Assessment of Environmental and Economic Footprints of Algae Production Systems for Colder Climate

Abstract

Many open pond raceway (OPR) production systems for algae cultivation continue to be developed for moderate and hot climates (e.g., the USA, Europe and Australia). However, there has been very limited research on economic and environmental evaluations to assess whether these systems can be applied in Canadian northern climatic conditions commercially. Nor has a study been conducted to determine either the economic or the environmental impacts of using algae biomass as a feedstock for conversion to diluent and hydrogen for Canadian oil sands. This thesis evaluates the techno-economics of cultivating algae in Colder climate like Canada via both OPR and photobioreactor (PBR) technology systems. The research focussed on developing a data-intensive analytical model that considered environmental factors to predict algae yields of 2,000 tonnes per day. The results are provided by way of a comparative techno-economic assessment (TEA). Comparisons between OPR and PBR technologies based on TEA reporting provide optimistic insights and recommendations related to the economic sustainability of an algae industry in Canada. Where the calculated minimum biomass selling price (MBSP) for algae produced by OPR and PBR at present is $1,288 T-1 and $550 T-1 respectively, the techno-economic research provides optimism that biomass production at below $200 T-1 may be achievable, especially where PBR technologies are used.