Microalgal Biomass for Greenhouse Gas Reductions: Potential for Replacement of Fossil Fuels and Animal Feeds
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 11
Abstract
Microalgal biomass production offers a number of advantages over conventional biomass production, including higher productivities, use of otherwise nonproductive land, reuse and recovery of waste nutrients, use of saline or brackish waters, and reuse of from power-plant flue gas or similar sources. Microalgal biomass production and utilization offers potential for greenhouse gas (GHG) avoidance by providing biofuel replacement of fossil fuels and carbon-neutral animal feeds. This paper presents an initial analysis of the potential for GHG avoidance using a proposed algal biomass production system coupled to recovery of flue-gas combined with waste sludge and/or animal manure utilization. A model is constructed around a 50-MW natural gas-fired electrical generation plant operating at 50% capacity as a semibase-load facility. This facility is projected to produce 216 million k⋅Wh/240-day season while releasing 30.3 million kg-C/season of GHG- . An algal system designed to capture 70% of flue-gas would produce 42,400 t (dry wt) of algal biomass/season and requires 880 ha of high-rate algal ponds operating at a productivity of . This algal biomass is assumed to be fractionated into 20% extractable algal oil, useful for biodiesel, with the 50% protein content providing animal feed replacement and 30% residual algal biomass digested to produce methane gas, providing gross GHG avoidances of 20, 8.5, and 7.8%, respectively. The total gross GHG avoidance potential of 36.3% results in a net GHG avoidance of 26.3% after accounting for 10% parasitic energy costs. Parasitic energy is required to deliver to the algal culture and to harvest and process algal biomass and algal products. At utilization efficiencies predicted to range from 60–80%, net GHG avoidances are estimated to range from 22–30%. To provide nutrients for algal growth and to ensure optimal algae digestion, importation of 53 t/day of waste paper, municipal sludge, or animal manure would be required. This analysis does not address the economics of the processes considered. Rather, the focus is directed at determination of the technical feasibility of applying integrated algal processes for fossil-fuel replacement and power-plant GHG avoidance. The technology discussed remains in early stages of development, with many important technical issues yet to be addressed. Although theoretically promising, successful integration of waste treatment processes with algal recovery of flue-gas will require pilot-scale trials and field demonstrations to more precisely define the many detailed design requirements.
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Acknowledgments
The writers express their gratitude to the Carbon Capture Corporation of La Jolla, California for providing financial assistance supporting this work. We are also grateful to Mr. Bernard Raemy for providing details related to the planning, design, and operation of a planned 50-MW electrical generation facilities to be located in the Imperial Valley of California.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 11 • November 2009
Pages: 1136 - 1144
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 13, 2008
Accepted: Apr 8, 2009
Published online: May 30, 2009
Published in print: Nov 2009
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