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Cited by 133Algal biology and biofuel productionEnvironmental Impact and SustainabilityBioenergy crop production and management

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 73 of the 74 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Microalgal biomass production pathways: evaluation of life cycle environmental impacts

Open access
Zaimes, George G, Khanna, Vikas·2013·Biotechnology for Biofuels
DOI 10.1186/1754-6834-6-88PMC PMC3693881
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Microalgae are touted as an attractive alternative to traditional forms of biomass for biofuel production, due to high productivity, ability to be cultivated on marginal lands, and potential to utilize carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial flue gas. This work examines the fossil energy return on investment (EROIfossil), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and direct Water Demands (WD) of producing dried algal biomass through the cultivation of microalgae in Open Raceway Ponds (ORP) for 21 geographic locations in the contiguous United States (U.S.). For each location, comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) is performed for multiple microalgal biomass production pathways, consisting of a combination of cultivation and harvesting options. RESULTS: Results indicate that the EROIfossil for microalgae biomass vary from 0.38 to 1.08 with life cycle GHG emissions of -46.2 to 48.9 (g CO2 eq/MJ-biomass) and direct WDs of 20.8 to 38.8 (Liters/MJ-biomass) over the range of scenarios analyzed. Further anaylsis reveals that the EROIfossil for production pathways is relatively location invariant, and that algae's life cycle energy balance and GHG impacts are highly dependent on cultivation and harvesting parameters. Contrarily, algae's direct water demands were found to be highly sensitive to geographic location, and thus may be a constraining factor in sustainable algal-derived biofuel production. Additionally, scenarios with promising EROIfossil and GHG emissions profiles are plagued with high technological uncertainty. CONCLUSIONS: Given the high variability in microalgae's energy and environmental performance, careful evaluation of the algae-to-fuel supply chain is necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of emerging algal biofuel systems. Alternative production scenarios and technologies may have the potential to reduce the critical demands of biomass production, and should be considered to make algae a viable and more efficient biofuel alternative.

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Crossref · 10.1186/1754-6834-6-88

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Figure 1 Microalgae biomass production chain and examined production pathways.
Figure 1 Microalgae biomass production chain and examined production pathways.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 2 Life cycle energy analysis for Phoenix, Arizona. Detailed description for scenarios A-H are provided in Table 1.
Figure 2 Life cycle energy analysis for Phoenix, Arizona. Detailed description for scenarios A-H are provided in Table 1.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 3 Life cycle GHG analysis for Phoenix, Arizona. Detailed description for scenarios A-H are provided in Table 1.
Figure 3 Life cycle GHG analysis for Phoenix, Arizona. Detailed description for scenarios A-H are provided in Table 1.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 4 Sensitivity analysis for Phoenix, Arizona. Detailed description for sensitivity parameters are provided in Table 2.
Figure 4 Sensitivity analysis for Phoenix, Arizona. Detailed description for sensitivity parameters are provided in Table 2.CC BY · PubMed Central

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Metadata

Authors
Zaimes, G. G., & Khanna, V.
Affiliations
University of Pittsburgh (US)
Corresponding author
Khanna, Vikas
ORCID
Venue
Biotechnology for Biofuels
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2013
Volume
6
Issue
1
Pages
88
ISSN
1754-6834 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/1754-6834-6-88
PMC
PMC3693881
OpenAlex
W2062546573
Cited by
133
References
74
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 2
FWCI
4.85
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Biotechnology for Biofuels (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • D-Scholarship@Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) (acceptedVersion)
Funders
University of Pittsburgh
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Algal biology and biofuel production
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Environmental Impact and Sustainability
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agronomy and Crop Science › Bioenergy crop production and management
Keywords
microalgae, algal biofuels, raceway ponds, life cycle assessment, energy return on investment, greenhouse gas emissions, water demand, algal harvesting, cultivation parameters

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