Assessment of a dry and a wet route for the production of biofuels from microalgae: Energy balance analysis

In this study, the energy balance of two microalgae-to-biofuel concepts, one via a so called “dry route” (oil extraction from dried algae) and one via a “wet route” (oil extraction in the water phase), are assessed. Both routes are intended to convert the chemical energy contained in the microalgae into high-value biofuels with minimal fossil energy consumption. The analysis shows that the drying process in the dry route and the oil extraction process in the wet route consume a significant amount of energy. By coupling waste heat from a nearby power plant to the process, the energy balance can be improved and a potential fossil energy ratio (FER) up to 2.38 and 1.82 can be reached for the dry and wet route, respectively. The results indicate that based on current available technologies, the dry route has higher FER and the wet route has more potential in producing high valuable biofuels.