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Microalgal biomass production pathways: evaluation of life cycle environmental impacts
Open accessAbstract
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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“Long-term sustainability considerations, including land use competition and lifecycle environmental impacts, necessitate strategic planning and mitigation measures [32].”
From A Holistic Approach to Circular Bioeconomy Through the Sustainable Utilization of Microalgal Biomass for Biofuel and Other Value-Added Products (2024) · cites this paper as [32]
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“Integrating microalgae biofuel production systems into existing energy infrastructure and supply chains presents logistical and technical challenges.”
From A Holistic Approach to Circular Bioeconomy Through the Sustainable Utilization of Microalgal Biomass for Biofuel and Other Value-Added Products (2024) · cites this paper as [32]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Zaimes, G. G., & Khanna, V.
- Affiliations
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- Corresponding author
- Khanna, Vikas
- Venue
- Biotechnology for Biofuels
- Published
- 2013
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 88
- ISSN
- 1754-6834 (ISSN-L)
- 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
- gold
- doi.org
- 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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