Oil production from pilot-scale microalgae cultivation: An economics evaluation

ABSTRACT

Of the potential sources of renewables, the most promising one is microalgae, which are viewed as a biofuel feedstock and technological solution for CO₂ sequestration. Among microalgae-derived biofuels, biodiesel is one of the best application choices since microalgae have substantial amounts of oils. Nonetheless, microalgal biodiesel production is still in its infancy, since there is no commercial production on a large scale. The economic data and evaluation related to microalgal biodiesel production are incomplete and out of date, although lots of technological research has been carried out. This article demonstrates the pilot scale cultivation of microalgae in photobioreactors and evaluates the economics of producing oil from microalgae, including net energy ratio and cost-effectiveness evaluation. The contribution of this article lies in the presentation of an updated analysis of economic conditions for pilot scale microalgal oil production, which can provide the direction for future development of this important biofuel process.

KEYWORDS:

• Cost-effectiveness
• energy balance
• microalgae
• net energy ratio
• oil production
• photobioreactor
• pilot scale
• wastewater treatment

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewer(s) for the helpful comments and suggestions.

Funding

This work was supported by the Kone Foundation project.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Kone Foundation project.