Abstract
Biofuel production from microalgae biomass has been considered a viable alternative to harmful fossil fuels; however, challenges are faced regarding its economic sustainability. Process integration to yield various high-value bioproducts is implemented to raise profitability and sustainability. By incorporating a circular economy outlook, recirculation of resource flows is maximized to yield economic and environmental benefits through waste minimization. However, previous modeling studies have not looked into the opportunity of integrating productivity reduction related to the continuous recirculation and reuse of resources until it reaches its end of life. In this work, a novel multi-objective optimization model is developed centered on an algal biorefinery that simultaneously optimizes cost and environmental impact, adopts the principle of resource recovery and recirculation, and incorporates the life cycle assessment methodology to properly account for the environmental impacts of the system. An algal biorefinery involving end-products such as biodiesel, glycerol, biochar, and fertilizer was used for a case study to validate the optimization model. The generated optimal results are assessed and further analyzed through scenario analysis. It was seen that demand fluctuations and process unit efficiencies have significant effect on the optimal results.
Highlights
The overwhelming environmental concerns associated with fossil fuel production and consumption are only expected to rise in the following years as global energy demand grows by around 1.3% every year [1]
A multi-objective target-oriented robust optimization model was developed by Sy et al, (2018) for an integrated algal biorefinery polygeneration system focusing on profit maximization and environmental footprint minimization, which was later extended by Culaba et al, (2019) into a multi-period model to capture fluctuations in demand through planning periods and allow for material storage to buffer disparities between available supply and spikes in demand [16,17]
There is a need to develop a mathematical optimization model on an integrated microalgal biorefinery that optimizes profit and environmental impact, integrates the life cycle assessment methodology to account for the environmental impacts associated with a microalgal biofuel process flow, and incorporates resource recirculation among materials recirculated within the biorefinery centered on a closed-loop production system
Summary
The overwhelming environmental concerns associated with fossil fuel production and consumption are only expected to rise in the following years as global energy demand grows by around 1.3% every year [1]. A multi-objective target-oriented robust optimization model was developed by Sy et al, (2018) for an integrated algal biorefinery polygeneration system focusing on profit maximization and environmental footprint minimization, which was later extended by Culaba et al, (2019) into a multi-period model to capture fluctuations in demand through planning periods and allow for material storage to buffer disparities between available supply and spikes in demand [16,17]. There is a need to develop a mathematical optimization model on an integrated microalgal biorefinery that optimizes profit and environmental impact, integrates the life cycle assessment methodology to account for the environmental impacts associated with a microalgal biofuel process flow, and incorporates resource recirculation among materials recirculated within the biorefinery centered on a closed-loop production system
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