Simulation and techno-economic study of Botryococcus Braunii biofilm cultivation for biofuel production in tropical drylands, Indonesia

Abstract

The microalgae Botryococcus braunii holds significant promise for biofuel generation. This study delves into an innovative B. braunii biofilm cultivation approach to trim energy consumption as well as harvesting costs. The investigation encompassed two distinct processes, i.e., algae turf scrubber (ATS) biofilm and open raceway pond (ORP) systems. The simulation of integrated cultivation, harvesting, and lipid extraction processes was conducted using SuperPro Designer. Furthermore, capital and operational expenses were calculated to be further discussed in terms of techno-economics and profitability. The ATS biofilm reached a notably high biomass productivity of 38 g m^− 2 d^− 1 when compared to the ORP system (7.5 g m^− 2 d^− 1). Likewise, the ATS biofilm cultivation demonstrated lesser water consumption by up to 6-fold and facilitated a remarkable 77.3% reduction in total OPEX. Besides, the microalgae cultivation plant using the ATS biofilm system with a lifetime of 12 years leads to an IRR of up to 26.43% with a DPBP of 5.9 y if the biofuel product is sold at 3.7 USD L^− 1. Given this potential, biofuel production from B. braunii in the ATS biofilm system can be an attractive option in terms of process reliance and feasibility for future large- and commercial-scale microalgae industries.

Keywords

Microalgae / Algae turf scrubber / Biofilm / Raceway / Feasibility / Biofuel

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The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the International Society of Energy and Environmental Science