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Sustainability implications of carbon delivery in microalgae cultivation for the production of biofuel

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dc.contributor.authorSomers, Michael D., author
dc.contributor.authorQuinn, Jason, advisor
dc.contributor.authorMarchese, Anthony, committee member
dc.contributor.authorReardon, Kenneth, committee member
dc.date.accessioned2018-09-10T20:05:50Z
dc.date.available2018-09-10T20:05:50Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.description.abstractSupplementation of carbon is critical for high productivity cultivation of most microalgae. Moreover, using microalgae for atmospheric CO2 mitigation to combat climate change is promising, as waste sources and atmospheric CO2 can be utilized to produce useful products. The challenge is developing technologies, processes, and strategies that utilize carbon effectively such that the overall system is sustainable. Through engineering systems modeling combined with techno-economic and life-cycle assessments, this study examined the implications of various delivery methods of carbon to a production-scale algal biorefinery. Five primary carbon sources were considered: atmospheric CO2; CO2 from direct chemical or power plant waste emissions; CO2 that has been concentrated from waste sources and compressed; inorganic carbon in the form of sodium bicarbonate salt; and organic carbon in the form of cellulosic sugars derived from corn stover. Each source was evaluated assuming co-location as well as pipeline transportation up to 100 km. The sensitivity of results to carbon utilization efficiency was also considered. Sustainability results indicate that economics are more prohibitive than energy and emissions. Of the scenarios evaluated, only two met both the economic and environmental criteria of contributing less than $0.50 GGE−1 and 20 gCO2-eq MJ−1 to the overall system, respectively: uncompressed, pure sources of gaseous CO2 with pipeline transportation of 40 km or less; and compressed, supercritical CO2 from pure sources for pipeline transportation up to 100 km. The scalability of algal biofuels based on these results shows carbon to be the limiting nutrient in an algal biorefinery with a total US production capability of 360 million gallons of fuel per year.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediummasters theses
dc.identifierSomers_colostate_0053N_15089.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/191484
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2000-2019
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectcellulosic sugar
dc.subjecttechno-economic assessment
dc.subjectutilization
dc.subjectlife-cycle assessment
dc.subjectbicarbonate
dc.subjecttransportation
dc.titleSustainability implications of carbon delivery in microalgae cultivation for the production of biofuel
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineMechanical Engineering
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (M.S.)

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