CHAPTER TITLE
Life cycle assessment and techno-economic sustainability assessment of existing algal-based technologies for future implications
AUTHORS
Lais Galileu Speranza, Ahmad Furqan Hala, Bernardo Carvalho, Alexandre R. Lima, Jonathan Forbes, Tom Bradley, Tia Morgan, Hugo Pereira, João Varela
BOOK
Algal Biorefinery: A Sustainable Solution for Environmental Applications
PUBLISHER
Elsevier
ABSTRACT
The concept of biorefinery to produce multiple algae derivatives has been presented as a more sustainable route for the scale-up and commercial viability of this industry. However, as the number of end-products increases, so do the number of processes and inputs into the system (such as more electricity and chemicals). Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the true sustainability of algal-based biorefineries. Notably, the sustainability mentioned is not only about the environmental impacts but also about whether the system is economically viable. The debate is moved partly due to the lack of real industrial data, and the freedom within life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic assessment (TEA) methodologies to make different assumptions, such as boundary conditions, functional units, etc. Over the last few years, new LCA and TEA studies have been published using real-world data, helping the global algae community gain a better and more realistic view of the costs, environmental impacts, and improvements. This chapter discusses the recent advances in understanding the LCA and TEA of microalgae biorefineries, the common issues, and what this means for the industry’s future.
