The potential of sustainable algal biofuel production using wastewater resources

doi:10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2010.06.035

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The potential of sustainable algal biofuel production using wastewater resources

Journal Article•DOI•

The potential of sustainable algal biofuel production using wastewater resources

Jon K. Pittman¹, Andrew P. Dean¹, Olumayowa Osundeko¹•Institutions (1)

University of Manchester¹

01 Jan 2011-Bioresource Technology (Elsevier)-Vol. 102, Iss: 1, pp 17-25

TL;DR: The current research on this topic is reviewed and the potential benefits and limitations of using wastewaters as resources for cost-effective microalgal biofuel production are discussed.

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About: This article is published in Bioresource Technology.The article was published on 2011-01-01. It has received 1402 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Algae fuel & Biofuel.

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Journal Article•DOI•

Production and harvesting of microalgae for wastewater treatment, biofuels, and bioproducts

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Logan Christenson¹, Ronald C. Sims¹•Institutions (1)

Utah State University¹

01 Nov 2011-Biotechnology Advances

TL;DR: Further investigation and development of large-scale production and harvesting methods for biofuels and bioproducts are necessary, particularly with less studied but promising approaches such as those involving attached algal biofilm cultures.

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1,226 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Dual role of microalgae: Phycoremediation of domestic wastewater and biomass production for sustainable biofuels production

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Ismail Rawat¹, R. Ranjith Kumar¹, Taurai Mutanda¹, Faizal Bux¹•Institutions (1)

Durban University of Technology¹

01 Oct 2011-Applied Energy

TL;DR: The use of high rate algal ponds (HRAPs) for nutrient removal has been in existence for some decades though the technology has not been fully harnessed for wastewater treatment as mentioned in this paper.

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984 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Biodiesel from microalgae: A critical evaluation from laboratory to large scale production

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Ismail Rawat¹, R. Ranjith Kumar¹, Taurai Mutanda¹, Faizal Bux¹•Institutions (1)

Durban University of Technology¹

01 Mar 2013-Applied Energy

TL;DR: An empirical and critical analysis on the potential of translating research findings from laboratory scale trials to full scale application and current methods for biomass harvesting and lipid extraction are critically evaluated.

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755 citations

Cites background from "The potential of sustainable algal ..."

...However, for large scale biomass harvesting in the biofuels arena, this is generally not practiced due to process being energy intensive and not typically economically feasible [42]....
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...The end results of many methods tend to be highly energy intensive and more complex [42]....
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...Greater microalgal biomass production effectively decreases the cost of harvesting/dewatering steps and the high cost of biomass recovery [8,10,28,32,41,42]....
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...Cultures such as Scenedesmus, Dunaliella and Chlorella are more difficult to recover due to their small size (5–20 lm) [10,42,45]....
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Biodiesel from microalgae: a critical evaluation from laboratory to large scale production. Appl Energy

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Ismail Rawat, R. Ranjith Kumar, F. and Bux, Taurai Mutanda, Francesco Bux - Show less +1 more

01 Jan 2013

TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an empirical and critical analysis on the potential of translating research findings from laboratory-scale trials to full-scale application in bio-diesel production.

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Abstract: The economically significant production of carbon-neutral biodiesel from microalgae has been hailed as the ultimate alternative to depleting resources of petro-diesel due to its high cellular concentration of lipids, resources and economic sustainability and overall potential advantages over other sources of biofuels. Pertinent questions however need to be answered on the commercial viability of large scale production of biodiesel from microalgae. Vital steps need to be critically analysed at each stage. Isolation of microalgae should be based on the question of whether marine or freshwater microalgae, cultures from collections or indigenous wild types are best suited for large scale production. Furthermore, the determination of initial sampling points play a pivotal role in the determination of strain selection as well as strain viability. The screening process should identify, purify and select lipid producing strains. Are natural strains or stressed strains higher in lipid productivity? The synergistic interactions that occur naturally between algae and other microorganisms cannot be ignored. A lot of literature is available on the downstream processing of microalgae but a few reports are available on the upstream processing of microalgae for biomass and lipid production for biodiesel production. We present in this review an empirical and critical analysis on the potential of translating research findings from laboratory scale trials to full scale application. The move from laboratory to large scale microalgal cultivation requires careful planning. It is imperative to do extensive pre-pilot demonstration trials and formulate a suitable trajectory for possible data extrapolation for large scale experimental designs. The pros and cons of the two widely used methods for growing microalgae by photobioreactors or open raceway ponds are discussed in detail. In addition, current methods for biomass harvesting and lipid extraction are critically evaluated. This would be novel approach to economical biodiesel production from microalgae in the near future. Globally, microalgae are largest biomass producers having higher neutral lipid content outcompeting terrestrial plants for biofuel production. However, the viscosities of microalgal oils are usually higher than that of petroleum diesel.

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695 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Chemical properties of biocrude oil from the hydrothermal liquefaction of Spirulina algae, swine manure, and digested anaerobic sludge.

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Derek R. Vardon¹, Brajendra K. Sharma¹, John W. Scott¹, Guo Yu¹, Zhichao Wang¹, Lance Schideman¹, Yuanhui Zhang¹, Timothy J. Strathmann¹ - Show less +4 more•Institutions (1)

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign¹

01 Sep 2011-Bioresource Technology

TL;DR: Findings show the importance of HTL feedstock composition and highlight the need for better understanding of biocrude chemistries when considering bio-oil uses and upgrading requirements.

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551 citations

Cites background from "The potential of sustainable algal ..."

...The recovered biocrude oil can be directly combusted or upgraded to approach petroleum oils (Dote et al., 1991; Elliott, 2007; Duan and Savage, 2011a)....
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...The algal species Spirulina was selected for HTL conversion due to increased interest in integrating algal cultivation into wastewater treatment from both a water resource and renewable energy perspective (Pittman et al., 2010)....
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...Additionally, HTL of low-lipid algae such as Spirulina can provide a comparison with contributions focused on HTL of high-lipid species (Dote et al., 1994; Brown et al., 2010), which tend to exhibit relatively low total lipid content when cultured in wastewaters (Pittman et al., 2010)....
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...HTL has been applied to a wide range of wastewater feedstocks, including swine manure, cattle manure, microalgae, macroalgae, and sludge (Suzuki et al., 1988; Dote et al., 1994; He et al., 2000; Brown et al., 2010; Xiu et al., 2010a; Yin et al., 2010; Biller and Ross, 2011)....
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References

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Journal Article•DOI•

Biodiesel from microalgae.

[...]

Yusuf Chisti¹•Institutions (1)

Massey University¹

01 May 2007-Biotechnology Advances

TL;DR: As demonstrated here, microalgae appear to be the only source of renewable biodiesel that is capable of meeting the global demand for transport fuels.

...read moreread less

9,030 citations

"The potential of sustainable algal ..." refers background in this paper

...The type of lipids which accumulate, whether saturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, glycolipids or triacylglycerols, and the quantity of lipids produced (sometimes up to 80% of the cell dry weight [DW]) will depend on the microalgae species and the growth condition (Chisti, 2007; Griffiths and Harrison, 2009; Hu et al., 2008)....
[...]
...…saturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, glycolipids or triacylglycerols, and the quantity of lipids produced (sometimes up to 80% of the cell dry weight [DW]) will depend on the microalgae species and the growth condition (Chisti, 2007; Griffiths and Harrison, 2009; Hu et al., 2008)....
[...]
...Finally, lipids, principally triacylglycerol lipids can be separated and isolated from harvested microalgae and then converted to biodiesel by transesterification (Chisti, 2007; Hu et al., 2008; Miao and Wu, 2006)....
[...]

Journal Article•DOI•

Biofuels from microalgae—A review of technologies for production, processing, and extractions of biofuels and co-products

[...]

Liam Brennan¹, Philip Owende², Philip Owende¹•Institutions (2)

University College Dublin¹, Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown²

01 Feb 2010-Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews

TL;DR: In this article, the authors reviewed the technologies underpinning microalgae-to-bio-fuels systems, focusing on the biomass production, harvesting, conversion technologies, and the extraction of useful co-products.

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Abstract: Sustainability is a key principle in natural resource management, and it involves operational efficiency, minimisation of environmental impact and socio-economic considerations; all of which are interdependent. It has become increasingly obvious that continued reliance on fossil fuel energy resources is unsustainable, owing to both depleting world reserves and the green house gas emissions associated with their use. Therefore, there are vigorous research initiatives aimed at developing alternative renewable and potentially carbon neutral solid, liquid and gaseous biofuels as alternative energy resources. However, alternate energy resources akin to first generation biofuels derived from terrestrial crops such as sugarcane, sugar beet, maize and rapeseed place an enormous strain on world food markets, contribute to water shortages and precipitate the destruction of the world's forests. Second generation biofuels derived from lignocellulosic agriculture and forest residues and from non-food crop feedstocks address some of the above problems; however there is concern over competing land use or required land use changes. Therefore, based on current knowledge and technology projections, third generation biofuels specifically derived from microalgae are considered to be a technically viable alternative energy resource that is devoid of the major drawbacks associated with first and second generation biofuels. Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms with simple growing requirements (light, sugars, CO 2 , N, P, and K) that can produce lipids, proteins and carbohydrates in large amounts over short periods of time. These products can be processed into both biofuels and valuable co-products. This study reviewed the technologies underpinning microalgae-to-biofuels systems, focusing on the biomass production, harvesting, conversion technologies, and the extraction of useful co-products. It also reviewed the synergistic coupling of microalgae propagation with carbon sequestration and wastewater treatment potential for mitigation of environmental impacts associated with energy conversion and utilisation. It was found that, whereas there are outstanding issues related to photosynthetic efficiencies and biomass output, microalgae-derived biofuels could progressively substitute a significant proportion of the fossil fuels required to meet the growing energy demand.

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4,432 citations

"The potential of sustainable algal ..." refers background in this paper

...Chlorella and Scenedesmus are usually predominant of the phytoplanktonic communities in oxidation ponds (Masseret et al., 2000) and in high-rate algal ponds (Canovas et al., 1996)....
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...For example, various species of Chlorella and Scenedesmus can provide very high (>80...
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...Filtration using pressure of vacuum, together with the use of filter aids such as diatomaceous earth or cellulose are suitable for the recovery of larger algae (>70 lm) but not for smaller microalgae such as Scenedesmus and Chlorella (Brennan and Owende, 2010)....
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...As with plant-derived feedstocks, algal feedstocks can be utilised directly or processed into liquid fuels and gas by a variety of biochemical conversion or thermochemical conversion processes (reviewed by Amin, 2009; Brennan and Owende, 2010; Demirbas, 2009; Rittmann, 2008)....
[...]
...This wastewater was shown to be low enough in toxins and had enough P and N to support algal growth, with two freshwater microalgae B. braunii and Chlorella saccharophila, and a marine alga Pleurochrysis carterae, able to grow particularly well on the untreated wastewater (Chinnasamy et al., 2010)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Microalgal triacylglycerols as feedstocks for biofuel production: perspectives and advances

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Qiang Hu¹, Milton Sommerfeld¹, Eric E. Jarvis², Maria L. Ghirardi², Matthew C. Posewitz³, Michael Seibert², Aldis Darzins² - Show less +3 more•Institutions (3)

Arizona State University at the Polytechnic campus¹, National Renewable Energy Laboratory², Colorado School of Mines³

01 May 2008-Plant Journal

TL;DR: A brief summary of the current knowledge on oleaginous algae and their fatty acid and TAG biosynthesis, algal model systems and genomic approaches to a better understanding of TAG production, and a historical perspective and path forward for microalgae-based biofuel research and commercialization are provided.

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Abstract: Microalgae represent an exceptionally diverse but highly specialized group of micro-organisms adapted to various ecological habitats. Many microalgae have the ability to produce substantial amounts (e.g. 20-50% dry cell weight) of triacylglycerols (TAG) as a storage lipid under photo-oxidative stress or other adverse environmental conditions. Fatty acids, the building blocks for TAGs and all other cellular lipids, are synthesized in the chloroplast using a single set of enzymes, of which acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACCase) is key in regulating fatty acid synthesis rates. However, the expression of genes involved in fatty acid synthesis is poorly understood in microalgae. Synthesis and sequestration of TAG into cytosolic lipid bodies appear to be a protective mechanism by which algal cells cope with stress conditions, but little is known about regulation of TAG formation at the molecular and cellular level. While the concept of using microalgae as an alternative and renewable source of lipid-rich biomass feedstock for biofuels has been explored over the past few decades, a scalable, commercially viable system has yet to emerge. Today, the production of algal oil is primarily confined to high-value specialty oils with nutritional value, rather than commodity oils for biofuel. This review provides a brief summary of the current knowledge on oleaginous algae and their fatty acid and TAG biosynthesis, algal model systems and genomic approaches to a better understanding of TAG production, and a historical perspective and path forward for microalgae-based biofuel research and commercialization.

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3,479 citations

"The potential of sustainable algal ..." refers background in this paper

...This and subsequent research has focussed on identifying microalgae strains that are capable of synthesising significant quantities of lipids and in identifying cultivation conditions that will provide the greatest lipid productivities (Griffiths and Harrison, 2009; Hu et al., 2008)....
[...]
...The type of lipids which accumulate, whether saturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, glycolipids or triacylglycerols, and the quantity of lipids produced (sometimes up to 80% of the cell dry weight [DW]) will depend on the microalgae species and the growth condition (Chisti, 2007; Griffiths and Harrison, 2009; Hu et al., 2008)....
[...]
...…saturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, glycolipids or triacylglycerols, and the quantity of lipids produced (sometimes up to 80% of the cell dry weight [DW]) will depend on the microalgae species and the growth condition (Chisti, 2007; Griffiths and Harrison, 2009; Hu et al., 2008)....
[...]
...Finally, lipids, principally triacylglycerol lipids can be separated and isolated from harvested microalgae and then converted to biodiesel by transesterification (Chisti, 2007; Hu et al., 2008; Miao and Wu, 2006)....
[...]

Journal Article•DOI•

Environmental, economic, and energetic costs and benefits of biodiesel and ethanol biofuels

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Jason Hill¹, Erik J. Nelson¹, David Tilman, Stephen Polasky, Douglas G. Tiffany - Show less +1 more•Institutions (1)

University of Minnesota¹

25 Jul 2006-Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

TL;DR: Transportation biofuels such as synfuel hydrocarbons or cellulosic ethanol, if produced from low-input biomass grown on agriculturally marginal land or from waste biomass, could provide much greater supplies and environmental benefits than food-basedBiofuels.

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Abstract: Negative environmental consequences of fossil fuels and concerns about petroleum supplies have spurred the search for renewable transportation biofuels. To be a viable alternative, a biofuel should provide a net energy gain, have environmental benefits, be economically competitive, and be producible in large quantities without reducing food supplies. We use these criteria to evaluate, through life-cycle accounting, ethanol from corn grain and biodiesel from soybeans. Ethanol yields 25% more energy than the energy invested in its production, whereas biodiesel yields 93% more. Compared with ethanol, biodiesel releases just 1.0%, 8.3%, and 13% of the agricultural nitrogen, phosphorus, and pesticide pollutants, respectively, per net energy gain. Relative to the fossil fuels they displace, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced 12% by the production and combustion of ethanol and 41% by biodiesel. Biodiesel also releases less air pollutants per net energy gain than ethanol. These advantages of biodiesel over ethanol come from lower agricultural inputs and more efficient conversion of feedstocks to fuel. Neither biofuel can replace much petroleum without impacting food supplies. Even dedicating all U.S. corn and soybean production to biofuels would meet only 12% of gasoline demand and 6% of diesel demand. Until recent increases in petroleum prices, high production costs made biofuels unprofitable without subsidies. Biodiesel provides sufficient environmental advantages to merit subsidy. Transportation biofuels such as synfuel hydrocarbons or cellulosic ethanol, if produced from low-input biomass grown on agriculturally marginal land or from waste biomass, could provide much greater supplies and environmental benefits than food-based biofuels.

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2,841 citations

"The potential of sustainable algal ..." refers background in this paper

...Furthermore, there is even more concern over the impact that the use of these crops for biofuels might have on food availability (Demirbas, 2009; Hill et al., 2006)....
[...]
...due to the attributed increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from using these fuels and the environmental impact of these emissions on global warming (Hill et al., 2006)....
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...There is therefore significant interest in identifying alternative renewable sources of fuel that are potentially carbon neutral (Demirbas, 2009; Hill et al., 2006; Rittmann, 2008)....
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...…in the future, but more critically a rising use of fossil fuels is unlikely to be sustainable in the longer term principally due to the attributed increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from using these fuels and the environmental impact of these emissions on global warming (Hill et al., 2006)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Microalgae for oil: strain selection, induction of lipid synthesis and outdoor mass cultivation in a low-cost photobioreactor.

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Liliana Rodolfi¹, Graziella Chini Zittelli, Niccolò Bassi¹, Giulia Padovani¹, Natascia Biondi¹, Gimena Bonini¹, Mario R. Tredici¹ - Show less +3 more•Institutions (1)

University of Florence¹

01 Jan 2009-Biotechnology and Bioengineering

TL;DR: The experiments showed that the eustigmatophyte Nannochloropsis sp.

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Abstract: Thirty microalgal strains were screened in the laboratory for their biomass productivity and lipid content. Four strains (two marine and two freshwater), selected because robust, highly productive and with a relatively high lipid content, were cultivated under nitrogen deprivation in 0.6-L bubbled tubes. Only the two marine microalgae accumulated lipid under such conditions. One of them, the eustigmatophyte Nannochloropsis sp. FM102: 100–112. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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2,714 citations

"The potential of sustainable algal ..." refers background in this paper

...…have focussed on identifying conditions that induce high accumulation of neutral lipids (particularly triacylglycerol) in the microalgae cells, like a nutrient stress such as nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) limitation (Converti et al., 2009; Dean et al., 2010; Li et al., 2008; Rodolfi et al., 2009)....
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...…of cell lipid tend to be coupled with low biomass particularly when induced by environmental stress such as N or P limitation (Dean et al., 2010; Rodolfi et al., 2009), therefore the determination of lipid productivities from high biomass culture conditions such as wastewater-grown microalgae…...
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...There has therefore been significant interest in the growth of microalgae for biofuels under saline conditions (e.g. Rodolfi et al., 2009; Takagi et al., 2006)....
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