Microalgae as a biofuel feedstock: risks and challenges

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Microalgae as a biofuel feedstock risks and
challenges
Trends and future of sustainable development

• Presentation By Liandong Zhu

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Contents
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Introduction

• Energy crisis
• Based on the current consumption of about 11.6
  million tons of crude oil per day, it is expected
  that the entire resources can only suffice for a
  rather short time period
• UK Energy Research Centre even concluded that oil
  resources will be used up between 2020 and 2030
• New oil and gas reserves are always discovered
• Global warming and global climate changes
• The use of oil can cause the risks of the rise of
  greenhouse effect, which can result in all kinds
  of disasters to our planet Earth and its
  inhabitants

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Introduction
Microalgae have overwhelmingly received a lot of
attention as a new biomass source for the
production

• High photosynthesis efficiency and can grow very
  fast
• Without occupying farmlands
• Can be supplied by saline and brackish water,
  seawater, wastewater, and other salt water like
  saline groundwater and CO2 by combustion gas
• Can be collected very quickly
• Uniform cell structure with no bark, stems,
  branches
• or leaves
• Physical and fuel properties of biofuel (e.g.
  density, heating value, etc.) are comparable to
  those of fuel diesel.

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Introduction
Where can we get algae?
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Introduction
Where can we get algae?
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Introduction
Products biodiesel, bioethanol, biohydrogen,
biogas
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Purpose and perspective

• Microalgae-based biofuel (MBB) industry is
  booming. But there is limited and fragmented
  published information available on the
  environmental, social, cultural and economic
  dimensions involved with potential sustainable
  risks.

• From sustainability perspective, this paper
  explores the potential risks and challenges
  connected with the production of MBB,
  systematically.
• Afterwards, some corresponding recommendations
  about government policies, company behaviors and
  public participation are put forward in order to
  minimize the potential risks to the permitted
  levels.

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Potential risks and challenges-Environmental

• Water

• Water resource abuse
• Without feasible water usage planning
  (recycling)
• Damage to waterways
• Systems discharge (toxicants) chemical
  additives,
• flocculants, solvents, and catalysts
• Groundwater may not be recharged effectively
• Waterproof surface

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Potential risks and challenges-Environmental

• Land

• Land use overexpansion
• Amount of space is required Over-pursue
• commercial profits cause an indirect land use
• Earth pollution, and soil erosion
• Discharge pollution Heavy rain or flood might
  lead to
• high biomass overflow Pipelines construction
• involves the removal of plenty of rocks and
  earth

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Potential risks and challenges-Environmental

• Biodiversity

• Eutrophication
• Downstream discharge leads to nutrient
  imbalance
• Algal blooms and fish kills
• Caused by eutrophication
• Biological invasion
• Downstream carries non-harvested microalgae
  cells

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Potential risks and challenges-Environmental

• Greenhouse gas

• Greenhouse gases (e.g. NOx, CH4) emissions
• Appearance of anaerobic zone under water
  surface
• and biomass death can bring about the emission
  of
• CH4, N2O, etc.

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Potential risks and challenges-Economic

• Start-up is expensive (overwhelming investments)
• Capital costs occupy about 50 of the total
  costs
• Loss of jobs
• Development of increased automation

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Potential risks and challenges-Social

• Jeopardize the health of local wildlife and
  people
• Pollution
• Diseases (e.g. yellow fever, malaria) spread
• Microalgae may provide some habitats for laying
• and hatching of mosquito eggs and larvae

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Potential risks and challenges-Cultural

• Difficult for people to adapt to
• Traditionally used to produce cosmetics and
  food
• Microalgae biomass is a very new biofuel type

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Conclusions
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Recommendations

• Efficient government policies
• e.g., roles and responsibilities within
  government agencies must be clarified contracts
  of environmental impact statements must be
  reinforced regulatory industry roadmap must be
  developed propaganda activities
• Proactive company behaviors
• e.g., water and land use planning should be
  carried out in an environmental friendly manner
  assessment of potential risks should be conducted
  prior to facilities introduction require
  transparency of process inputs and outputs..
• Positive public participation
• Public perception, sense and participation

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Thank you for your attention!