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Razon LF, Valera-Medina A. A Comparative Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of the Combustion of Ammonia/Methane Fuels in a Tangential Swirl Burner. FRONTIERS IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fceng.2021.631397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ammonia has been proposed as a replacement for fossil fuels. Like hydrogen, emissions from the combustion of ammonia are carbon-free. Unlike hydrogen, ammonia is more energy dense, less explosive, and there exists extensive experience in its distribution. However, ammonia has a low flame speed and combustion emits nitrogen oxides. Ammonia is produced via the Haber-Bosch process which consumes large amounts of fossil fuels and requires high temperatures and pressures. A life cycle assessment to determine potential environmental advantages and disadvantages of using ammonia is necessary. In this work, emissions data from experiments with generating heat from tangential swirl burners using ammonia cofired with methane employing currently available technologies were utilized to estimate the environmental impacts that may be expected. Seven ammonia sources were combined with two methane sources to create 14 scenarios. The impacts from these 14 scenarios were compared to those expected from using pure methane. The results show that using ammonia from present-day commercial production methods will result in worse global warming potentials than using methane to generate the same amount of heat. Only two scenarios, methane from biogas combined with ammonia from hydrogen from electricity and nuclear power via electrolysis and subsequent ammonia synthesis using nitrogen from the air, showed reductions in global warming potential. Subsequent analysis of other environmental impacts for these two scenarios showed potentially lower impacts for respiratory organics, terrestrial acidification-nutrification and aquatic acidification depending on how the burner is operated. The other eight environmental impacts were worse than the methane scenario because of activities intrinsic to the generation of electricity via wind power and nuclear fission. The results show that generating heat from a tangential swirl burner using ammonia currently available technologies will not necessarily result in improved environmental benefits in all categories. Improvements in renewable energy technologies could change these results positively. Other means of producing ammonia and improved means of converting ammonia to energy must continue to be explored.
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Choudhary P, Assemany PP, Naaz F, Bhattacharya A, Castro JDS, Couto EDADC, Calijuri ML, Pant KK, Malik A. A review of biochemical and thermochemical energy conversion routes of wastewater grown algal biomass. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 726:137961. [PMID: 32334349 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2019] [Revised: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Microalgae are recognized as a potential source of biomass for obtaining bioenergy. However, the lack of studies towards economic viability and environmental sustainability of the entire production chain limits its large-scale application. The use of wastewaters economizes natural resources used for algal biomass cultivation. However, desirable biomass characteristics for a good fuel may be impaired when wastewaters are used, namely low lipid content and high ash and protein contents. Thus, the choice of wastewaters with more favorable characteristics may be one way of obtaining a more balanced macromolecular composition of the algal biomass and therefore, a more suitable feedstock for the desired energetic route. The exploration of biorefinery concept and the use of wastewaters as culture medium are considered as the main strategic tools in the search of this viability. Considering the economics of overall process, direct utilization of wet biomass using hydrothermal liquefaction or hydrothermal carbonization and anaerobic digestion is recommended. Among the explored routes, anaerobic digestion is the most studied process. However, some main challenges remain as little explored, such as a low energy pretreatment and suitable and large-scale reactors for algal biomass digestion. On the other hand, thermochemical conversion routes offer better valorization of the algal biomass but have higher costs. A biorefinery combining anaerobic digestion, hydrothermal carbonization and hydrothermal liquefaction processes would provide the maximum possible output from the biomass depending on its characteristics. Therefore, the choice must be made in an integrated way, aiming at optimizing the quality of the final product to be obtained. Life cycle assessment studies are critical for scaling up of any algal biomass valorization technique for sustainability. Although there are limitations, suitable integrations of these processes would enable to make an economically feasible process which require further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poonam Choudhary
- Applied Microbiology Laboratory, Centre for Rural Development and Technology, IIT Delhi, 110016, India
| | - Paula Peixoto Assemany
- Universidade Federal de Viçosa/Civil Engineering Department, Avenida PH Rolfs s/n, 36570-900 Viçosa, MG, Brazil.
| | - Farah Naaz
- Applied Microbiology Laboratory, Centre for Rural Development and Technology, IIT Delhi, 110016, India
| | - Arghya Bhattacharya
- Applied Microbiology Laboratory, Centre for Rural Development and Technology, IIT Delhi, 110016, India
| | - Jackeline de Siqueira Castro
- Universidade Federal de Viçosa/Civil Engineering Department, Avenida PH Rolfs s/n, 36570-900 Viçosa, MG, Brazil.
| | - Eduardo de Aguiar do Couto Couto
- Universidade Federal de Itajubá/Itabira campus, Instituto de Ciências Puras e Aplicadas, Rua Irmã Ivone Drummond, 200, 35903-087 Itabira, MG, Brazil.
| | - Maria Lúcia Calijuri
- Universidade Federal de Viçosa/Civil Engineering Department, Avenida PH Rolfs s/n, 36570-900 Viçosa, MG, Brazil.
| | - Kamal Kishore Pant
- Catalytic Reaction Engineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Delhi, 110016, India.
| | - Anushree Malik
- Applied Microbiology Laboratory, Centre for Rural Development and Technology, IIT Delhi, 110016, India.
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Jahandideh A, Johnson TJ, Esmaeili N, Johnson MD, Richardson JW, Muthukumarappan K, Anderson GA, Halfmann C, Zhou R, Gibbons WR. Life cycle analysis of a large-scale limonene production facility utilizing filamentous N2-fixing cyanobacteria. ALGAL RES 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2017.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Daelman MRJ, Sorokin D, Kruse O, van Loosdrecht MCM, Strous M. Haloalkaline Bioconversions for Methane Production from Microalgae Grown on Sunlight. Trends Biotechnol 2016; 34:450-457. [PMID: 26968613 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2016.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2015] [Revised: 02/11/2016] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Microalgal biomass can be converted to biofuels to replace nonsustainable fossil fuels, but the widespread use of microalgal biofuels remains hampered by the high energetic and monetary costs related to carbon dioxide supply and downstream processing. Growing microalgae in mixed culture biofilms reduces energy demands for mixing, maintaining axenic conditions, and biomass concentration. Furthermore, maintaining a high pH improves carbon dioxide absorption rates and inorganic carbon solubility, thus overcoming the carbon limitation and increasing the volumetric productivity of the microalgal biomass. Digesting the microalgal biomass anaerobically at high pH results in biogas that is enriched in methane, while the dissolved carbon dioxide is recycled to the phototrophic reactor. All of the required haloalkaline conversions are known in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dimitry Sorokin
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University, Delft, The Netherlands; Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Olaf Kruse
- Bielefeld University, Faculty of Biology, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Universitätsstraße 27, D-33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | | | - Marc Strous
- Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
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Gonzalez-Fernandez C, Sialve B, Molinuevo-Salces B. Anaerobic digestion of microalgal biomass: Challenges, opportunities and research needs. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2015; 198:896-906. [PMID: 26454349 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.09.095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2015] [Revised: 09/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Integration of anaerobic digestion (AD) with microalgae processes has become a key topic to support economic and environmental development of this resource. Compared with other substrates, microalgae can be produced close to the plant without the need for arable lands and be fully integrated within a biorefinery. As a limiting step, anaerobic hydrolysis appears to be one of the most challenging steps to reach a positive economic balance and to completely exploit the potential of microalgae for biogas and fertilizers production. This review covers recent investigations dealing with microalgae AD and highlights research opportunities and needs to support the development of this resource. Novel approaches to increase hydrolysis rate, the importance of the reactor design and the noteworthiness of the microbial anaerobic community are addressed. Finally, the integration of AD with microalgae processes and the potential of the carboxylate platform for chemicals and biofuels production are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bruno Sialve
- INRA, Laboratoire de Biotechnologie de l'Environnement, Avenue des Etangs, Narbonne F-11100, France
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Do Nascimento M, Sanchez Rizza L, Arruebarrena Di Palma A, Dublan MDLA, Salerno G, Rubio LM, Curatti L. Cyanobacterial biological nitrogen fixation as a sustainable nitrogen fertilizer for the production of microalgal oil. ALGAL RES 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2015.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Sarkar D, Shimizu K. An overview on biofuel and biochemical production by photosynthetic microorganisms with understanding of the metabolism and by metabolic engineering together with efficient cultivation and downstream processing. BIORESOUR BIOPROCESS 2015. [DOI: 10.1186/s40643-015-0045-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
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Markou G, Vandamme D, Muylaert K. Microalgal and cyanobacterial cultivation: the supply of nutrients. WATER RESEARCH 2014; 65:186-202. [PMID: 25113948 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2014.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 206] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2014] [Revised: 06/16/2014] [Accepted: 07/17/2014] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Microalgae and cyanobacteria are a promising new source of biomass that may complement agricultural crops to meet the increasing global demand for food, feed, biofuels and chemical production. Microalgae and cyanobacteria cultivation does not interfere directly with food production, but care should be taken to avoid indirect competition for nutrient (fertilizer) supply. Microalgae and cyanobacteria production requires high concentrations of essential nutrients (C,N,P,S,K,Fe, etc.). In the present paper the application of nutrients and their uptake by microalgae and cyanobacteria is reviewed. The main focus is on the three most significant nutrients, i.e. carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus; however other nutrients are also reviewed. Nutrients are generally taken up in the inorganic form, but several organic forms of them are also assimilable. Some nutrients do not display any inhibition effect on microalgal or cyanobacterial growth, while others, such as NO2 or NH3 have detrimental effects when present in high concentrations. Nutrients in the gaseous form, such as CO2 and NO face a major limitation which is related mainly to their mass transfer from the gaseous to the liquid state. Since the cultivation of microalgae and cyanobacteria consumes considerable quantities of nutrients, strategies to improve the nutrient application efficiency are needed. Additionally, a promising strategy to improve microalgal and cyanobacterial production sustainability is the utilization of waste streams by recycling of waste nutrients. However, major constraints of using waste streams are the reduction of the range of the biomass applications due to production of contaminated biomass and the possible low bio-availability of some nutrients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgos Markou
- Department of Natural Resources Management and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece.
| | - Dries Vandamme
- Laboratory Aquatic Biology, KU Leuven Kulak, E. Sabbelaan 53, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Koenraad Muylaert
- Laboratory Aquatic Biology, KU Leuven Kulak, E. Sabbelaan 53, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
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Photosynthetic approaches to chemical biotechnology. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2013; 24:1031-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2013.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2012] [Revised: 03/13/2013] [Accepted: 03/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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