Computational Sustainability Assessment of Algal Biofuels and Bioproducts for Commercial Applications

• Other Authors: Barr, William James (Author)
• Format: Doctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Environmental engineering; Sustainability; Algae; Biofuel; Life cycle assessment; Nutraceuticals; Techno-economic analysis
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.38521

abstract: To date, the production of algal biofuels is not economically sustainable due to the cost of production and the low cost of conventional fuels. As a result, interest has been shifting to high value products in the algae community to make up for the low economic potential of algal biofuels. The economic potential of high-value products does not however, eliminate the need to consider the environmental impacts. The majority of the environmental impacts associated with algal biofuels overlap with algal bioproducts in general (high-energy dewatering) due to the similarities in their production pathways. Selecting appropriate product sets is a critical step in the commercialization of algal biorefineries. This thesis evaluates the potential of algae multiproduct biorefineries for the production of fuel and high-value products to be economically self-sufficient and still contribute to climate change mandates laid out by the government via the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007. This research demonstrates: 1) The environmental impacts of algal omega-3 fatty acid production can be lower than conventional omega-3 fatty acid production, depending on the dewatering strategy. 2) The production of high-value products can support biofuels with both products being sold at prices comparable to 2016 prices. 3) There is a tradeoff between revenue and fuel production 4) There is a tradeoff between the net energy ratio of the algal biorefinery and the economic viability due to the lower fuel production in a multi-product model that produces high-value products and diesel vs. the lower economic potential from a multi-product model that just produces diesel. This work represents the first efforts to use life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis to assess the economic and environmental sustainability of an existing pilot-scale biorefinery tasked with the production of high-value products and biofuels. This thesis also identifies improvements for multiproduct algal biorefineries that will achieve environmentally sustainable biofuel and products while maintaining economic viability. === Dissertation/Thesis === Doctoral Dissertation Civil and Environmental Engineering 2016