INVESTIGADORES
ARENA alejandro pablo
capítulos de libros
Título:
Life Cycle Assessment of microalgae production for CO2 capture
Autor/es:
RODRÍGUEZ, P.D.; ARCE BASTÌAS, FERNANDO; ARENA, A. P.
Libro:
Algal Cultivation for Climate Mitigation and Environmental Cleanup
Editorial:
AAP/CRC Press
Referencias:
Lugar: Florida; Año: 2021; p. 1 - 15
Resumen:
Microalgae cultivation has been proposed as a strategy to prevent carbon emission into the atmosphere. Indeed, microalgae can absorb CO2 from flue gas, but their cultivation and downstream processing of biomass entail greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. Therefore, it worth answering if microalgae systems are a suitable option to offset carbon emissions. A life cycle perspective is thus required in order to assess the ability of microalgae to perform a net carbon capture. In this sense, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) appears as a useful methodology since it broadens the perspectives to take into account the whole life cycle of processes, materials and energy involved. This chapter presents a case study where carbon capture by microalgae was assessed. General outcomes showed that a net carbon capture could be attained only if clean electricity is used, because GHG emissions of microalgae systems are mainly linked with the electricity source. Additionally, since microalgae production is generally an energy-intensive process, there is a need to improve microalgae systems by reducing their energy demand. Microalgae cultivation could appear as a valid alternative for carbon capture under specific conditions. However, this strategy cannot be regarded as a solution to offset carbon emissions in every condition. Its application should be studied locally because carbon balance results mainly depend on electricity origin and biomass productivity, which vary from place to place. In addition, there is a great diversity of microalgae cultivation systems and biomass processing pathways, so specific parameters should be considered to assess carbon bio-fixation by microalgae