Production of chemicals and utilities in-house improves the environmental sustainability of phytoplankton-based biorefinery

Kiehbadroudinezhad M 1 , Hosseinzadeh-Bandbafha H 2 , Karimi K 3 , Madadi M 4 , Chisti Y 5 , Peng W 6 Show all authors , Liu D 7 , Tabatabaei M 8 , Aghbashlo M 9

Affiliations 

  • 1 Key Laboratory for Tobacco Gene Resources, Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Qingdao 266101, China; Division of Engineering, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS B3H 3C3, Canada
  • 2 Biofuel Research Team (BRTeam), Terengganu, Malaysia
  • 3 Department of Chemical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran; Department of Chemical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
  • 4 Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
  • 5 Higher Institution Centre of Excellence, Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
  • 6 Henan Province Engineering Research Center for Biomass Value-Added Products, School of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
  • 7 Key Laboratory for Tobacco Gene Resources, Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Qingdao 266101, China. Electronic address: [email protected]
  • 8 Higher Institution Centre of Excellence, Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia; Department of Biomaterials, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai 600 077, India. Electronic address: [email protected]
  • 9 Department of Mechanical Engineering of Agricultural Machinery, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran. Electronic address: [email protected]
Sci Total Environ, 2023 Nov 15;899:165751.
PMID: 37499830 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165751

Abstract

Life cycle assessment was used to evaluate the environmental impacts of phytoplanktonic biofuels as possible sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. Three scenarios were examined for converting planktonic biomass into higher-value commodities and energy streams using the alga Scenedesmus sp. and the cyanobacterium Arthrospira sp. as the species of interest. The first scenario (Sc-1) involved the production of biodiesel and glycerol from the planktonic biomass. In the second scenario (Sc-2), biodiesel and glycerol were generated from the planktonic biomass, and biogas was produced from the residual biomass. The process also involved using a catalyst derived from snail shells for biodiesel production. The third scenario (Sc-3) was similar to Sc-2 but converted CO2 from the biogas upgrading to methanol, which was then used in synthesizing biodiesel. The results indicated that Sc-2 and Sc-3 had a reduced potential (up to 60 % less) for damaging human health compared to Sc-1. Sc-2 and Sc-3 had up to 61 % less environmental impact than Sc-1. Sc-2 and Sc-3 reduced the total cumulative exergy demand by up to 44 % compared to Sc-1. In conclusion, producing chemicals and utilities within the biorefinery could significantly improve environmental sustainability, reduce waste, and diversify revenue streams.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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