Sustainable Development of Algal Biofuels in the United States

274 Pages·2012·2.95 MB·English

Sustainable Development of Algal
Biofuels in the United States

Committee on the Sustainable Development of Algal Biofuels

Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources
Division on Earth and Life Studies

Board on Energy and Environmental Systems
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences

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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the
National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of
Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the
committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for
appropriate balance.

This study was supported by Contract/Grant No. DE-DT0001899 between the National Academy of
Sciences and the Department of Energy. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations
expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the
organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

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Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 97-XXXXX

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COVER: Design by Anne Rogers. Photo courtesy of Sammy Boussiba, J. Blaustein Institute for Desert
Research, Sde-Boker.

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COMMITTEE ON THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF ALGAL BIOFUELS

JENNIE C. HUNTER CEVERA, Chair, Hunter and Associates, Ellicott City, Maryland
SAMMY BOUSSIBA, J. Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Sde-Boker
JOEL L. CUELLO, The University of Arizona, Tuscon
CLIFFORD S. DUKE, Ecological Society of America, Washington, DC
REBECCA A. EFROYMSON, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee
SUSAN S. GOLDEN, University of California, San Diego
JENNIFER HOLMGREN, Lanzatech, Roselle, Illinois
DONALD L. JOHNSON, Grain-Processing Corporation (Retired), Muscatine, Iowa
MARK E. JONES, The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan
VAL H. SMITH, The University of Kansas, Lawrence
CAI STEGER, Natural Resources Defense Council, New York, New York
GREGORY N. STEPHANAPOULOS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts
LARRY P. WALKER, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
ERIC WILLIAMS, Rochester Institute of Technology, New York
PAUL V. ZIMBA, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi

Editor
LESLIE G. COPLIN

Staff

EVONNE P.Y. TANG, Study Codirector
K. JOHN HOLMES, Study Codirector
RUTH S. ARIETI, Research Associate
KATHLEEN REIMER, Senior Program Assistant
ROBIN A. SCHOEN, Director
JAMES ZUCCHETTO, Director

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BOARD ON AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

NORMAN R. SCOTT, Chair, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York (Emeritus)
PEGGY F. BARLETT, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
HAROLD L. BERGMAN, University of Wyoming, Laramie
RICHARD A. DIXON, Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Ardmore, Oklahoma
DANIEL M. DOOLEY, University of California, Oakland
JOAN H. EISEMANN, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
GARY F. HARTNELL, Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Missouri
GENE HUGOSON, Global Initiatives for Food Systems Leadership, St. Paul, Minnesota
MOLLY M. JAHN, University of Wisconsin-Madison
ROBBIN S. JOHNSON, Cargill Foundation, Wayzata, Minnesota
A.G. KAWAMURA, Solutions from the Land, Washington, DC
JULIA L. KORNEGAY, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
KIRK C. KLASING, University of California, Davis
VICTOR L. LECHTENBERG, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
PHILIP E. NELSON, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
KEITH PITTS, Marrone Bio Innovations, Davis, California
CHARLES W. RICE, Kansas State University, Manhattan
HAL SALWASSER, Oregon State University, Corvallis
ROGER A. SEDJO, Resources for the Future, Washington, District of Columbia
KATHLEEN SEGERSON, University of Connecticut, Storrs
MERCEDES VAZQUEZ-AÑON, Novus International, Inc., St. Charles, Missouri

Staff

ROBIN A. SCHOEN, Director
CAMILLA YANDOC ABLES, Program Officer
RUTH S. ARIETI, Research Associate
KAREN L. IMHOF, Administrative Coordinator
KARA N. LANEY, Program Officer
JANET M. MULLIGAN, Senior Program Associate for Research
KATHLEEN REIMER, Senior Program Assistant
EVONNE P.Y. TANG, Senior Program Officer
PEGGY TSAI, Program Officer

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BOARD ON ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS

ANDREW BROWN, JR., Chair, Delphi Corporation, Troy, Michigan
WILLIAM F. BANHOLZER, The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan
MARILYN BROWN, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
WILLIAM CAVANAUGH III, Progress Energy (retired), Raleigh, North Carolina
PAUL DeCOTIS, Long Island Power Authority, Albany, New York
CHRISTINE EHLIG-ECONOMIDES, Texas A&M University, College Station
SHERRI GOODMAN, CNA, Alexandria, Virginia
NARAIN HINGORANI, Independent Consultant, Los Altos Hills, California
ROBERT HUGGETT, Independent Consultant, Seaford, Virginia
DEBBIE NIEMEIER, University of California, Davis
DANIEL NOCERA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
MICHAEL OPPENHEIMER, Princeton University, New Jersey
DAN REICHER, Stanford University, California
BERNARD ROBERTSON, Daimler-Chrysler (retired), Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
GARY ROGERS, FEV, Inc, Auburn Hills, Michigan
ALISON SILVERSTEIN, Consultant, Pflugerville, Texas
MARK THIEMENS, University of California, San Diego
RICHARD WHITE, Oppenheimer & Company, New York City

Staff

JAMES ZUCCHETTO, Director
DANA CAINES, Financial Associate
ALAN CRANE, Senior Program Officer
K. JOHN HOLMES, Senior Program Officer
LANITA JONES, Administrative Coordinator
ALICE WILLIAMS, Senior Program Assistant
JONATHAN YANGER, Senior Project Assistant
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Preface

The desire to develop energy sources that can provide greater environmental and security
benefits has spurred research and investments in the development of alternatives to petroleum,
the dominant source of liquid transportation fuels. Because of its high biomass (and oil
productivity in some cases), algae and cyanobacteria (commonly referred to as blue-green algae)
frequently have been considered a promising renewable feedstock for fuel production. We all
were taught that petroleum and other fossil fuels formed on this planet from plant remains that
were compressed for millions of years at high temperatures. It seems fitting that scientists would
choose to study some of the most primitive life forms to develop large-scale biofuel
replacements for such fossil fuels. Algae have been grown under a variety of conditions for the
production of lipids and high-value products for several decades. Two factors that influenced the
consideration of algal biofuel production in the past were the costs of a barrel of oil and the
ability to cultivate algae and process them into transportation fuel at a reasonable cost. The U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) had a robust program to develop biofuels from algae from 1978 to
1996, when it was concluded that algal biofuel would not be cost competitive with petroleum
soon. Fast forward to 2012, and with advances in genetics and engineering, we are back to the
future in considering whether algae can be an economic and sustainable alternative source of
liquid transportation fuels. Could it be that use of algae to produce biofuels is the answer to
becoming less dependent on foreign oil?
At the request of DOE, the National Research Council (NRC) appointed a committee of
15 experts with diverse backgrounds and experience to examine the sustainability of algal
biofuels. The committee reviewed many scientific papers and government and industry reports,
and listened first hand to company representatives, academic experts, and government agency
program managers who deal with production of algal biofuels. The committee also met three
times and held regularly scheduled conference calls to deliberate and reach agreement as to how
to best address the charge from DOE to identify potential sustainability concerns, mitigate
environmental concerns, and identify indicators of sustainability and metrics that could be used
to monitor progress as the technology advances on several fronts.
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x PREFACE

In its consideration of the task, the committee examined the algal biofuel supply chain
from the characteristics of the species to the methods for cultivation and processing into fuels. It
separated the potential pathways for deployment into four basic scenarios and used those
scenarios to help assess the resource needs and environmental concerns resulting from the
location and design of large-scale production. The outcome of the current knowledge available
through literature and discussion by the committee is this report on sustainable development of
algal biofuels. This report does not address economic analyses or comparative life-cycle
analyses. However, it provides a framework for assessing sustainability as the DOE continues to
invest in algal biofuel research and development.
I thank the committee members and NRC staff for the very stimulating and thought-
provoking dialogue and for their many contributions to the writing of this report.

Jennie C. Hunter-Cevera
Chair, Committee on Sustainable
Development of Algal Biofuels

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