promises to keep? - keller heckmanpromises to keep? philip t. pienkos principal group manager,...

Promises to Keep?p

Philip T. PienkospPrincipal Group Manager, Applied Sciences

NRC Panel on Sustainable Development of Algal Biofuels

June 13, 2011

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

Discussion Points

• What does a large-scale algae biofuels systems look like in terms of its needs for people and resources and what are the potential issues to meeting those needs?potential issues to meeting those needs?

• Are there salient general architectural elements or features that must be put in place for the resultant process integration to have minimized critical resource inputs, including water, p , g ,land, energy, nutrients, etc.?

• What does a potential user of this fuel look for before it can commit?Wh ld b h i bili f h• What could be the sustainability concerns from the perspective of a funder?

• What does the investor community look at when deciding on what to invest in and how do sustainability issues enter intowhat to invest in, and how do sustainability issues enter into the decision-making process?

• What factors must be addressed and measures taken to increase the social acceptability of the integrated process?

NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY 2

p y g p

Why Fuels from Algae?

• Algae can produce more lipids per acre than terrestrial plants ‐‐ potentially 10x ‐ 100x

• Can use marginal, non‐arable land

• Can use saline/brackish water

• No competition with food, feed, or fiber

• Can utilize large waste CO resources• Can utilize large waste CO2 resources

• Potential to displace significant amount of U.S. diesel and jet fuel usage

• An algal biorefinery could produce oils, protein, and carbohydrates and a variety of h d

NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY

other products

3

Large Scale Algal Biofuels Process

Blowdown +Evaporate

0.05% (OP)0.4% (PBR)

Lipid Phase Solvent Upgrading Algae CO2

Makeup solvent Solvent recycle HydrogenOffgas

Naphtha Rawoil

FlocculentMakeup water

CentrifugeDAFS ttli

1% 10% 20%

pExtraction Separation Recovery

pg g(hydrotreater)

Anaerobic

gGrowth

Spent algae+ water Biogas

for energy Flue gas from turbine

Diesel

Recycle water

CentrifugeDAFSettling

Anaerobic Digestion

Makeup nutrients

Recycle nutrients/ water

Sludge

energy g

Power

Green = algae cell densityDOE-funded Algal Biomass for


gBiopower Production with Nutrient Recycle

Large Scale Algal Biofuels Process

0.05% (OP)0.4% (PBR)

Blowdown +Evaporate

Lipid Phase Solvent Upgrading Algae CO2

Solvent recycle HydrogenOffgas

Naphtha Rawoil

FlocculentMakeup water

CentrifugeDAFS ttli

Makeup solvent

1% 10% 20%

pExtraction Separation Recovery

pg g(hydrotreater)

Pretreatment

gGrowth

Spent algae+ water

Diesel

Recycle water

CentrifugeDAFSettling

and Saccharification

Makeup nutrients

Recycle nutrients/ water

Advanced

Fermentation

Biofuel

Green = algae cell density

l d?


Animal Feed?Industrial Media? DOE-funded Sustainable Algal

Biofuels Consortium

Input/Output

• Wigmosta et al. evaluated available US landsavailable US lands appropriate for algal cultivation• 166 000 square miles166,000 square miles• 57B gallons oil per year• Human Resources

• Total workers: 37 498Total workers: 37,498 • Acres per worker: 144• Typical farm acres per worker:

100-200• Evaporative losses of 8X1013

gallons water per year• 1400 gallon water per gallon

f l

Wigmosta, M. S., A. M. Coleman, R. J. Skaggs, M. H. Huesemann, and L. J. Lane (2011), National microalgae biofuel production potential and resource demand, Water Resour. Res., 47, W00H04,


fuel , , , ,doi:10.1029/2010WR009966. Figure courtesy Mark Wigmosta, PNNL

Land Usage: A Matter of Scale


What Is the Definition of Marginal Land?

S th t d tS th t d tSouthwest desertSouthwest desertSoutheast coastSoutheast coast

Freeport, TXFreeport, TX


Untilled farmlandUntilled farmland Ft. Myers, FLFt. Myers, FL

Freshwater Usage Need Not Be An Issue


Change debate from freshwater usage to brine disposal

Unintended Consequences

• 8X1013 gallons water per year lost to evaporation is a lot of water

• Impact on climate in desert• Impact on climate in desert southwest?

• Removing saline groundwater and replacing with brine may have impact on aquiferson aquifers


Dynamic Modeling for Resource AssessmentAssessment

Potential Biomass Production

30

s

Algae Molecular Composition per Atom PAdjust numbers in blue. Default for C, N, P is "Redfield ratio". Defaultfor H and O compared to C from Bayless et al 2003.

29 % P limited ( 16 )71 % N limited ( 39 )P O N C H

20

r tr

eatm

en

t p

lan

ts

If nitrogen load data are available, or phosphorous loaddata are available, but not both:

( )0 % C limited ( 0 )

100 % Total ( 55 )P O N C H106161 19159

10

# w

ast

e w

ate

r

Assume missing constituent is unlimitedDo not calculate productivity potential for that WWTP

Algal Nutrient Uptake Efficiencies:

Nitrogen

0

1e-3 1 10 20 30

to to to to and1 10 20 30 up

Biomass produced (dry) [tonnes/day]

0 % 20 % 40 % 60 % 80 % 100 % 33 17 3 1 1

0 % 20 % 40 % 60 % 80 % 100 %

100 %

Phosporous

100 %

Carbon

RescaleY Axis

Max distance to move CO2

0 20 40 60 80 100k85 k

0 % 20 % 40 % 60 % 80 % 100 %100 %

Potential productivity of largest 10 WWTPs: 147.2 tonnes/da

CO2 fixed Area requiredBiomass produced Algal oil produced


km85 km

Figure used with permission of Howard Passell, Sandia National Laboratories

Fuel Quality

E&E PM News, June 10. 2011

BIOFUELS Bi b d i i f lBIOFUELS: Bio-based aviation fuel moves step closer to approval (06/10/2011)Jenny Mandel, E&E reportery , pA leading standards development group is moving toward accepting bio-based fuels into use for aviation, with a vote that a key specification be revised tothat a key specification be revised to encompass the blending of bio-based alternatives to conventional jet fuel.ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing andthe American Society for Testing and Materials, is working to expand its specification for aviation turbine fuel to include "synthesized hydrocarbons" -- or biofuels


biofuels.

Consumer Acceptance

• Niche market vs. fungibilityNiche market vs. fungibility

• Price

• PerformancePerformance

• Availability

• Brand loyalty• Brand loyalty

Conversion and blending by il i ill f ilit t


oil companies will facilitate widespread acceptance

Algal Biofuels Can Reshape the Food vs Fuel DebateDebate

• Algal biomass used as food supplement since pre-columbian times

• Extracted biomass could provide approximately 180M tons protein per year• Aquaculture• Animal feed• Pet food• Human food

• Indirect land usage very different for algae compared to terrestrial crops

• Possible competition for fertilizer inputs especially potassium• Recycle option for some processes


• Capture nutrients from wastewater or natural blooms

Uncertainty Vs. Risk

Comparative Cost Analysis of Algal Oil Production for Biofuels. Amy Sun, Ryan Davis, Meghan Starbuck, Ami Ben‐Amotz, Ron Pate and Philip T.

Pienkos, P.T.,“ Historical Overview of Algal Biofuel Technoeconomic Analyses,” 2008 EERE Algal Biofuels T h l R d W k h P di Starbuck, Ami Ben Amotz, Ron Pate and Philip T.

Pienkos. Manuscript submitted to Energy.Technology Roadmap Workshop Proceedings, University of Maryland, December 9‐10, 2008.


Conclusions

• Algal biofuels can displace a significant amount of petroleum usage in the US

• Energy security• Greenhouse gas mitigation• High quality job creation in rural area• Seamless replacement for petroleum-based fuels

Resources are available to sustain production• Resources are available to sustain production• Underutilized land• Saline water (freshwater use can be minimized)• Nutrient recycleNutrient recycle

• Food vs fuel argument can be minimized or even reversed• VCs and corporations investing in algae

• Risk involved with economicsRisk involved with economics• Uncertainty involved in resource availability and public

acceptance for deployment• Public acceptance for algal biofuels seems less uncertain


QuestionsQuestions


Supplemental SlidesSupplemental Slides


How Algal Biofuels Figure Into the Equation

5 billion 5 b ogallons could come fromfrom algae


Job Creation Assumptions

50 ponds/operator [assumed]1 000 l b h /10 000 ft2 f i ttli ( i1,000 labor hours/10,000 ft2 of primary settling area (primary concentration) [based on literature]2,800 labor hours/1,000 ft2 of DAF settling area (secondary concentration) [based on literature]concentration) [based on literature]4 operators for centrifuge step (tertiary concentration) [assumed]4 operators for extraction step [assumed]4 operators for AD [assumed]4 operators for AD [assumed]All other FTE positions (other than plant operators) are based on the new biochemical design report

66 operators or total of 104 total employees at 10 MMgal/yr TAG production.


Multiple Biochemical Conversion Strategies and Routes of Algal Feedstocks into BiofuelsRoutes of Algal Feedstocks into Biofuels

SeparationExtractionWhole algae

• Protease cocktail• Cellulase cocktail k l

Whole algae

Algal residualsAlgal oil

• Lipase cocktailsFermentable

Cellulase cocktail• Amylase cocktail• Lipase cocktail

S i

• Protease cocktail• Cellulase cocktail• Amylase cocktail

• Catalytic upgrading

Fermentable sugarsFAME

• Microbial fermentation

FAME (biodiesel)Separation Fermentable

sugars

Diesel, kerosene, gasoline

• Microbial fermentation

Ethanol, butanol

Algal Biomass: A Versatile FeedstockMicroalgae Macroalgae Microcrops

Hydrogen Biomassmed

iate

Lipids orHydrocarbons Carbohydrates

Inte

rm Hydrocarbons

MethaneSyngas

National Renewable Energy Laboratory Innovation for Our Energy Future

Hydrogen Alkanes or“Green Diesel” Biodiesel FT Liquids

Fuel Alcohols

(Ethanol) Methane

Baseline Cost Results

$30$22

Direct Installed Capital, MM$ (Ponds)Ponds

CO2 Delivery

$25

Minimum Fuel Selling Price

$12

$9

$21

CO2 Delivery

Harvesting

Extraction

Digestion

Inoculum System

Hydrotreating

$18.10

$20.53

$15

$20

007/

gal)

$41

$16$23

$24

Hydrotreating

OSBL Equipment

Land Costs

Total = $195MM$8.52

$9.84$10

$15

lling

Pric

e ($

2

Operating ($/gal of product)

$522

Direct Installed Capital, MM$ (PBR)PBR system

CO2 Delivery$108

$0

$5

Sel

Capital ($/gal of product)

$522Harvesting

Extraction

Digestion

Inoculum System

Hydrotreating

$0OP

(TAG)PBR

(TAG)OP

(Diesel)PBR

(Diesel)

Baselines show high costs of today’s currently available technologies opportunities for cost

23

Hydrotreating

OSBL Equipment

Land Costs

Total = $631MM

available technologies, opportunities for cost reduction

Algal Biomass for Biopower Production with Nutrient Recyclewith Nutrient RecycleAn economically viable and sustainable

l l bi f l i Algal Biomass

Microalgal Cultivation

algal biofuel process requires:– gaining value from oil-extracted microalgae– recycling costly nutrients (especially nitrogen

& h h )

Algal Biomass

Oil FuelsExtraction

e

& phosphorous)

This DOE-funded project will evaluate the suitability of spent algal biomass for

Wet Residue

Minimal Cleanup

Nutrie

nt Recycl

CO2Recycle

y p gbiopower production via anaerobic digestion (AD) while recycling inorganic nutrients in the digester effluent for algal Biogas

AD Liquids & Sludge

Anaerobic Digestion

Generationnutrients in the digester effluent for algal growth

$900k funding ($450k/yr for two years)Biopower

g

Expand Model to Determine Potential Canadian Algal Productivity

Histograms and maps can be viewed f i f

Potential Biomass Production

20

30

atm

en

t p

lan

ts

29 % P limited ( 16 )71 % N limited ( 39 )0 % C limited ( 0 )

100 % Total ( 55 )

Canadian Algal Productivity

as a function of

• Biomass production potential (previous slides)• Potential rate at which CO2 is fixed

10

# w

ast

e w

ate

r tr

ea

33 17 3 1 12• Algal oil (biocrude) production potential• Area requirements

0

1e-3 1 10 20 30


Biomass produced (dry) [tonnes/day]

33 17 3 1 1

Potential CO2 FixedPotential Algal Oil Production Land Area Requirements

25

15

20

tre

ate

men

t p

lan

ts

29 % P limited ( 16 )71 % N limited ( 39 )0 % C limited ( 0 )

### % Total ( 55 )

15

20

25

r tr

eate

men

t p

lan

ts

Areal Productivity (algal oil)

Alberta 17,909 l/ha/yr

Nova Scotia 20,297 l/ha/yr

Southern Ontario 22,810 l/ha/yr

15

20

25

tre

ate

men

t p

lan

ts

Areal Productivity (dry biomass)

Alberta 4.1 kg/m²/yr

Nova Scotia 4.7 kg/m²/yr

Southern Ontario 5.2 kg/m²/yr

0

5

10

# w

ast

e w

ate

r

1e-2 1 5 20 50

24 17 8 4 10

5

10

# w

aste

wate

r

1 100 1,000 5,000 10,000

16 26 8 4 10

5

10

# w

ast

e w

ate

r

1 10 100 200 300

25 14 3 1 0


1e 2 1 5 20 50


CO2 fixed [tonnes/day] , , ,

to to to to and100 1,000 5,000 10,000 up

Algal oil produced [liters/day] to to to to and10 100 200 300 up

Area required [ha]

promises to keep? - keller heckmanpromises to keep? philip t. pienkos principal group manager,...

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