(2022) Bioresource Technology_Life cycle assessment of microalgal biorefinery: A state-of-the-art review

Ubando A.T., Anderson S. Ng E., Chen W.-H., Culaba A.B., Kwon E.E.

(Elsevier Ltd) Bioresource Technology ISSN: 9608524 Vol.360 Issue. Article No.127615 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127615

Microalgal biorefineries represent an opportunity to economically and environmentally justify the production of bioproducts. The generation of bioproducts within a biorefinery system must quantitatively demonstrate its viability in displacing traditional fossil-based refineries. To this end, several works have conducted life cycle analyses on microalgal biorefineries and have shown technological bottlenecks due to energy-intensive processes. This state-of-the-art review covers different studies that examined microalgal biorefineries through life cycle assessments and has identified strategic technologies for the sustainable production of microalgal biofuels through biorefineries. Different metrics were introduced to supplement life cycle assessment studies for the sustainable production of microalgal biofuel. Challenges in the comparison of various life cycle assessment studies were identified, and the future design choices for microalgal biorefineries were established. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

The Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT) Consortium Scholarship Program of the Philippines’ Department of Science and Technology is gratefully acknowledged by the third author for his scholarship funding. The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, ROC, under contracts MOST 109-2221-E-006-040-MY3 for this research. This research was also supported in part by Higher Education Sprout Project, Ministry of Education to the Headquarters of University Advancement at National Chen Kung University (NCKU).