Engineering Management of Gas Turbine Power Plant Co 2 for Microalgae Biofuel Production (original) (raw)

Wastewater and waste CO2 for sustainable biofuels from microalgae

Algal Research, 2018

In the new frontier of energy, biofuels will play an important role in overcoming our dependence on fossil fuels and its associated environmental impacts. In the biofuels sector, the exploitation of microalgal biomass has the potential to be beneficial, as they do not compete on land use with food crops and their cultivation systems can be designed to have a lower water footprint. Even though a number of LCAs (Life Cycle Assessment) involving biofuel production from microalgae have been reported, few of them have focused on the use of by-product streams in algal biomass production, such as wastewater or waste CO 2 recovered from flue gas, which could further reduce the environmental impact of the recovered biofuels, and none have considered a combination of different by-product streams. In this paper, an LCA is applied to compare 6 alternative scenarios, where the potential environmental benefits achievable using CO 2 from different sources (commercial liquid CO 2 , CO 2 recovered from flue gas and flue gas as is) and wastewater in the cultivation of microalgae for the production of biofuels are investigated. The analysis is based on a virtual, but realistic case, using an open microalgal cultivation pond facility located in Kingston (Canada). The results indicate that the source of CO 2 is the most relevant factor affecting environmental impacts, and that the direct injection of flue gas into the algal pond and the use of wastewater represent the most environmentally friendly alternative.

Values and Drawbacks of Biofuel Production From Microalgae

2020

Increased energy consumption leads to a reduction in limited nonrenewable resources called fossil fuels. Due to this fact, researchers look for alternative energy sources to satisfy the need of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. As a result, nowadays the production of energy from biological sources is highly applicable and takes advantage of fossil fuel due to the limited impact on the environment. On the other hand, food cost, land use for some other purposes, and carbon emissions have risen due to the increased production of first-generation bioethanol. Even though the second-generation bioethanol from lignocellulose agricultural waste solved this problem, it again faced difficulties-to-overcome technological barriers. This, in turn, pushed researchers to come up with another alternative called the third-generation biofuel production. The renewed promise is held in microalgae biomass as an alternative feedstock. This ...

Carbon dioxide biofixation and biomass production from flue gas of power plant using microalgae

2012 Second Iranian Conference on Renewable Energy and Distributed Generation, 2012

Nowadays greenhouse gas emission induces environmental problems such as climate change worldwide. According to statistics, atmospheric CO 2 concentration increased from 280 ppm in 1800 to 380 ppm in 2004 and power plants account for 22% of global CO 2 emission. Microalgae have potential for up taking inorganic carbon during photosynthesis. They have advantage in containing high oil content which can be used for biofuel production. The effect of other pollutants such as NOx and SOx gases on these microorganisms growth should be evaluated if power plant effluent gas is sought to be injected into a photobioreactor. Among three evaluated microalgae, Chlorella vulgaris, Dunaliella tertiolecta and Scenedesmus obliqus, higher biomass productivity obtained from C. vulgaris.

Microalgae Cultivation in Pilot Scale for Biomass Production Using Exhaust Gas from Thermal Power Plants

Energies, 2019

Exhaust gases from thermal power plants have the highest amount of carbon dioxide (CO2), presenting an environmental problem related to a severe impact on ecosystems. Extensively, the reduction of CO2 from thermal power plants has been considered with the aid of microalgae as a cost-effective, sustainable solution, and efficient biological means for recycling of CO2. Microalgae can efficiently uptake CO2 and nutrients resulting in high generation of biomass and which can be processed into different valuable products. In this study, we have taken Nephroselmis sp. KGE8, Acutodesmus obliquus KGE 17 and Acutodesmus obliquus KGE32 microalgae, which are isolated from acid mine drainage and cultivated in a photobiological incubator on a batch scale, and also confirmed that continuous culture was possible on pilot scale for biofuel production. We also evaluated the continuous culture productivity of each cultivate-harvest cycle in the pilot scale. The biomass of the cultivated microalgae wa...

CO2 recycling using microalgae for the production of fuels

Applied Petrochemical Research, 2014

CO 2 capture and recycle using microalgae was demonstrated at a coal-fired power plant (Duke Energy's East Bend Station, Kentucky). Using an in-house designed closed loop, vertical tube photobioreactor, Scenedesmus acutus was cultured using flue gas as the CO 2 source. Algae productivity of 39 g/(m 2 day) in June-July was achieved at significant scale (18,000 L), while average daily productivity slightly in excess of 10 g/(m 2 day) was demonstrated in the month of December. A protocol for low-cost algae harvesting and dewatering was developed, and the conversion of algal lipids-extracted from the harvested biomassto diesel-range hydrocarbons via catalytic deoxygenation was demonstrated. Assuming an amortization period of 10 years, calculations suggest that the current cost of capturing and recycling CO 2 using this approach will fall close to 1,600/tonCO2,themainexpensecorrespondingtothecapitalcostofthephotobioreactorsystemandtheassociatedinstallationcost.Fromthisitfollowsthatfuturecostreductionmeasuresshouldfocusonthedesignofaculturingsystemwhichislessexpensivetobuildandinstall.Ineventhemostoptimisticscenario,thecostofalgae−basedCO2captureisunlikelytofallbelow1,600/ton CO 2 , the main expense corresponding to the capital cost of the photobioreactor system and the associated installation cost. From this it follows that future cost reduction measures should focus on the design of a culturing system which is less expensive to build and install. In even the most optimistic scenario, the cost of algae-based CO 2 capture is unlikely to fall below 1,600/tonCO2,themainexpensecorrespondingtothecapitalcostofthephotobioreactorsystemandtheassociatedinstallationcost.Fromthisitfollowsthatfuturecostreductionmeasuresshouldfocusonthedesignofaculturingsystemwhichislessexpensivetobuildandinstall.Ineventhemostoptimisticscenario,thecostofalgaebasedCO2captureisunlikelytofallbelow225/ton, corresponding to a production cost of *$400/ton biomass. Hence, the value of the algal biomass produced will be critical in determining the overall economics of CO 2 capture and recycle.

A Proposal to Establish an International Network on Biofixation of CO 2 and Greenhouse Gas Abatement with Microalgae

Microalgae mass cultures can use solar energy for the biofixation of power plant flue gas and other concentrated CO 2 sources into biomass that can be used to produce renewable fuels such as methane, ethanol, biodiesel, oils and hydrogen and for other fossil-fuel sparing products and processes. They thus can mitigate emissions of fossil CO 2 and other greenhouse gases. Microalgae are currently used commercially in the production of high-value nutritional products, in wastewater treatment and in aquaculture. One commercial microalgae production plant, in Hawaii, is already using flue gas from a small power plant as an exogenous source of the CO 2 required to grow algal biomass. Although still a relatively small industry (total production is only a few thousand tons of algal biomass per year world-wide), microalgae technologies have been extensively studied over the past decade in the context of greenhouse gas mitigation, specifically in Japan and the U.S.

Microalgae to biofuels lifecycle assessment — Multiple pathway evaluation

Algal Research, 2014

A variety of researchers have constructed and presented lifecycle assessments of the microalgae-to-biofuel process, however, inconsistencies in system boundary definitions and high-level process modeling have led to a wide range of results. This study integrates engineering process models validated through experimental and modeling research to perform an environmental assessment of four microalgae-to-biofuel production scenarios leveraging the Argonne National Laboratory GREET model. The baseline scenario consists of a down flow open pond growth system, three phase de-watering step (settling, dissolved air flotation, and a centrifuge), hexane extraction and nutrient recovery using anaerobic digestion. The net energy ratio (NER), defined as energy consumed over the produced energy, and greenhouse gases (GHG) for the baseline scenario are 0.7 MJ MJ −1 and −41.7 g CO 2-eq MJ −1 respectively. Three alternative scenarios are also evaluated: 1) Improved microalgal productivity, 2) supercritical CO 2 extraction, and 3) no nutrient recycle. This research shows that supercritical CO 2 extraction is neither currently energetically-nor environmentally favorable and that nutrient recycle plays an integral role in achieving favorable NER and GHGs. The study highlights on the systems level, two findings related to the NER; 1) the NER is minimally impacted with increased productivity and 2) increasing microalgae lipid content detrimentally affects the NER which is attributed to the reduction in the total energy that can be captured by the anaerobic digester.

ENERGY CONVERSION FROM MICROALGAE TO BIOFUELS: A REVIEW

LAP LAMBERT ACADEMIC PUBLISHING , 2022

Continued overconsumption of fossil energy and carbon pollution problems urged steadily increasing research efforts on the utilization of renewable energy sources as an alternative fuel to fossil fuels. Biofuels are substances derived from or residues of biomass, including biogas, biodiesel, bioethanol, biomethanol, synthetic biofuels, biohydrogen, and bio-oil. Because of their properties, all of these biofuels can be used in traditional engines directly or mixed with fossil fuels. First and second generation biofuels can be produced from a wide range of feedstocks (including food crops such as sunflower, sugar cane, peanut, soybean, cotton, palm, and so on) as well as energy crops such as lignocellulosic masses and waste (i.e., municipal solid waste organic fraction or landfill leachate). The third generation of biofuels derived from microalgae which has been attracted increasing attention in recent years. While their yield is higher and their greenhouse gas impact is lower than the first two generations. They still require new technologies to produce biofuels and other value�added products in order to reduce biofuel costs. Fourth-generation biofuels (solar fuels) are also introduced because they are inexpensive and have a readily available feedstock to meet the world's energy needs. The most common biofuels (biogas, syngas, biodiesel, bioethanol, and biobutanol) produced from microalgae, as well as various applications of microalgae, are discussed in this article, as the current trends and the future of the bioenergy sector centred on algae.

Life cycle energy and CO2 analysis of microalgae-to-biodiesel: Preliminary results and comparisons

Bioresource Technology, 2011

Despite claims that microalgal biofuels are environmentally friendlier alternatives to conventional fuels, debate surrounding its ecological benefits or drawbacks still exists. LCA is used to analyze various biofuel production technologies from 'cradle to gate'. Energy and CO 2 balances are carried out for a hypothetical integrated PBR-raceway microalgae-to-biodiesel production in Singapore. Based on a functional unit of 1 MJ biofuel, the total energy demands are 4.44 MJ with 13% from biomass production, 85% from lipid extraction, and 2% from biodiesel production. Sensitivity analysis was carried out for adjustments in energy requirements, percentage lipid contents, and lower/higher heating product value. An 'Optimistic Case' was projected with estimates of: 45% lipid content; reduced energy needs for lipid extraction (1.3 MJ per MJ biodiesel); and heating value of biodiesel (42 MJ/kg). The life cycle energy requirements dropped significantly by about 60%. The results are compared with other published case studies from other countries.

Sustainable Production of Biofuels from Microalgae Using a Biorefinary Approach

Biorefinery has emerged as a new concept to derive more than one utility product from biomass. The products from biorefinery include one or more biofuels (biodiesel, bioethanol, biomethane, and biohydrogen) along with other energy sources (syngas and bio-oil), pharmaceutical products, and commercially important chemicals. Biorefineries, thus could simultaneously produce biofuels, bio-based chemicals, heat, and power. The biomass production and its utilization as biofuel has a higher water footprint (WF) than fossil derived fuel. The biorefinery approach has the potential to bring down the WF. Similarly, biorefinery approach has the potential to bring down the carbon footprint. The value added product derived from biorefinery basket includes pigments, nutraceuticals, and bioactive compounds. The use of industrial refusals for biomass production includes wastewater as nutrient medium and utilization of flue gases (CO 2 ) as the carbon source for culture of microalgae. These processes have the potential to reduce fresh WF and carbon footprint.