Greenhouse Gas Impact of Algal Bio-Crude Production for a Range of CO<sub>2</sub> Supply Scenarios

oleh: Pratham Arora, Ronald R. Chance, Howard Hendrix, Matthew J. Realff, Valerie M. Thomas, Yanhui Yuan

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-12-01

Deskripsi

Refined bio-crude production from hydrothermal liquefaction of algae holds the potential to replace fossil-based conventional liquid fuels. The microalgae act as natural carbon sequestrators by consuming CO<sub>2</sub>. However, this absorbed CO<sub>2</sub> is released to the atmosphere during the combustion of the bio-crude. Thus, the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of refined bio-crude are linked to the production and supply of the materials involved and the process energy demands. One prominent raw material is CO<sub>2</sub>, which is the main source of carbon for algae and the subsequent products. The emissions associated with the supply of CO<sub>2</sub> can have a considerable impact on the sustainability of the algae-based refined bio-crude production process. Furthermore, the diurnal algae growth cycle complicates the CO<sub>2</sub> supply scenarios. Traditionally, studies have relied on CO<sub>2</sub> supplied from existing power plants. However, there is potential for building natural gas or biomass-based power plants with the primary aim of supplying CO<sub>2</sub> to the biorefinery. Alternately, a direct air capture (DAC) process can extract CO<sub>2</sub> directly from the air. The life-cycle GHG emissions associated with the production of refined bio-crude through hydrothermal liquefaction of algae are presented in this study. Different CO<sub>2</sub> supply scenarios, including existing fossil fuel power plants and purpose-built CO<sub>2</sub> sources, are compared. The integration of the CO<sub>2</sub> sources with the algal biorefinery is also presented. The CO<sub>2</sub> supply from biomass-based power plants has the highest potential for GHG reduction, with a GHG footprint of −57 g CO<sub>2</sub> eq./MJ refined bio-crude. The CO<sub>2</sub> supply from the DAC process has a GHG footprint of 49 CO<sub>2</sub> eq./MJ refined bio-crude, which is very similar to the scenario that considers the supply of CO<sub>2</sub> from an existing conventional natural gas-based plant and takes credit for the carbon utilization.