Abstract
Different microalgae are widely studied as alternative sources for biodiesel production. They show higher oil productivity values (per area) than oilseed crops and are not used for food industry. For the evaluation of the energy and environmental feasibility of biodiesel coming from microalgae, life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology provides a very useful tool. In this work, we have used it to evaluate the biodiesel production from the microalga Nannochloropsis gaditana cultivated in three different systems: tubular and flat-plate photobioreactors and raceway ponds. Results indicate that tubular reactor has a very high energy demand leading to the lowest net energy ratio (NER). Despite the better NER results of the cultivation step when using flat-plat configuration and race-way ponds, harvesting and lipid extraction necessary for biodiesel production lead to an important reduction of NER increasing also CO2 emissions
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