An energy analysis on the production of torrefied microalgal biomass
College
Gokongwei College of Engineering
Department/Unit
Mechanical Engineering
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Source Title
IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
Volume
463
Issue
1
Publication Date
4-6-2020
Abstract
© 2020 Institute of Physics Publishing. All rights reserved. Torrefaction is a process for upgrading raw biomass into an energy-dense fuel. In this study, an energy analysis was conducted to assess the energy consumption in the production of torrefied microalgal biomass. The functional unit of one kilogram torrefied biomass and a system boundary of cradle-to-gate was used. This includes the life cycle stages of cultivation, harvesting, drying, and torrefaction. To include the varying method for the upstream processes, four different scenarios of torrefied biomass production are considered. The result of the analysis revealed that across all four scenarios, the torrefaction stage had a minimal contribution of 1-20% as compared with other life cycle stages. However, even with very optimistic assumptions among all scenarios, the result of the study shows a large energy deficit on the system due to the high energy consumption involved in the cultivation method and even in the drying process. To minimize energy consumption during the cultivation stage, solar lighting was highly recommended. The use of a solar-assisted drying was also advisable to lessen the energy consumption for the drying stage.
html
Digitial Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1088/1755-1315/463/1/012016
Recommended Citation
Rivera, D., Culaba, A., Ubando, A., Chen, W., & Chang, J. (2020). An energy analysis on the production of torrefied microalgal biomass. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 463 (1) https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/463/1/012016
Upload File
wf_yes