IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v38y2014icp609-623.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Energy input, carbon intensity and cost for ethanol produced from farmed seaweed

Author

Listed:
  • Philippsen, Aaron
  • Wild, Peter
  • Rowe, Andrew

Abstract

Macroalgae, commonly known as seaweed, has received significant interest as a potential source of ethanol because of its fast growth, significant sugar content and successful lab-scale conversion to ethanol. Issues such as energy input in seaweed conversion, lifecycle emissions, global production potential and cost have received limited attention. To address this gap, a well-to-tank model of ethanol production from brown seaweed is developed and applied to the case of ethanol production from Saccharina latissima in British Columbia, Canada. Animal feed is proposed as a co-product and co-product credits are estimated. In the case considered, seaweed ethanol is found to have an energy return on invested (EROI) of 1.7 and a carbon intensity (CI) of 10.8gCO2eMJ−1. Ethanol production from conventionally farmed seaweed could cost less than conventional ethanol and be produced on a scale comparable to 1% of global gasoline production. A drying system is required in regions such as British Columbia that require seasonal seaweed storage due to a limited harvest season. The results are significantly influenced by variations in animal feed processing energy, co-product credit value, seaweed composition, the value of seaweed animal feed and the cost of seaweed farming. We find EROI ranges from 0.64 to 26.7, CI from 33 to −41gCO2eMJ−1 and ethanol production is not financially viable without animal feed production in some scenarios.

Suggested Citation

  • Philippsen, Aaron & Wild, Peter & Rowe, Andrew, 2014. "Energy input, carbon intensity and cost for ethanol produced from farmed seaweed," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 609-623.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:38:y:2014:i:c:p:609-623
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2014.06.010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136403211400447X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2014.06.010?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Duncan Graham-Rowe, 2011. "Agriculture: Beyond food versus fuel," Nature, Nature, vol. 474(7352), pages 6-8, June.
    2. Goh, Chun Sheng & Lee, Keat Teong, 2010. "A visionary and conceptual macroalgae-based third-generation bioethanol (TGB) biorefinery in Sabah, Malaysia as an underlay for renewable and sustainable development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 842-848, February.
    3. Borines, M.G. & de Leon, R.L. & McHenry, M.P., 2011. "Bioethanol production from farming non-food macroalgae in Pacific island nations: Chemical constituents, bioethanol yields, and prospective species in the Philippines," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(9), pages 4432-4435.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Song, Minkyung & Duc Pham, Hong & Seon, Jiyun & Chul Woo, Hee, 2015. "Marine brown algae: A conundrum answer for sustainable biofuels production," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 782-792.
    2. Izabela Michalak, 2018. "Experimental processing of seaweeds for biofuels," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(3), May.
    3. Kouhgardi, Esmaeil & Zendehboudi, Sohrab & Mohammadzadeh, Omid & Lohi, Ali & Chatzis, Ioannis, 2023. "Current status and future prospects of biofuel production from brown algae in North America: Progress and challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    4. Fasahati, P. & Dickson, R. & Saffron, C.M. & Woo, H.C. & Liu, J. Jay, 2022. "Seaweeds as a sustainable source of bioenergy: Techno-economic and life cycle analyses of its biochemical conversion pathways," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ghadiryanfar, Mohsen & Rosentrater, Kurt A. & Keyhani, Alireza & Omid, Mahmoud, 2016. "A review of macroalgae production, with potential applications in biofuels and bioenergy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 473-481.
    2. Hanson, Eilish R. & Nagler, Amy & Ritten, John & Rashford, Benjamin, 2022. "Farm-Level Economics of Bioenergy in the Upper Missouri River Basin," Journal of the ASFMRA, American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, vol. 2022.
    3. Kasivisvanathan, Harresh & Barilea, Ivan Dale U. & Ng, Denny K.S. & Tan, Raymond R., 2013. "Optimal operational adjustment in multi-functional energy systems in response to process inoperability," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 492-500.
    4. Borines, M.G. & de Leon, R.L. & McHenry, M.P., 2011. "Bioethanol production from farming non-food macroalgae in Pacific island nations: Chemical constituents, bioethanol yields, and prospective species in the Philippines," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(9), pages 4432-4435.
    5. Banerjee, Sanjukta & Banerjee, Srijoni & Ghosh, Ananta K. & Das, Debabrata, 2020. "Maneuvering the genetic and metabolic pathway for improving biofuel production in algae: Present status and future prospective," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    6. Ocreto, Jherwin B. & Chen, Wei-Hsin & Ubando, Aristotle T. & Park, Young-Kwon & Sharma, Amit Kumar & Ashokkumar, Veeramuthu & Ok, Yong Sik & Kwon, Eilhann E. & Rollon, Analiza P. & De Luna, Mark Danie, 2021. "A critical review on second- and third-generation bioethanol production using microwaved-assisted heating (MAH) pretreatment," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    7. Akhlaghi, Shahin & Gedde, Ulf W. & Hedenqvist, Mikael S. & Braña, Maria T. Conde & Bellander, Martin, 2015. "Deterioration of automotive rubbers in liquid biofuels: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 1238-1248.
    8. Bibi, Riaz & Ahmad, Zulfiqar & Imran, Muhammad & Hussain, Sabir & Ditta, Allah & Mahmood, Shahid & Khalid, Azeem, 2017. "Algal bioethanol production technology: A trend towards sustainable development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 976-985.
    9. Francesca Valenti & Attilio Toscano, 2021. "A GIS-Based Model to Assess the Potential of Wastewater Treatment Plants for Enhancing Bioenergy Production within the Context of the Water–Energy Nexus," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-15, May.
    10. Derman, Eryati & Abdulla, Rahmath & Marbawi, Hartinie & Sabullah, Mohd Khalizan, 2018. "Oil palm empty fruit bunches as a promising feedstock for bioethanol production in Malaysia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 129(PA), pages 285-298.
    11. Oludunsin Arodudu & Katharina Helming & Hubert Wiggering & Alexey Voinov, 2016. "Bioenergy from Low-Intensity Agricultural Systems: An Energy Efficiency Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, December.
    12. Leandro Gomes & Jorge Costa & Joana Moreira & Berta Cumbane & Marcelo Abias & Fernando Santos & Federica Zanetti & Andrea Monti & Ana Luisa Fernando, 2022. "Switchgrass and Giant Reed Energy Potential when Cultivated in Heavy Metals Contaminated Soils," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-28, July.
    13. Noraini, M.Y. & Ong, Hwai Chyuan & Badrul, Mohamed Jan & Chong, W.T., 2014. "A review on potential enzymatic reaction for biofuel production from algae," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 24-34.
    14. Hossain, Nazia & Zaini, Juliana & Indra Mahlia, Teuku Meurah, 2019. "Life cycle assessment, energy balance and sensitivity analysis of bioethanol production from microalgae in a tropical country," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    15. Indrajeet Singh & Ashutosh Pandey & Sumarlin Shangdiar & Piyush Kant Rai & Ajay Kumar & Kassian T. T. Amesho & Faizal Bux, 2023. "Towards Sustainable Energy: Harnessing Microalgae Biofuels for a Greener Future," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-27, September.
    16. Nanda, Sonil & Azargohar, Ramin & Dalai, Ajay K. & Kozinski, Janusz A., 2015. "An assessment on the sustainability of lignocellulosic biomass for biorefining," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 925-941.
    17. Erling Holden & Geoffrey Gilpin, 2013. "Biofuels and Sustainable Transport: A Conceptual Discussion," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(7), pages 1-21, July.
    18. Alvin B. Culaba & Aristotle T. Ubando & Phoebe Mae L. Ching & Wei-Hsin Chen & Jo-Shu Chang, 2020. "Biofuel from Microalgae: Sustainable Pathways," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-19, September.
    19. Jambo, Siti Azmah & Abdulla, Rahmath & Mohd Azhar, Siti Hajar & Marbawi, Hartinie & Gansau, Jualang Azlan & Ravindra, Pogaku, 2016. "A review on third generation bioethanol feedstock," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 756-769.
    20. Suganya, T. & Varman, M. & Masjuki, H.H. & Renganathan, S., 2016. "Macroalgae and microalgae as a potential source for commercial applications along with biofuels production: A biorefinery approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 909-941.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:38:y:2014:i:c:p:609-623. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.