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Microalgal biomethane production integrated with an existing biogas plant: A case study in Sweden
Mälardalen University, School of Business, Society and Engineering, Future Energy Center. North China Electric Power University, Beijing.
Mälardalen University, School of Business, Society and Engineering, Future Energy Center.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3131-0285
Mälardalen University, School of Business, Society and Engineering, Future Energy Center.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3485-5440
Mälardalen University, School of Business, Society and Engineering, Future Energy Center. Royal Institute of Technology.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0300-0762
2013 (English)In: Applied Energy, ISSN 0306-2619, E-ISSN 1872-9118, Vol. 112, p. 478-484Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Microalgae are considered as potential sources for biodiesel production due to the higher growth rate than terrestrial plants. However, the large-scale application of algal biodiesel would be limited by the downstream cost of lipid extraction and the availability of water, CO2 and nutrients. A possible solution is to integrate algae cultivation with existing biogas plant, where algae can be cultivated using the discharges of CO2 and digestate as nutrient input, and then the attained biomass can be converted directly to biomethane by existing infrastructures. This integrated system is investigated and evaluated in this study. Algae are cultivated in a photobioreactor in a greenhouse, and two cultivation options (greenhouse with and without heating) are included. Life cycle assessment of the system was conducted, showing that algal biomethane production without greenhouse heating would have a net energy ratio of 1.54, which is slightly lower than that (1.78) of biomethane from ley crop. However, land requirement of the latter is approximately 68 times that of the former, because the area productivity of algae could reach at about 400 t/ha (dry basis) in half a year, while the annual productivity of ley crop is only about 5.8 t/ha. For the case of Växtkraft biogas plant in Västerås, Sweden, the integrated system has the potential to increase the annual biomethane output by 9.4%. This new process is very simple, which might have potential for scale-up and commercial application of algal bioenergy. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2013. Vol. 112, p. 478-484
Keywords [en]
Biogas plant, Cold region, Energy balance, Life cycle assessment, Microalgal biomethane
National Category
Engineering and Technology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-19152DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2013.04.087ISI: 000329377800049Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-84884283197OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mdh-19152DiVA, id: diva2:626588
Available from: 2013-06-10 Created: 2013-06-10 Last updated: 2018-01-03Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. System studies of Anaerobic Co-digestion Processes
Open this publication in new window or tab >>System studies of Anaerobic Co-digestion Processes
2017 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Production of biogas through anaerobic digestion is one pathway to achieving the European Union (EU) goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing the share of renewable energy, and improving energy efficiency. In this thesis, two different models (Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 and an artificial neural network) are used to simulate a full-scale co-digester in order to evaluate the feasibility of such models. This thesis also includes models of two systems to study the inclusion of microalgae in biogas plants and wastewater treatment plants. One of the studies is a life-cycle assessment in which replacement of the ley crop with microalgae is evaluated. The other study concerns the inclusion of microalgae in case studies of biological treatment in three wastewater treatment plants. Finally, the co-digestion between microalgae and sewage sludge has been simulated to evaluate the effect on biogas and methane yield. The results showed that Anaerobic Digestion Model No.1 and the artificial neural network are suitable for replicating the dynamics of a full-scale co-digestion plant. For the tested period, the artificial neural network showed a better fit for biogas and methane content than the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1. Simulations showed that co-digestion with microalgae tended to reduce biomethane production. However, this depended on the species and biodegradability of the microalgae. The results also showed that inclusion of microalgae could decrease carbon dioxide emissions in both types of plants and decrease the energy demand of the studied wastewater treatment plants. The extent of the decrease in the wastewater treatment plants depended on surface volume. In the biogas plant, the inclusion of microalgae led to a lower net energy ratio for the methane compared to when using ley crop silage. Both studies show that microalgae cultivation is best suited for use in summer in the northern climate.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Västerås: Mälardalen University Press, 2017
Series
Mälardalen University Press Dissertations, ISSN 1651-4238 ; 237
National Category
Bioenergy
Research subject
Energy- and Environmental Engineering
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-36515 (URN)978-91-7485-347-6 (ISBN)
Public defence
2017-11-08, Case, Västerås, 09:15 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2017-09-27 Created: 2017-09-26 Last updated: 2018-09-27Bibliographically approved

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Nordlander, EvaThorin, EvaYan, Jinyue

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