(540a) Comparative Analysis of Microalgae Productivity Potential and Economic Analysis in Open Raceway Ponds and Flat Panel Photobioreactors

Microalgae are often considered as promising feedstock for production of fuels and value-added chemicals. Microalgae can be cultivated in different kind of reactors. Open raceway ponds and flat panel photobioreactors are commonly used for microalgae cultivation in commercial scales. In the present work, a first-principles based quantitative model is developed to assess microalgae productivity potential in open raceways and flat panel photobioreactors for different locations in the United States. The mathematical growth model incorporates local climate factors and geospatial variabilities to determine microalgae productivity for the different reactors. Based on yearly microalgae productivity for the locations, a detailed economic analysis is conducted to assess microalgae price. A sensitivity analysis is further performed to assess the effect of different process parameters on microalgae price. Results indicate that there are significant differences in microalgae productivity and corresponding price for the different reactors and locations studied. The variation in algal productivity and costs can mainly be attributed to variation in local climate parameters and also to different engineering and process parameters pertaining to commercial scale microalgae cultivation. The quantitative modeling approach and corresponding economic analysis of microalgae cultivation will help to optimize the performance of microalgae-based systems at commercial scales for different geospatial locations.