Distribution and environmental impact of microalgae production potential under the carbon-neutral target

Abstract

Microalgae, characterized by high productivity and high oil content, are likely to become the focus of clean renewable energy development. However, there are many studies on the growth characteristics and utilization of microalgae in the existing literature, and there is still a lack of further research on the comprehensive prediction of the potential distribution of microalgae. Therefore, this paper uses the mathematical model of microalgae growth to calculate the annual average yield of potential microalgae in each region of the world according to the global uncultivated land and meteorological data, and then predicts the potential distribution of global microalgae biomass energy. This study evaluated the regions with high potential of microalgal biomass energy in the world, which could provide a reference for the development of microalgal biomass energy and the site selection of microalgal cultivation plants in the future. Meanwhile, the global potential biomass is estimated to be 1.985 × 1011 tonnes, which is equivalent to 7.87 × 1010 tonnes standard coal or 5.51 × 1010 tonnes standard oil. According to the global energy consumption, it is 4.14 times of the global primary energy consumption in 2021. This will not only provide sufficient renewable energy, but also improve the global environment.