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Ezhumalai G, Arun M, Manavalan A, Rajkumar R, Heese K. A Holistic Approach to Circular Bioeconomy Through the Sustainable Utilization of Microalgal Biomass for Biofuel and Other Value-Added Products. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2024; 87:61. [PMID: 38662080 PMCID: PMC11045622 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-024-02376-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Emissions from transportation and industry primarily cause global warming, leading to floods, glacier melt, and rising seas. Widespread greenhouse gas emissions and resulting global warming pose significant risks to the environment, economy, and society. The need for alternative fuels drives the development of third-generation feedstocks: microalgae, seaweed, and cyanobacteria. These microalgae offer traits like rapid growth, high lipid content, non-competition with human food, and growth on non-arable land using brackish or waste water, making them promising for biofuel. These unique phototrophic organisms use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce biofuels, biochemicals, and more. This review delves into the realm of microalgal biofuels, exploring contemporary methodologies employed for lipid extraction, significant value-added products, and the challenges inherent in their commercial-scale production. While the cost of microalgae bioproducts remains high, utilizing wastewater nutrients for cultivation could substantially cut production costs. Furthermore, this review summarizes the significance of biocircular economy approaches, which encompass the utilization of microalgal biomass as a feed supplement and biofertilizer, and biosorption of heavy metals and dyes. Besides, the discussion extends to the in-depth analysis and future prospects on the commercial potential of biofuel within the context of sustainable development. An economically efficient microalgae biorefinery should prioritize affordable nutrient inputs, efficient harvesting techniques, and the generation of valuable by-products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganesan Ezhumalai
- Department of Environmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641046, India
| | - Muthukrishnan Arun
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641046, India
| | - Arulmani Manavalan
- Department of Cariology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600077, India
| | - Renganathan Rajkumar
- Department of Environmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641046, India.
| | - Klaus Heese
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 133791, Republic of Korea.
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Joseph J, Ray JG. A critical review of soil algae as a crucial soil biological component of high ecological and economic significance. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2024; 60:229-253. [PMID: 38502571 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Aero-terrestrial algae are ecologically and economically valuable bioresources contributing to carbon sequestration, sustenance of soil health, and fertility. Compared to aquatic algae, the literature on subaerial algae is minimal, including studies of distinctive habitats such as forest soils, agricultural fields, deserts, polar regions, specific subaerial zones, artificial structures, and tropical soils. The primary goal here was to identify the gaps and scope of research on such algae. Accordingly, the literature was analyzed per sub-themes, such as the "nature of current research data on terrestrial algae," "methodological approaches," "diversity," "environmental relationships," "ecological roles," and "economic significance." The review showed there is a high diversity of algae in soils, especially members belonging to the Cyanophyta (Cyanobacteria) and Chlorophyta. Algal distributions in terrestrial environments depend on the microhabitat conditions, and many species of soil algae are sensitive to specific soil conditions. The ecological significance of soil algae includes primary production, the release of biochemical stimulants and plant growth promoters into soils, nitrogen fixation, solubilization of minerals, and the enhancement and maintenance of soil fertility. Since aero-terrestrial habitats are generally stressed environments, algae of such environments can be rich in rare metabolites and natural products. For example, epilithic soil algae use wet adhesive molecules to fix them firmly on the substratum. Exploring the ecological roles and economic utility of soil and other subaerial algae could be helpful for the development of algae-based industries and for achieving sustainable soil management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jebin Joseph
- Department of Botany, St Berchmans College, Changanacherry, Kerala, India
- Laboratory of Ecology and Plant Science, School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India
| | - Joseph George Ray
- School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India
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Zhang X, An L, Tian J, Ji B, Lu J, Liu Y. Microalgal capture of carbon dioxide: A carbon sink or source? BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2023; 390:129824. [PMID: 37852507 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
The rapidly evolving global warming is triggering all levels of actions to reduce industrial carbon emissions, while capturing carbon dioxide of industrial origin via microalgae has attracted increasing attention. This article attempted to offer preliminary analysis on the carbon capture potential of microalgal cultivation. It was shown that the energy consumption-associated with operation and nutrient input could significantly contribute to indirect carbon emissions, making the microalgal capture of carbon dioxide much less effective. In fact, the current microalgae processes may not be environmentally sustainable and economically viable in the scenario where the carbon footprints of both upstream and downstream processing are considered. To address these challenging issues, renewable energy (e.g., solar energy) and cheap nutrient source (e.g., municipal wastewater) should be explored to cut off the indirect carbon emissions of microalgae cultivation, meanwhile produced microalgae, without further processing, should be ideally used as biofertilizer or aquafeeds for realizing complete nutrients recycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyuan Zhang
- Engineering Laboratory of Low-Carbon Unconventional Water Resources Utilization and Water Quality Assurance, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China; Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Ministry of Education, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Lei An
- Engineering Laboratory of Low-Carbon Unconventional Water Resources Utilization and Water Quality Assurance, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Junli Tian
- Engineering Laboratory of Low-Carbon Unconventional Water Resources Utilization and Water Quality Assurance, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Bin Ji
- Department of Water and Wastewater Engineering, School of Urban Construction, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, China
| | - Jinfeng Lu
- Engineering Laboratory of Low-Carbon Unconventional Water Resources Utilization and Water Quality Assurance, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China; Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Ministry of Education, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Engineering Laboratory of Low-Carbon Unconventional Water Resources Utilization and Water Quality Assurance, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China; Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Ministry of Education, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China.
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Valizadeh S, Hakimian H, Farooq A, Jeon BH, Chen WH, Hoon Lee S, Jung SC, Won Seo M, Park YK. Valorization of biomass through gasification for green hydrogen generation: A comprehensive review. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 365:128143. [PMID: 36265786 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.128143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Green and sustainable hydrogen from biomass gasification processes is one of the promising ways to alternate fossil fuels-based hydrogen production. First off, an overview of green hydrogen generation from biomass gasification processes is presented and the corresponding possible gasification reactions and the effect of respective experimental criteria are explained in detail. In addition, a comprehensive explanation of the catalytic effect on tar reduction and hydrogen generation via catalytic gasification is presented regarding the functional mechanisms of various types of catalysts. Furthermore, the commercialization aspects, the associated technical challenges and barriers, and the prospects of a biomass gasification process for green hydrogen generation are discussed. Finally, this comprehensive review provides the related advancements, challenges, and great insight of biomass gasification for the green hydrogen generation to realize a sustainable hydrogen society via biomass valorization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soheil Valizadeh
- School of Environmental Engineering, University of Seoul, Seoul 02504, Republic of Korea
| | - Hanie Hakimian
- School of Environmental Engineering, University of Seoul, Seoul 02504, Republic of Korea
| | - Abid Farooq
- School of Environmental Engineering, University of Seoul, Seoul 02504, Republic of Korea
| | - Byong-Hun Jeon
- Department of Earth Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Wei-Hsin Chen
- Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan; Research Center for Smart Sustainable Circular Economy, Tunghai University, Taichung 407, Taiwan; Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung 411, Taiwan
| | - See Hoon Lee
- Department of Mineral Res. and Energy Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea; Department of Environment & Energy, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Chul Jung
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Republic of Korea
| | - Myung Won Seo
- School of Environmental Engineering, University of Seoul, Seoul 02504, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Kwon Park
- School of Environmental Engineering, University of Seoul, Seoul 02504, Republic of Korea.
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Biodiesel production from microalgae using lipase-based catalysts: Current challenges and prospects. ALGAL RES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2021.102616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Production of Microalgal Biomass in Photobioreactors as Feedstock for Bioenergy and Other Uses: A Techno-Economic Study of Harvesting Stage. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/app11104386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The cultivation of microalgae has become a viable option to mitigate increase in CO2 in the atmosphere generated by industrial activities since they can capture CO2 as a carbon source for growth. Besides, they produce significant amounts of oils, carbohydrates, proteins, and other compounds of economic interest. There are several investigations related to the process, however, there is still no optimal scenario, since may depend on the final use of the biomass. The objective of this work was to develop a techno-economic evaluation of various technologies in harvesting and drying stages. The techno-economic estimation of these technologies provides a variety of production scenarios. Photobioreactors were used considering 1 ha as a cultivation area and a biomass production of 22.66 g/m2/day and a CO2 capture of 148.4 tons/ha/year was estimated. The production scenarios considered in this study have high energy demand and high operating costs (12.09–12.51 kWh/kg and US $210.05–214.59/kg). These results are mainly a consequence of the use of tubular photobioreactors as a biomass culture system. However, the use of photobioreactors in the production of microalgal biomass allows it to be obtained in optimal conditions for its use in the food or pharmaceutical industry.
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Wu W, Chang JS. Integrated algal biorefineries from process systems engineering aspects: A review. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2019; 291:121939. [PMID: 31400827 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.121939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In the light of microalgae rich in proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, development of multi-product biorefinery from microalgae has become a promising approach towards commercialization of microalgae-based products. This review discusses an integrated algal biorefinery (IABR) based on a combination of four microalgae-to-products chains for the production of biofuels, biopower, and byproducts. Two systematic analytical approaches by life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic assessment (TEA) are used to quantify the economic and environmental benefits. From process systems engineering (PSE) aspects, the approach procedures include that (i) the engineering process model serves as the foundation for assessment, (ii) an IABR is generated via process design, simulation, and integration, and (iii) the multi-objective optimization of an IABR with respect to economic and environmental issues is addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
| | - Jo-Shu Chang
- Research Center for Energy Technology and Strategy, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
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Khoo CG, Dasan YK, Lam MK, Lee KT. Algae biorefinery: Review on a broad spectrum of downstream processes and products. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2019; 292:121964. [PMID: 31451339 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.121964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Revised: 08/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Algae biomass comprises variety of biochemicals components such as carbohydrates, lipids and protein, which make them a feasible feedstock for biofuel production. However, high production cost mainly due to algae cultivation remains the main challenge in commercializing algae biofuels. Hence, extraction of other high value-added bioproducts from algae biomass is necessary to enhance the economic feasibility of algae biofuel production. This paper is aims to deliberate the recent developments of conventional technologies for algae biofuels production, such as biochemical and chemical conversion pathways, and extraction of a variety of bioproducts from algae biomass for various potential applications. Besides, life cycle evaluation studies on microalgae biorefinery are presented, focusing on case studies for various cultivation techniques, culture medium, harvesting, and dewatering techniques along with biofuel and bioenergy production pathways. Overall, the algae biorefinery provides new opportunities for valorisation of algae biomass for multiple products synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Choon Gek Khoo
- School of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Yaleeni Kanna Dasan
- Chemical Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia; Centre for Biofuel and Biochemical Research, Institute of Self-Sustainable Building, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia
| | - Man Kee Lam
- Chemical Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia; Centre for Biofuel and Biochemical Research, Institute of Self-Sustainable Building, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia
| | - Keat Teong Lee
- School of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia.
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Morales M, Hélias A, Bernard O. Optimal integration of microalgae production with photovoltaic panels: environmental impacts and energy balance. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2019; 12:239. [PMID: 31624501 PMCID: PMC6781331 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-019-1579-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Microalgae are 10 to 20 times more productive than the current agricultural biodiesel producing oleaginous crops. However, they require larger energy supplies, so that their environmental impacts remain uncertain, as illustrated by the contradictory results in the literature. Besides, solar radiation is often too high relative to the photosynthetic capacity of microalgae. This leads to photosaturation, photoinhibition, overheating and eventually induces mortality. Shadowing microalgae with solar panels would, therefore, be a promising solution for both increasing productivity during hotter periods and producing local electricity for the process. The main objective of this study is to measure, via LCA framework, the energy performance and environmental impact of microalgae biodiesel produced in a solar greenhouse, alternating optimal microalgae species and photovoltaic panel (PV) coverage. A mathematical model is simulated to investigate the microalgae productivity in raceways under meteorological conditions in Sophia Antipolis (south of France) at variable coverture percentages (0% to 90%) of CIGS solar panels on greenhouses constructed with low-emissivity (low-E) glass. RESULTS A trade-off must be met between electricity and biomass production, as a larger photovoltaic coverture would limit microalgae production. From an energetic point of view, the optimal configuration lies between 10 and 20% of PV coverage. Nevertheless, from an environmental point of view, the best option is 50% PV coverage. However, the difference between impact assessments obtained for 20% and 50% PV is negligible, while the NER is 48% higher for 20% PV than for 50% PV coverage. Hence, a 20% coverture of photovoltaic panels is the best scenario from an energetic and environmental point of view. CONCLUSIONS In comparison with the cultivation of microalgae without PV, the use of photovoltaic panels triggers a synergetic effect, sourcing local electricity and reducing climate change impacts. Considering an economic approach, low photovoltaic panel coverage would probably be more attractive. However, even with a 10% area of photovoltaic panels, the environmental footprint would already significantly decrease. It is expected that significant improvements in microalgae productivity or more advanced production processes should rapidly enhance these performances.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arnaud Hélias
- Laboratoire de Biotechnologie de l’Environnement, Montpellier SupAgro, INRA, Univ Montpellier, 2 Place Pierre Viala, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 1, France
- Elsa, Research Group for Environmental Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, Montpellier, France
| | - Olivier Bernard
- INRIA BIOCORE, BP 93, 06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France
- Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim, Norway
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Wu W, Lei YC, Chang JS. Life cycle assessment of upgraded microalgae-to-biofuel chains. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2019; 288:121492. [PMID: 31125937 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.121492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Two individual chains of microalgae-to-diesel and microalgae-to-butanol were upgraded through process integration and design. According to life cycle assessment (LCA) standards, the two proposed chains were compared in terms of 17 categories of LCA impacts and the sensitivity analysis of LCA impacts on two chains with different lipid or carbohydrate content of microalgae cells was performed. Based on the prescribed specifications and conditions for microalgae cultivation, pretreatment and purity level of the products, LCA analysis revealed that the annual ReCiPe end point score of producing 1 kg biobutanol is lower than that of 1 kg biodiesel by 54.4%. The upgraded microalgae-to-butanol chain could reduce the annual ReCiPe end point score of producing 100 MJ diesel/gasoline from crude oil by 5-10%. The microalgae-to-butanol chain is more ecofriendly than the microalgae-to-diesel chain due to lower LCA impacts such as Climate change human health, Climate change ecosystems, and Fossil depletion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
| | - Yi-Chun Lei
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
| | - Jo-Shu Chang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan; Research Center for Energy Technology and Strategy, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan; Research Center for Circular Economy, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan; College of Engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung 407, Taiwan.
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Wu W, Lin KH, Chang JS. Economic and life-cycle greenhouse gas optimization of microalgae-to-biofuels chains. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2018; 267:550-559. [PMID: 30053713 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.07.083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Revised: 07/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The new microalgae-to-biofuels chains for producing diesel and ethanol simultaneously are presented. The techno-economic analysis shows that the break-even prices of diesel and ethanol are estimated about US$0.49/kg and US$2.61/kg, respectively, the internal rate of return (IRR) is close to 29.21%, and the commercial prices and yield of products dominate the profitability of this project. According to life cycle analysis (LCA) standards, the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for producing diesel and ethanol are 0.039 kg CO2-eq/MJ FAME and 0.112 kg CO2-eq/MJ EtOH, respectively. It is verified that the process integration of the heat recovery scheme, the entrainer recovery tower, and CO2 recycling can effectively reduce life-cycle GHG emissions of this design. Through a specific optimization algorithm under different lipid contents and 180 scenario combinations for the cultivation and pretreatment processes, the compromise solutions between the maximum total revenue and the minimum environmental impact can be found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
| | - Keng-Hsien Lin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
| | - Jo-Shu Chang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan; Research Center for Energy Technology and Strategy, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
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Gnansounou E, Raman JK. Environmental performances of coproducts. Application of Claiming-Based Allocation models to straw and vetiver biorefineries in an Indian context. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2018; 262:203-211. [PMID: 29705612 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.04.090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Revised: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/21/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Among the renewables, non-food and wastelands based biofuels are essential for the transport sector to achieve country's climate mitigation targets. With the growing interest in biorefineries, setting policy requirements for other coproducts along with biofuels is necessary to improve the products portfolio of biorefinery, increase the bioproducts perception by the consumers and push the technology forward. Towards this context, Claiming-Based allocation models were used in comparative life cycle assessment of multiple products from wheat straw biorefinery and vetiver biorefinery. Vetiver biorefinery shows promising Greenhouse gas emission savings (181-213%) compared to the common crop based lignocellulose (wheat straw) biorefinery. Assistance of Claiming-Based Allocation models favors to find out the affordable allocation limit (0-80%) among the coproducts in order to achieve the individual prospective policy targets. Such models show promising application in multiproduct life cycle assessment studies where appropriate allocation is challenging to achieve the individual products emission subject to policy targets.
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Gnansounou E. Coproducts performances in biorefineries: Development of Claiming-based allocation models for environmental policy. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2018; 254:31-39. [PMID: 29413936 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.01.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Revised: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
This study revisited the fundamentals of allocation to joint products and proposed new models for allocating common greenhouse gases emissions among coproducts of biorefineries. These emissions may account for more than 80% of the total emissions of greenhouse gases of the biorefineries. The proposed models optimize the reward of coproducts for their compliance to environmental requirements. They were illustrated by a case study of wheat straw biorefinery built on the literature. Several scenarios were considered with regard to the grain yield, field emissions of greenhouse gases, allocation between grain and straw and policy requirements. The results conform to the expectations and are sensitive to the policy targets and to the environmental performance of the counterpart system. Further research works are necessary to achieve a full application to complex processes. However, the proposed models are promising towards assessing the simultaneous compliance of coproducts of a biorefinery to environment policy requirements.
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