Algae Based Carbon Capture

Submitted By- Group 4

Harshul Kanwar (015, m18harshulk@nsb.ac.in, 7503693437)
Desh Deepak Verma (011, m18deshdeepakv@nsb.ac.in,
9458236597)
Krishnendu Mondal (018, m18krishnendum@nsb.ac.in,
8902252239)
Yash Chauhan (045, m18yashc@nsb.ac.in, 8963067016)
1
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 OBJECTIVE
March towards a Green Planet
Commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2008-2012 to
5.2 percent below 1990 levels
(The Kyoto Protocol)
Advantages of carbon
trading
1. Reduction in green house gas emission
Stringency in the cap or the upper threshold
limit is contributing to lower emission over the
years.
2. Source of revenue for developing nations
Developing nations can earn revenue by
selling carbon credits to countries with more
fossil fuel demand.
3. Impetus for Alternative sources of energy
or green technology
Threshold limits encourages industries to
harness alternative sources of energy and
invest in green technology globally or in
indigenous research.
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Disadvantages of carbon
trading
1. Right to pollute
Industries in the ratified nations are
purchasing legal rights to pollute the
atmosphere.
2. Slow process
Industries are opting the easy way–
purchase more allowances than
implementing greener technologies.
3. No effective carbon reduction in the
atmosphere
Leads to carbon reduction in one place and
results in carbon emission in some other
place.
EXAMPLES OF CARBON TRADING IN INDIA
 Jindal Vijaynagar Steel: It will be
ready to sell $225 million worth of
saved carbon. This was made possible
since their steel plant uses the Corex
furnace technology which prevents 15
million tonnes of carbon from being
discharged into the atmosphere

 Powerguda in Andhra Pradesh: The

village in Andhra Pradesh was selling
147 tonnes equivalent of saved carbon
dioxide credits. The company has
made a claim of having saved 147 MT
of CO2. This was done by extracting
bio-diesel from 4500 Pongamia trees in
their village

 Handia Forest in Madhya Pradesh:

In Madhya Pradesh, it is estimated that
95 very poor rural villages would
jointly earn at least US$300,000 every
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year from carbon payments by
 Advantages of Algae Disadvantages of Algae
1. It consumes huge amounts of 1. Large amounts of water are
carbon dioxide. Producing each needed to grow algae in open
gallon of oil from algae consumes ponds or closed bioreactors.
13 to 14 kilograms of the carbon 2. The production cost of algae
dioxide. biodiesel is high and the
2. Algae-derived biofuel can reduce technology is new and still
CO2 emissions by 50 to 70 percent developing.
compared to petroleum fuels.
3. It could potentially produce up to
60 times more oil per acre than
land-based plants.
4. It has the capability to produce
over 30 times more energy per
unit area than other 1st and 2nd
generation biofuel crops.
5. Almost no negative impact on the
environment as it does not affect
fresh water sources. Algae can be
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water.
 Integrating Algae with Bioenergy Carbon
Capture and Storage (ABECCS) Increases
Sustainability
Our Aim
 To evaluate the sustainability of integrating Algae production
with Bioenergy CCS (called ABECCS)
 To devise an affordable system that removes CO2 from the
atmosphere

Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) is a promising

negative‐emissions approach in which biomass is combusted
to generate electricity in conjunction with CCS

However, on a scale relevant to mitigating global warming, the

arable land and freshwater requirements for BECCS could be
unviable and cause competition with food production

In the ABECCS system, soy cropland is replaced by eucalyptus

5 forests used for BECCS that provides marine algae with CO 2, heat,
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and electricity
 Components of the ABECCS Facility

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 Experimentation

A combination of 121‐ha algae facility with a 2,680‐ha eucalyptus

forest for BECCS was taken into account for Assessment

The system yields as much protein as soybeans while generating

61.5 TJ of electricity and sequestering 29,600 t of CO2 per year

The system is economically viable when receiving $600/t of algae

and $278/t of CO2 sequestered.

With favourable economic conditions, ABECCS could contribute to

the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere in a sustainable way

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Parameters taken into Account for Experimentation

a) This operating cost value excludes loan payment and taxes, which vary year‐to‐year.
b) Minimum selling/sequestration prices are calculated to yield NPV = 0 (break‐even) after 30 years when
other products receive baseline market prices.
c) The carbon contained in algal biomass exiting the system boundary is assumed to be eventually released
back to the atmosphere as CO2 via metabolism or combustion
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 Energy Return on Investment (EROI) Results
The ABECCS facility offers advantages over single‐output
technologies because (unlike soybeans, fossil‐fuel electricity
generation, or other carbon removal technologies) this system
yields protein, electricity, and sequesters carbon—thereby
providing three valuable outcomes simultaneously with a
substantial return on energy investment

Greenhouse Gas Results

The ABECCS facility sequesters over 29,600 t of CO2 per year with
a 2800‐ha footprint
ABECCS design represents a novel approach to generating
negative GHG emissions and can be considered as one of the
many options to help limit the increase of atmospheric CO 2.

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 Water Results
The main water use components for this system are:
 Seawater or saline water for algae cultivation
 Natural precipitation (green water) for eucalyptus production
 Freshwater (blue water) required for cooling in CCS

Because eucalyptus and soybeans require a similar amount of water, it is

possible to replace existing soybean crops with eucalyptus forest without
increasing the water footprint of protein production

Sensitivity Analysis Results

 The cost of carbon sequestration is heavily influenced by the productivity of
both eucalyptus and algae. The eucalyptus productivity determines the
overall carbon uptake and electricity yield, while the algal productivity drives
the algal biomass revenue.
 The only other two parameters that yield sequestration prices below $200/t
are a 50% reduction in the cost of cultivating algae and a 100% increase in
the price received for algal biomass. 

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 Framework

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 References
1. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/power/budget
-proposes-less-tax-on-income-from-carbon-credits/articleshow/62742
838.cms
2. http://www.ijsret.org/pdf/carbon_trading.pdf
3. https://www.carbonbrief.org/around-the-world-in-22-carbon-capture-p
rojects
4. https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2017EF0007
04
5. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/120/1/012011/p
df

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