Algal Lipids: An Integrated Baseline for Cost, Emissions, and Resource Potential from a Harmonized Model. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1044475
Davis, Ryan, Fishman, Daniel, Frank, Edward D., Wigmosta, Mark S., Aden, Andy, Coleman, Andre M., Pienkos, Philip T., Skaggs, Ricahrd J., Venteris, Erik R., and Wang, Michael Q. 2012.
"Renewable Diesel from Algal Lipids: An Integrated Baseline for Cost, Emissions, and Resource Potential from a Harmonized Model". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1044475. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1044475.
@article{osti_1044475,
title = {Renewable Diesel from Algal Lipids: An Integrated Baseline for Cost, Emissions, and Resource Potential from a Harmonized Model},
author = {Davis, Ryan and Fishman, Daniel and Frank, Edward D. and Wigmosta, Mark S. and Aden, Andy and Coleman, Andre M. and Pienkos, Philip T. and Skaggs, Ricahrd J. and Venteris, Erik R. and Wang, Michael Q.},
abstractNote = {The U.S. Department of Energy's Biomass Program has begun an initiative to obtain consistent quantitative metrics for algal biofuel production to establish an 'integrated baseline' by harmonizing and combining the Program's national resource assessment (RA), techno-economic analysis (TEA), and life-cycle analysis (LCA) models. The baseline attempts to represent a plausible near-term productionscenario with freshwater microalgae growth, extraction of lipids, and conversion via hydroprocessing to produce a renewable diesel (RD) blendstock. Differences in the prior TEA and LCA models were reconciled (harmonized) and the RA model was used to prioritize and select the most favorable consortium of sites that supports production of 5 billion gallons per year of RD. Aligning the TEA and LCAmodels produced slightly higher costs and emissions compared to the pre-harmonized results. However, after then applying the productivities predicted by the RA model (13 g/m2/d on annual average vs. 25 g/m2/d in the original models), the integrated baseline resulted in markedly higher costs and emissions. The relationship between performance (cost and emissions) and either productivity or lipidfraction was found to be non-linear, and important implications on the TEA and LCA results were observed after introducing seasonal variability from the RA model. Increasing productivity and lipid fraction alone was insufficient to achieve cost and emission targets; however, combined with lower energy, less expensive alternative technology scenarios, emissions and costs were substantiallyreduced.},
doi = {10.2172/1044475},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1044475},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2012},
month = {Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2012}
}