Microalgae Biofuel for a Heavy-Duty Transport Sector within Planetary Boundaries
Richard Cabrera-Jiménez1, Victor Tulus2, Jordi Gavaldà1
1Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
|June 30, 2023
Summary
Microalgae biofuels offer a sustainable alternative for heavy-duty transport, significantly reducing environmental and human health impacts. These advanced biofuels decrease land use and protect biosphere integrity compared to conventional options.
Area of Science:
- Sustainable energy
- Environmental science
- Transport engineering
Background:
- Heavy-duty transport relies heavily on fossil fuels, contributing to significant environmental and human health issues.
- Conventional biofuels often have large land-use requirements, impacting biosphere integrity.
- Operating within planetary boundaries necessitates sustainable alternatives for the transport sector.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate 68 microalgae biofuel scenarios for their potential to enable heavy-duty transport to operate within planetary boundaries.
- To compare the environmental and human health impacts of microalgae biofuels against fossil-based and conventional biofuel alternatives.
- To assess the reduction in climate change and biosphere integrity impacts achievable with microalgae biofuels.
Main Methods:
- Development of 68 scenarios for microalgae biofuel production.
- Consideration of various fuel production processes (transesterification, hydrodeoxygenation, hydrothermal liquefaction).
- Inclusion of diverse carbon sources (natural gas power plants, direct air capture), byproduct treatments, and electricity mixes.
Main Results:
- Microalgae biofuels significantly reduce environmental and human health impacts compared to the business-as-usual fossil-based sector.
- Microalgae biofuels demonstrate substantially lower land-use requirements than standard biofuels, decreasing damage to biosphere integrity.
- Hydrodeoxygenation pathways using direct air capture could cut heavy transport's climate change impact by 77% and reduce biosphere integrity impacts six-fold relative to conventional biofuels.
Conclusions:
- Microalgae biofuels present a viable pathway for decarbonizing the heavy-duty transport sector.
- Specific pathways, such as hydrodeoxygenation with direct air capture, offer substantial environmental benefits, including climate change mitigation and biosphere protection.
- Microalgae biofuels are a promising sustainable alternative that aligns heavy-duty transport operations with planetary boundaries.
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