?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fd-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu%2F11639%2F&rft.title=Life+Cycle+Assessment+of+Microalgal+Biodiesel+and+Policy+Implications+to+Minimize+Unintended+Consequences&rft.creator=Soratana%2C+Kullapa&rft.description=The+overall+goals+of+this+research+are+to+identify+forms+of+environmentally+friendly+microalgal+biodiesel+production+and+to+address+the+broader+policy+implications+of+the+Renewable+Fuel+Standard+2+(RFS2)+to+avoid+unintended+environmental+consequences+from+the+production+and+the+utilization+of+biofuels.+Life+cycle+assessment+(LCA)+of+microalgal+biodiesel+was+conducted+using+a+process+LCA+model+with+Monte+Carlo+Analysis+(MCA)+for+uncertainty+analysis.+First%2C+the+study+focused+on+environmental+impacts+from+the+production+of+microalgal+mass.+Twenty+scenarios+of+microalgal+cultivation+with+different+sources+of+CO2%2C+nutrients+and+material+used+to+construct+photobioreactor+(PBR)+were+evaluated.+The+results+showed+that+the+utilization+of+CO2+from+flue+gas+only+reduces+global+warming+potential+(GWP)%2C+while+the+utilization+of+nutrients+from+municipal+wastewater+mainly+reduces+eutrophication+potential+(EP)%2C+and+the+selection+of+material+used+to+construct+PBR+is+important.%0D%0ALCA+of+microalgal+biodiesel+was+conducted+to+evaluate+the+major+contributions+to+different+environmental+impacts+and+to+identify+the+production+condition+with+minimal+impacts.+Environmental+impacts+from+four+different+microalgal+biodiesel+production+scenarios+to+achieve+the+biomass-based+diesel+quantity+required+by+the+RFS2+were+quantified.+These+four+scenarios+included+lower+and+higher+production+efficiencies+and+different+sources+of+resources%2C+which+are+synthetic%2C+and+natural+and+waste.+None+of+the+four+scenarios+met+the+RFS%E2%80%99s+greenhouse+gas+emissions+requirement.+The+emissions+can+be+minimized+by+improving+the+energy+efficiency+of+harvesting+process%2C+since+the+GWP+results+are+sensitive+to+energy+consumption+in+harvesting+process.+Sensitivity+of+EP%2C+ozone+depletion+potential+and+ecotoxicity+potential+to+other+parameters+are+also+reported.%0D%0AGWP%2C+EP+and+photochemical+smog+formation+potential+(PSP)+results+from+the+scenario+with+minimal+impacts+were+compared+to+the+impacts+from+other+diesels%2C+petroleum+diesel%2C+soybean+diesel+and+canola+diesel.+The+tradeoffs+between+different+types+of+diesel+suggested+that+future+RFS+should+include+other+environmental+criteria+such+as+EP+and+PSP+to+minimize+unintended+consequences.+Possible+strategies+to+setting+life-cycle+EP+and+PSP+criteria+are%0D%0Adiscussed.%0D%0AFinally%2C+a+LCA+on+the+co-production+of+microalgal+biodiesel+and+bioethanol+from+microalgae+and+corn+were+conducted.+CO2+for+microalgal+cultivation+was+provided+from+flue+gas+and%2For+fermentation+processes.+The+recovery+of+CO2+from+fermentation+process+decreases+GWP%2C+but+slightly+increases+EP.+The+co-production+of+the+microalgal+biofuels+can+reduce+GWP+and+EP+by+54+and+52%25%2C+respectively%2C+compared+to+the+production+of+microalgal+biodiesel+alone.+Lipid%0D%0Aand+carbohydrate+contents+of+microalgae+should+be+24-36%25+and+44%25%2C+respectively%2C+in+order+to+produce+the+maximum+energy+content+in+algal+biofuels+with+the+minimum+GWP+and+EP+impacts.&rft.date=2012-06-04&rft.type=University+of+Pittsburgh+ETD&rft.type=PeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.language=en&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fd-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu%2F11639%2F1%2FSoratana_Dissertation.pdf&rft.identifier=++Soratana%2C+Kullapa++(2012)+Life+Cycle+Assessment+of+Microalgal+Biodiesel+and+Policy+Implications+to+Minimize+Unintended+Consequences.++Doctoral+Dissertation%2C+University+of+Pittsburgh.++++(Unpublished)++