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Li P, Wang X, Luo Y, Yuan X. Sustainability evaluation of microalgae biodiesel production process integrated with nutrient close-loop pathway based on emergy analysis method. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 346:126611. [PMID: 34954351 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
To make comprehensive assessment on sustainability of microalgae biofuel production process integrated with nutrient close-loop pathways, Emergy Analysis methodology was adopted based on case studies: microalgae biodiesel production integrated with Nutrient Recycling Pathway in Case A and microalgae biodiesel production integrated with Protein Production as By-Product Pathway in Case B. Emergy results show that microalgae biodiesel system integrated with Nutrient Recycling Pathway is more sustainable, and factor analysis shows that water source with higher unit emergy value and electricity with lower one are more favorable to improve sustainability performance of the integrated process. Besides, different generations of biofuel are also assessed by Emergy Analysis method, and the third-generation biodiesel shows the most sustainable potentials than the previous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiyao Li
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Xue Wang
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Yiqing Luo
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China; Chemical Engineering Research Center, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China.
| | - Xigang Yuan
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China; State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China; Chemical Engineering Research Center, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
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Role of Biofuels in Energy Transition, Green Economy and Carbon Neutrality. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su132212374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Modern civilization is heavily reliant on petroleum-based fuels to meet the energy demand of the transportation sector. However, burning fossil fuels in engines emits greenhouse gas emissions that harm the environment. Biofuels are commonly regarded as an alternative for sustainable transportation and economic development. Algal-based fuels, solar fuels, e-fuels, and CO2-to-fuels are marketed as next-generation sources that address the shortcomings of first-generation and second-generation biofuels. This article investigates the benefits, limitations, and trends in different generations of biofuels through a review of the literature. The study also addresses the newer generation of biofuels highlighting the social, economic, and environmental aspects, providing the reader with information on long-term sustainability. The use of nanoparticles in the commercialization of biofuel is also highlighted. Finally, the paper discusses the recent advancements that potentially enable a sustainable energy transition, green economy, and carbon neutrality in the biofuel sector.
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Patrizi N, Bruno M, Saladini F, Parisi ML, Pulselli RM, Bjerre AB, Bastianoni S. Sustainability Assessment of Biorefinery Systems Based on Two Food Residues in Africa. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2020.522614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
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van Oirschot R, Thomas JBE, Gröndahl F, Fortuin KP, Brandenburg W, Potting J. Explorative environmental life cycle assessment for system design of seaweed cultivation and drying. ALGAL RES 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2017.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Pechsiri JS, Thomas JBE, Risén E, Ribeiro MS, Malmström ME, Nylund GM, Jansson A, Welander U, Pavia H, Gröndahl F. Energy performance and greenhouse gas emissions of kelp cultivation for biogas and fertilizer recovery in Sweden. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 573:347-355. [PMID: 27572527 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Revised: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 07/31/2016] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The cultivation of seaweed as a feedstock for third generation biofuels is gathering interest in Europe, however, many questions remain unanswered in practise, notably regarding scales of operation, energy returns on investment (EROI) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, all of which are crucial to determine commercial viability. This study performed an energy and GHG emissions analysis, using EROI and GHG savings potential respectively, as indicators of commercial viability for two systems: the Swedish Seafarm project's seaweed cultivation (0.5ha), biogas and fertilizer biorefinery, and an estimation of the same system scaled up and adjusted to a cultivation of 10ha. Based on a conservative estimate of biogas yield, neither the 0.5ha case nor the up-scaled 10ha estimates met the (commercial viability) target EROI of 3, nor the European Union Renewable Energy Directive GHG savings target of 60% for biofuels, however the potential for commercial viability was substantially improved by scaling up operations: GHG emissions and energy demand, per unit of biogas, was almost halved by scaling operations up by a factor of twenty, thereby approaching the EROI and GHG savings targets set, under beneficial biogas production conditions. Further analysis identified processes whose optimisations would have a large impact on energy use and emissions (such as anaerobic digestion) as well as others embodying potential for further economies of scale (such as harvesting), both of which would be of interest for future developments of kelp to biogas and fertilizer biorefineries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph S Pechsiri
- Industrial Ecology, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering (SEED), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 34, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Jean-Baptiste E Thomas
- Industrial Ecology, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering (SEED), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 34, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Emma Risén
- Industrial Ecology, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering (SEED), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 34, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden; Currently at Sweco Environment AB, Gjörwellsgatan 22, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mauricio S Ribeiro
- Industrial Ecology, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering (SEED), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 34, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maria E Malmström
- Industrial Ecology, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering (SEED), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 34, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Göran M Nylund
- Department of Marine Sciences - Tjärnö, University of Gothenburg, SE-452 96 Strömstad, Sweden
| | - Anette Jansson
- School of Built Environment and Energy Technology, Linnæus University, SE-351 95 Växjö, Sweden
| | - Ulrika Welander
- School of Built Environment and Energy Technology, Linnæus University, SE-351 95 Växjö, Sweden
| | - Henrik Pavia
- Department of Marine Sciences - Tjärnö, University of Gothenburg, SE-452 96 Strömstad, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Gröndahl
- Industrial Ecology, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering (SEED), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 34, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
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Seghetta M, Tørring D, Bruhn A, Thomsen M. Bioextraction potential of seaweed in Denmark - An instrument for circular nutrient management. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 563-564:513-29. [PMID: 27152993 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Revised: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/02/2016] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the study is to assess the efficacy of seaweed for circular nutrient management to reduce eutrophication levels in the aquatic environment. We performed a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of two reference waste management systems treating seaweed as biowaste, i.e. landfill disposal and combustion, and an alternative scenario using the seaweed Saccharina latissima as a resource for biobased fertilizer production. Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methods were improved by using a cradle-to-cradle approach, quantifying fate factors for nitrogen and phosphorus loss from fertilized agriculture to the aquatic environment. We also differentiated between nitrogen- and phosphorus-limited marine water to improve the traditional freshwater impact category, making this indicator suitable for decision support in relation to coastal water management schemes. Offshore cultivation of Saccharina latissima with an average productivity of 150Mg/km(2) in Danish waters in 2014 was applied to a cultivation scenario of 208km(2). The bioresource scenario performs better than conventional biowaste management systems, delivering a net reduction in aquatic eutrophication levels of 32.29kgNeq. and 16.58kgPO4(3-)eq. per Mg (dry weight) of seaweed, quantified by the ReCiPe and CML impact assessment methods, respectively. Seaweed cultivation, harvest and reuse of excess nutrients from the aquatic environment is a promising approach for sustainable resource cycling in a future regenerative economy that exploits manmade emissions as a resource for closed loop biobased production while significantly reducing eutrophication levels in 3 out of 7 Danish river basin districts. We obtained at least 10% bioextraction of phosphorus manmade emissions (10%, 89% and >100%) and contributed significantly to local nitrogen reduction goals according to the Water Framework Directive (23%, 78% and >100% of the target).
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Seghetta
- Research Group on EcoIndustrial System Analysis, Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Annette Bruhn
- Department of Bioscience, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600 Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Marianne Thomsen
- Research Group on EcoIndustrial System Analysis, Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
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Buller LS, Ortega E, Bergier I, Mesa-Pérez JM, Salis SM, Luengo CA. Sustainability assessment of water hyacinth fast pyrolysis in the Upper Paraguay River basin, Brazil. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2015; 532:281-291. [PMID: 26081730 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.05.129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2015] [Revised: 05/12/2015] [Accepted: 05/28/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Fast pyrolysis of naturally produced water hyacinth was assessed through Emergy accounting approach. Two analyses were carried out to evaluate the influence of additional services and externalities on Emergy indicators for a pyrolysis plant unit able to process 1000 kg of dry biomass per hour. The initial approach was a traditional Emergy assessment in which financial fluxes and externalities were not considered. The second approach included taxes and fees of the Brazilian government, interests related to financing operations and assumes a reserve financial fund of 5% of the total investment as externalities cost. For the first evaluation, the renewability of 86% indicates that local and renewable resources mainly support the process and the Emergy Yield Ratio of 3.2 shows that the system has a potential contribution to the regional economy due to the local resources use. The inclusion of financial fluxes and externalities in the second evaluation reduces both renewability and Emergy Yield Ratio, whereas it increases the Emergy Investment Ratio which means a higher dependence on external resources. The second analysis allows portraying significant forces of the industrial and financial systems and the evaluation of the externalities' impact on the general system Emergy behavior. A comparison of the renewability of water hyacinth fast pyrolysis with other biofuels like soybean biodiesel and sugarcane ethanol indicates that the former is less dependent on fossil fuel resources, machinery and fertilizers. To complement the sustainability assessment provided by the Emergy method, a regular financial analysis for the second defined system was done. It shows that the system is financially attractive even with the accounting of additional costs. The results obtained in this study could be used as the maximum and minimum thresholds to subsidize regulatory policies for new economic activities in tropical wetlands involving natural resources exploitation and bio-industrial systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luz Selene Buller
- Ecological Engineering Laboratory, Food Engineering School, State University of Campinas, Rua Doutor Josué de Castro 40, Campinas, SP CEP 13083-862, Brazil.
| | - Enrique Ortega
- Ecological Engineering Laboratory, Food Engineering School, State University of Campinas, Rua Doutor Josué de Castro 40, Campinas, SP CEP 13083-862, Brazil
| | - Ivan Bergier
- Biomass Conversion Laboratory, Embrapa Pantanal, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Rua 21 de Setembro 1880, Corumbá, MS CEP 79320-900, Brazil
| | | | - Suzana Maria Salis
- Biomass Conversion Laboratory, Embrapa Pantanal, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Rua 21 de Setembro 1880, Corumbá, MS CEP 79320-900, Brazil
| | - Carlos Alberto Luengo
- Group of Alternative Fuels, Physics Institute, State University of Campinas, Rua Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, 777, Campinas, SP CEP 13083-859, Brazil
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