CO2 recycling using microalgae for the production of fuels
Open accessAbstract
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 biomass—to 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/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 $225/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.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
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?
Crocker and co-workers explored deoxygenation of algae oils from Scenedesmus acutus grown on power plant flue gas as a carbon source using nickel-based catalysts.
“Crocker and co-workers explored deoxygenation of algae oils from Scenedesmus acutus grown on power plant flue gas as a carbon source using nickel-based catalysts (71, 89-91).”
From Catalytic Hydroprocessing of Single-Cell Oils to Hydrocarbon Fuels: Converting microbial lipids to fuels is a promising approach to replace fossil fuels (2021) · cites this paper as [91]
The Ni-Al layered double hydroxide catalyst showed significantly less deactivation at 300°C.
“In particular, the Ni-Al layered double hydroxide catalyst showed significantly less deactivation at 300°C.”
From Catalytic Hydroprocessing of Single-Cell Oils to Hydrocarbon Fuels: Converting microbial lipids to fuels is a promising approach to replace fossil fuels (2021) · cites this paper as [91]
K10 montmorillonite appeared to be a more effective adsorbent than activated carbon, resulting in a greater fraction of products in the diesel range.
“K10 montmorillonite appeared to be a more effective adsorbent than activated carbon, resulting in a greater fraction of products in the diesel range.”
From Catalytic Hydroprocessing of Single-Cell Oils to Hydrocarbon Fuels: Converting microbial lipids to fuels is a promising approach to replace fossil fuels (2021) · cites this paper as [91]
The cleanup procedures were effective at removing chlorophyll and other pigments, magnesium and phosphorus.
“the lipids were purified by column chromatography using either K10 montmorillonite clay or activated carbon with silica gel, which was effective at removing chlorophyll and other pigments, magnesium and phosphorus.”
From Catalytic Hydroprocessing of Single-Cell Oils to Hydrocarbon Fuels: Converting microbial lipids to fuels is a promising approach to replace fossil fuels (2021) · cites this paper as [91]
The lipids used by Crocker and co-workers were purified by column chromatography using either K10 montmorillonite clay or activated carbon with silica gel.
“the lipids were purified by column chromatography using either K10 montmorillonite clay or activated carbon with silica gel, which was effective at removing chlorophyll and other pigments, magnesium and phosphorus.”
From Catalytic Hydroprocessing of Single-Cell Oils to Hydrocarbon Fuels: Converting microbial lipids to fuels is a promising approach to replace fossil fuels (2021) · cites this paper as [91]
Commercial algae cultivation can capture and sequester nearly two tons of CO2 for every ton of algae produced.
“Currently, commercial algae cultivation can capture and sequester nearly two tons of CO 2 for every ton of algae produced [82], making it a highly effective method for carbon storage compared to terrestrial plants.”
From A Review of Algae-Based Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (Algae-Based CCUS) (2024) · cites this paper as [82]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
The citation lists haven’t been fetched yet
References 35 · Cited by 66
- Authors
- Wilson, M. H., Groppo, J., Placido, A., Graham, S., Morton, S. A., Santillan-Jimenez, E., Shea, A., Crocker, M., Crofcheck, C., & Andrews, R.
- Affiliations
- University of Kentucky (US)
- James Madison University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Crocker, M.
- Venue
- Applied Petrochemical Research
- Published
- 2014-03-21
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 41-53
- ISSN
- 2190-5525 (ISSN-L)
- 2190-5533
- OpenAlex
- W2019253603
- Cited by
- 66
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 1.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Applied Petrochemical Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- UKnowledge (University of Kentucky) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Duke Energy
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Algal biology and biofuel production
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Carbon Dioxide Capture Technologies
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction
- Keywords
- CO2 capture, CO2 recycling, microalgae, Scenedesmus acutus, flue gas, coal-fired power plants, photobioreactors, algal biomass productivity, catalytic deoxygenation, diesel-range hydrocarbons
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
