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Global evaluation of economics of microalgae-based biofuel supply chain using GIS-based framework

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Abstract

A microalgae-based biofuel supply chain was designed for different geographic regions, considering the local environmental conditions of sunlight, temperature, and available resources of water and CO2. The supply chain was designed in three distinct areas, Texas, U.S., Northern Territory of Australia, and La Guajira, Colombia, selected through a global analysis of suitable land based on GIS. A three-stage design framework developed in our previous research was improved to include a biomass productivity estimation model based on operating data provided by Algenol, a new photobioreactor (PBR) cultivation technology, direct air capture of CO2 as a feedstock option, and functional-unit based optimization. The framework focuses on the comparison of two major cultivation platforms, open raceway pond (ORP) and photobioreactor (PBR) using a net present value metric. A mixed-integer fractional programming (MIFP) model was formulated to make multi-period strategic and tactical decisions related to the supply chain design and operation under the objective of minimizing the total cost per gasoline gallon equivalent of products (GGE). Under the same assumptions, the supply chain was designed for seven years and the cost was estimated to be $15.5, $13.5, and $14.0/GGE for the U.S., Colombia, and Australia, respectively. While various processing pathways were considered in the model, only a single pathway involving PBR, an algae strain AB1166, and hydrothermal lique-faction was selected in all regions owing to its cost-efficiency. Direct air capture and hypothetical saline water species scenarios were examined to analyze the effect of alternative resource sources on the supply chain design and economics.

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Acknowledgements

This works was supported by the Carbon-to-X (C2X) R&D project (project no. 2020M3H7A1096361) sponsored by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. R&D Campus Daejeon, LG Energy Solution, 188 Munji-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34122, Korea

    Seongwhan Kang

  2. School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Drive, NW, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA

    Matthew J. Realff & Ronald Chance

  3. Algenol Biotech, 16121 Lee Road, Fort Myers, FL, 33912, USA

    Yanhui Yuan & Ronald Chance

  4. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Korea

    Jay Hyung Lee

Authors
  1. Seongwhan Kang
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  2. Matthew J. Realff
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  3. Yanhui Yuan
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  4. Ronald Chance
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  5. Jay Hyung Lee
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Correspondence to Jay Hyung Lee.

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Kang, S., Realff, M.J., Yuan, Y. et al. Global evaluation of economics of microalgae-based biofuel supply chain using GIS-based framework. Korean J. Chem. Eng. 39, 1524–1541 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-021-1053-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-021-1053-4

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