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A techno-economic assessment of an algal-based biorefinery

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Abstract

Economic and technological assessments have identified difficulties with the commercialization of bulk products from microalgae, like biofuels. To overcome these problems, a multi-product algal-based biorefinery has been proposed. This paper performs a techno-economic assessment of such a biorefinery. Four production pathways, ranging from a base case with commercial technologies to an improved case with innovative technologies, are analyzed. All region-specific parameters were adapted to Belgian conditions. Three scenarios result in techno-economically viable production plants. The most profitable scenario is the scenario which uses a specialized membrane for medium recycling and an open pond algae cultivation. Although the inclusion of a photobioreactor decreases the culture medium costs, the higher investment costs result in lower economic profits. The carotenoid content and price are identified as critical parameters. Furthermore, the economies of scale assumption for the photobioreactor is critical for the feasibility of this cultivation technology. The techno-economic assessment is an important methodology to guide and evaluate further improvements in research and shorten the time-to-market for innovative technologies in this field.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Herman Beckers, Metin Bulut, Frans Snijkers, Joris van der Have, Jan Vanderheyden, Leen Bastiaens, and Lies Eykens for the provision of technological and economic data and the useful discussions on the assumptions in the model. We would also like to thank Eva Cordery for proofreading the article and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable feedback and suggestions. Furthermore, we gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Fundación Novia Salcedo.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit Separation and Conversion Technologies, VITO, Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium

    Gwenny Thomassen, Urko Egiguren Vila, Miet Van Dael & Bert Lemmens

  2. Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium

    Gwenny Thomassen, Miet Van Dael & Steven Van Passel

  3. Department of Engineering Management, University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 13, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium

    Steven Van Passel

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  1. Gwenny Thomassen
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  2. Urko Egiguren Vila
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Correspondence to Gwenny Thomassen.

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Thomassen, G., Egiguren Vila, U., Van Dael, M. et al. A techno-economic assessment of an algal-based biorefinery. Clean Techn Environ Policy 18, 1849–1862 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-016-1159-2

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