Development of cost models of algae production in a cold climate using different production systems
Abstract
Abstract Research into the potential use of microalgae to produce biofuels is receiving significant attention. In the cold climates of countries like Canada, algae cultivation in open raceway pond (ORP) systems is limited to a short period of the year when pond surface water temperatures and ambient light conditions enable optimal culture growth. In this study we develop techno‐economic assessment models to predict, evaluate, and compare the techno‐economic results from three autotrophic algae cultivation scenarios to produce algae biomass. The first is a modeled ORP site located in the southern USA, which has a minimum biomass selling price (MBSP) for algae of $541 tonne−1 (T−1). The second scenario models an identical ORP system co‐located at a site near Fort Saskatchewan, a northern city in the province of Alberta, Canada. The resulting MBSP is $1288 T−1. A third scenario models a photobioreactor (PBR) cultivation system co‐located at the same northern Alberta site and shows algae production with an MBSP of $550 T−1. Each system is scaled to produce 2000 T day−1 ash‐free dry weight (AFDE) algae biomass. The study concludes that PBR systems deployed at this scale have the potential to reduce production costs significantly ($ T−1) compared to similarly sited ORP systems in Canada, despite climatic factors and high initial capital costs associated with PBR construction. Furthermore, the modeled PBR system required 0.3% of the water required by the ORP cultivation platforms (153 × 103 versus 59 527 × 103 m3) and 0.04% of the land (32 versus. 82 038 ha). © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Over five years, it is possible to triple the size of PBR and increase average biomass productivity from 5 to 8 g/L/day.
“Pankratz et al. [36] consider that, over five years, it is possible to triple the size of PBR and increase the average biomass productivity from 5 to 8 gL -1 day -1 .”
From The Perspective of Large-Scale Production of Algae Biodiesel (2020) · cites this paper as [36]
Cites
Chisti, Y. (2007) · Biotechnology Advances · doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2007.02.001 · Cited by 9,524 · see citing works
Chen, C.-Y., Yeh, K.-L., Aisyah, R., Lee, D.-J., & Chang, J.-S. (2011) · Bioresource Technology · doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2010.06.159 · Cited by 1,860 · see citing works
Design principles of photo-bioreactors for cultivation of microalgae
Posten, C. (2009) · Engineering in Life Sciences · doi:10.1002/elsc.200900003 · Cited by 815 · see citing works
Tubular photobioreactor design for algal cultures
Molina, E., Fernández, J., Acién, F. G., & Chisti, Y. (2001) · Journal of Biotechnology · doi:10.1016/s0168-1656(01)00353-4 · Cited by 620 · see citing works
Microalgal and cyanobacterial cultivation: The supply of nutrients
Μάρκου, Γ., Vandamme, D., & Muylaert, K. (2014) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/j.watres.2014.07.025 · Cited by 591 · see citing works
Temperature effect on microalgae: A crucial factor for outdoor production
Ras, M., Steyer, J.-P., & Bernard, O. (2013) · Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology · doi:10.1007/s11157-013-9310-6 · Cited by 532 · see citing works
Biogas production from algal biomass: A review
Montingelli, M. E., Tedesco, S., & Olabi, A. G. (2014) · Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.rser.2014.11.052 · Cited by 363 · see citing works
Biorefinery as a promising approach to promote microalgae industry: an innovative framework.
Zhu, L. (2015) · Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.rser.2014.09.040 · Cited by 330 · see citing works
NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), G., Davis, R., USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), B. T. O. (.-3., Markham, J., Kinchin, C., Grundl, N., Tan, E., & Humbird, D. (2016) · doi:10.2172/1239893 · Cited by 324 · see citing works
Microalgae as Sustainable Renewable Energy Feedstock for Biofuel Production
Medipally, S. R., Yusoff, F. M., Banerjee, S., & Shariff, M. (2015) · BioMed Research International · doi:10.1155/2015/519513 · Cited by 316 · see citing works
Rogers, J. N., Rosenberg, J. N., Guzman, B. J., Oh, V. H., Mimbela, L. E. Y., Ghassemi, A., Betenbaugh, M. J., Oyler, G. A., & Donohue, M. D. (2013) · Algal Research · doi:10.1016/j.algal.2013.11.007 · Cited by 303 · see citing works
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), R., Jones, S., USDOE, Zhu, Y., Anderson, D., Hallen, R., Elliott, D., Schmidt, A., Albrecht, K., Hart, T., et al. (2014) · doi:10.2172/1126336 · Cited by 300 · see citing works
Comparative cost analysis of algal oil production for biofuels
Sun, A., Davis, R., Starbuck, M., Ben-Amotz, A., Pate, R., & Pienkos, P. T. (2011) · Energy · doi:10.1016/j.energy.2011.06.020 · Cited by 250 · see citing works
Commercial production of microalgae in the Asia-Pacific rim
Lee, Y.-K. (1997) · Journal of Applied Phycology · doi:10.1023/a:1007900423275 · Cited by 245 · see citing works
Techno-economic assessment of open microalgae production systems
Hoffman, J., Pate, R. C., Drennen, T., & Quinn, J. C. (2017) · Algal Research · doi:10.1016/j.algal.2017.01.005 · Cited by 241 · see citing works
Global evaluation of biofuel potential from microalgae
Moody, J. W., McGinty, C. M., & Quinn, J. C. (2014) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1321652111 · Cited by 235 · see citing works
Modeling Algae Growth in an Open-Channel Raceway
James, S. C., & Boriah, V. (2010) · Journal of Computational Biology · doi:10.1089/cmb.2009.0078 · Cited by 194 · see citing works
“Large-scale production of algal biomass: raceway ponds,”
Chisti, Y. (2016) · Green energy and technology · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-12334-9_2 · Cited by 164 · see citing works
Olivieri, G., Salatino, P., & Marzocchella, A. (2014) · Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology · doi:10.1002/jctb.4218 · Cited by 156 · see citing works
Rosenberg, J. N., Mathias, A., Korth, K., Betenbaugh, M. J., & Oyler, G. A. (2011) · Biomass and Bioenergy · doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2011.05.014 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Long-Term Cultivation of Algae in Open-Raceway Ponds: Lessons from the Field
White, R. L., & Ryan, R. A. (2015) · Industrial Biotechnology · doi:10.1089/ind.2015.0006 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Recent developments on biofuels production from microalgae and macroalgae
Kumar, K., Ghosh, S., Angelidaki, İ., Holdt, S. L., Karakashev, D. B., Alvarado-Morales, M., & Das, D. (2016) · Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.rser.2016.06.055 · Cited by 124 · see citing works
A novel horizontal photobioreactor for high-density cultivation of microalgae
Dogaris, I., Welch, M., Meiser, A., Walmsley, L., & Philippidis, G. (2015) · Bioresource Technology · doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2015.09.030 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
A techno-economic assessment of an algal-based biorefinery
Thomassen, G., Vila, U. E., Dael, M. V., Lemmens, B., & Passel, S. V. (2016) · Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy · doi:10.1007/s10098-016-1159-2 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
Gim, G. H., Kim, J. K., Kim, H. S., Kathiravan, M. N., Yang, H., Jeong, S.-H., & Kim, S. W. (2013) · Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering · doi:10.1007/s00449-013-0920-8 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Apel, A. C., Pfaffinger, C. E., Basedahl, N., Mittwollen, N., Göbel, J., Sauter, J., Brück, T., & Weuster-Botz, D. (2017) · Algal Research · doi:10.1016/j.algal.2017.06.004 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Reyna-Velarde, R., Cristiani-Urbina, E., Hernández-Melchor, D. J., Thalasso, F., & Cañizares-Villanueva, R. O. (2010) · Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification · doi:10.1016/j.cep.2009.11.014 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Current Large-Scale US Biofuel Potential from Microalgae Cultivated in Photobioreactors
Quinn, J. C., Catton, K. B., Wagner, N., & Bradley, T. H. (2011) · BioEnergy Research · doi:10.1007/s12155-011-9165-z · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Davis, R. E., Kinchin, C. M., Markham, J. N., Tan, E., Laurens, L. M. L., Sexton, D. M., Knorr, D., Schoen, P., & Lukas, J. (2014) · doi:10.2172/1271650 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
A Techno-Economic Assessment of Renewable Diesel and Gasoline Production from Aspen Hardwood
Patel, M., Oyedun, A. O., Kumar, A., & Gupta, R. P. (2018) · Waste and Biomass Valorization · doi:10.1007/s12649-018-0359-x · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Self-citationGraham, E. J. S., Dean, C., Yoshida, T. M., Twary, S. N., Teshima, M., Alvarez, M. A., Zidenga, T., Heikoop, J. M., Perkins, G. B., Rahn, T. A., et al. (2017) · Algal Research · doi:10.1016/j.algal.2017.01.009 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Schreiber, C., Behrendt, D., Huber, G. J., Pfaff, C., Widzgowski, J., Ackermann, B., Müller, A., Zachleder, V., Moudříková, Š., Mojzeš, P., et al. (2017) · Bioresource Technology · doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2017.03.028 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Thomassen, G., Dael, M. V., Lemmens, B., & Passel, S. V. (2016) · Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.rser.2016.02.015 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Granata, T. C. (2016) · BioEnergy Research · doi:10.1007/s12155-016-9787-2 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Way forward to achieve sustainable and cost-effective biofuel production from microalgae: a review
Misra, N., Panda, P. K., Parida, B. K., & Mishra, B. K. (2016) · International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology · doi:10.1007/s13762-016-1020-5 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Algae production platforms for Canada's northern climate
Pankratz, S., Oyedun, A. O., Zhang, X., & Kumar, A. (2017) · Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.rser.2017.05.220 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Self-citationModified conventional bioreactor for microalgae cultivation
Verma, R., Kumar, R., Mehan, L., & Srivastava, A. (2017) · Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering · doi:10.1016/j.jbiosc.2017.09.003 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Evaluation of microalgae-based biorefinery alternatives
Fózer, D., Valentínyi, N., Racz, L., & Mizsey, P. (2016) · Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy · doi:10.1007/s10098-016-1242-8 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), G., Knoshaug, E. P., Bioenergy Technologies Office (EE-3B) USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Laurens, L. M. L., Kinchin, C. M., & Davis, R. E. (2016) · doi:10.2172/1330992 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Quiroz‐Arita, C., Yilmaz, Ö., Barlak, S., Catton, K. B., Quinn, J. C., & Bradley, T. H. (2016) · Bioresource Technology · doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2016.09.006 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Predicting cost growth and performance of first-generation algal production systems
Christiansen, K., Raman, D. R., & Anex, R. P. (2012) · Energy Policy · doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2012.08.033 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
1 of the 42 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
The Perspective of Large-Scale Production of Algae Biodiesel
Bošnjaković, M., & Sinaga, N. (2020) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app10228181 · Cited by 194 · see citing works
Masoumi, S., & Dalai, A. K. (2021) · Biomass and Bioenergy · doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2021.106168 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Revisiting competitiveness of hydrogen and algae biodiesel
Maroušek, J., Strunecký, O., Bartoš, V., & Vochоzka, M. (2022) · Fuel · doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2022.125317 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Competitive algae biodiesel depends on advances in mass algae cultivation
Maroušek, J., Maroušková, A., Gavurová, B., Tuček, D., & Strunecký, O. (2023) · Bioresource Technology · doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2023.128802 · Cited by 113 · see citing works
Recent advances in biopolymer synthesis, properties, & commercial applications: a review
Getahun, M. J., Kassie, B. B., & Alemu, T. S. (2024) · Process Biochemistry · doi:10.1016/j.procbio.2024.06.034 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Varela Villarreal, J., Burgués, C., & Rösch, C. (2020) · Biotechnology for Biofuels · doi:10.1186/s13068-020-01730-y · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Akbari, M., Oyedun, A. O., Gemechu, E. D., & Kumar, A. (2021) · Journal of environmental chemical engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jece.2021.105415 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Self-citationZheng, M., Dai, J., Ji, X., Li, D., He, Y., Wang, M., Huang, J., & Chen, B. (2021) · Bioresource Technology · doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125703 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Pankratz, S., Kumar, M., Oyedun, A. O., Gemechu, E. D., & Kumar, A. (2020) · Algal Research · doi:10.1016/j.algal.2020.101815 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Self-citationPigment Production under Cold Stress in the Green Microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Potijun, S., Yaisamlee, C., & Sirikhachornkit, A. (2021) · Agriculture · doi:10.3390/agriculture11060564 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Chauton, M. S., Forbord, S., Mäkinen, S., Sarno, A., Slizyte, R., Mozuraityte, R., Standal, I. B., & Skjermo, J. (2021) · Physiologia Plantarum · doi:10.1111/ppl.13391 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
More sustainable biomass production and biorefining to boost the bioeconomy
Gajula, S., & Reddy, C. R. K. (2021) · Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining · doi:10.1002/bbb.2227 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
The environmental performance of hydrogen production pathways based on renewable sources
Gemechu, E. D., & Kumar, A. (2020) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-820539-6.00012-1 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Self-citationOliveira, A. P. D. S., Assemany, P. P., Covell, L., & Calijuri, M. L. (2023) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121364 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Kumar, M., Oyedun, A. O., & Kumar, A. (2019) · Energy Technology · doi:10.1002/ente.201900828 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Self-citationUllah, F., Djuansjah, J., Hajlaoui, K., Hasrat, K., Kumar, S., Wang, S., & Khedher, N. B. (2025) · Process Safety and Environmental Protection · doi:10.1016/j.cherd.2025.11.016 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Food security and biofuel production: solving the dilemma on the example of Ukraine
Tokarchuk, D. M., Pryshliak, N., Shynkovych, A., & Березюк, С. (2022) · Polityka Energetyczna – Energy Policy Journal · doi:10.33223/epj/150496 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Biohydrogen production from algae: Technical possibilities and economic challenges
Alkasrawi, M., Bagheri, M., Al-Smadi, N., & Zarooni, M. A. (2025) · International Journal of Thermofluids · doi:10.1016/j.ijft.2025.101154 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Global profile and market potentials of the third-generation biofuels
Ofori-Boateng, C. (2022) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-90971-6.00018-8 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Novak, I. N., Magnusson, M. E., Craggs, R. J., & Lawton, R. J. (2024) · Journal of Applied Phycology · doi:10.1007/s10811-024-03261-7 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Singh, D. P., & Gonzales‐Calienes, G. (2020) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-15-7518-1_11 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Pena, A. D. C. C., Agustini, C. B., Gonçalves, A. G. D. S., Trierweiler, L. F., & Gutterres, M. (2026) · Biofuels Bioproducts and Biorefining · doi:10.1002/bbb.70129 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Conversion of Organic Waste to Value-added Products
Akbari, M. (2019) · ERA: Education and Research Archive (University of Alberta) · doi:10.7939/r3-pn5q-ht21 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Utilizing Nanobubble Technology to Improve Chlorella Vulgaris Growth EfficiencyPreprint
Ng, P. H., Chan, K. W., Cheung, Y. C., Lam, H. Y. S., Yuen, J. W., & St‐Hilaire, S. (2025) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.5245384
Subaie, H. A. A., Farooq, W., Qureshi, K. K., Hafedh, Y. A., Romero-Villegas, G. I., & Fuentes-Grünewald, C. (2026) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.6037402
Building-Integrated Solar Delivery Strategies for Algae Photobioreactors in Cold Climates
Ardabili, N. G., Elmi, M., & Wang, J. (2026) · Buildings · doi:10.3390/buildings16020391
Algae-based alternative fuel feedstocks
Malik, M. A. I., Kalam, M. A., Abbas, M., Silitonga, A. S., & Naqvi, M. (2026) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-40354-5.00005-9
- Authors
- Pankratz, S., Oyedun, A. O., & Kumar, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Alberta (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Kumar, Amit
- Venue
- Biofuels Bioproducts and Biorefining
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2019-05-02
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1246-1260
- ISSN
- 1932-1031 (ISSN-L)
- 1932-104X
- OpenAlex
- W2942647569
- Cited by
- 27
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 2
- FWCI
- 0.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Biofuels Bioproducts and Biorefining (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Alberta Innovates
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Algal biology and biofuel production
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agronomy and Crop Science › Bioenergy crop production and management
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics
- Keywords
- microalgae cultivation, techno-economic analysis, photobioreactors, raceway ponds, cold climate, Alberta, biofuel feedstock, capital costs
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
