Techno-economic and life-cycle assessment of an attached growth algal biorefinery

[Display omitted] •Experimentally validated model of renewable fuel from rotating algal biofilm reactor.•Economic analysis finds an optimized fuel selling price of $11.80per gallon.•Life-cycle assessment shows optimized NER of 0.33 and GWP of −44gCO2-eMJ−1.•Integration of wastewater treatment signif...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bioresource technology 2016-11, Vol.220, p.360-368
Main Authors: Barlow, Jay, Sims, Ronald C., Quinn, Jason C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algal biofilm
Biofilms - growth & development
Biofuels
Biomass
Bioreactors
Biotechnology - economics
Costs and Cost Analysis
Greenhouse gas emissions
Hydrothermal liquefaction
Models, Theoretical
Net energy ratio
Pilot Projects
Renewable fuel
Sustainability
Waste Water - analysis
Wastewater treatment
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Summary:[Display omitted] •Experimentally validated model of renewable fuel from rotating algal biofilm reactor.•Economic analysis finds an optimized fuel selling price of $11.80per gallon.•Life-cycle assessment shows optimized NER of 0.33 and GWP of −44gCO2-eMJ−1.•Integration of wastewater treatment significantly reduces environmental impact. This study examined the sustainability of generating renewable diesel via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of biomass from a rotating algal biofilm reactor. Pilot-scale growth studies and laboratory-scale HTL experiments were used to validate an engineering system model. The engineering system model served as the foundation to evaluate the economic feasibility and environmental impact of the system at full scale. Techno-economic results indicate that biomass feedstock costs dominated the minimum fuel selling price (MFSP), with a base case of $104.31per gallon. Life-cycle assessment results show a base-case global warming potential (GWP) of 80gCO2-eMJ−1 and net energy ratio (NER) of 1.65 based on a well-to-product system boundary. Optimization of the system reduces MFSP, GWP and NER to $11.90Gal−1, −44gCO2-eMJ−1, and 0.33, respectively. The systems-level impacts of integrating algae cultivation with wastewater treatment were found to significantly reduce environmental impact. Sensitivity analysis showed that algal productivity most significantly affected fuel selling price, emphasizing the importance of optimizing biomass productivity.
ISSN:0960-8524
1873-2976
DOI:10.1016/j.biortech.2016.08.091