Energy Conversion and Management 79 (2014) 519524

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Energy Conversion and Management

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/enconman

The effect of algae species on biodiesel and biogas production observed by using a data model combines algae cultivation with an anaerobic digestion (ACAD) and a biodiesel process
Zehra Sapci a,b,, John Morken a
a b

Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Department of Mathematical Science and Technology, Biltis, Turkey Bitlis Eren University, Environmental Engineering Department, Biltis, Turkey

a r t i c l e

i n f o

a b s t r a c t
The inuence of an algae species based on the biodiesel yield was investigated by using a combined plant model from the literature. The model has six different processes: algal cultivation, the occulation and separation process, biodiesel production, anaerobic digestion, scrubbing, and combined heat and power (CHP). The data model in the literature was operated with the values for Chlorella vulgaris. To investigate the roles of the algae species on the biodiesel yield in the model, two different algae species, Nannochloropsis sp. and Haematococcus pluvialis, were selected. Depending on the data from these algae in the literature, three different scenarios were modeled in the study. The model shows that all of the scenarios for biodiesel production can be totally independent of an external energy supply. Energy estimations for all of the applications scenarios show that the system produces more energy than the amount that is required for the processing operation. 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Article history: Received 6 September 2013 Accepted 2 December 2013

Keywords: Anaerobic digestion Microalgae Biodiesel Bioenergy Modeling

1. Introduction Bioenergy resources must replace fossil energy resources, both to meet the target of the limitations of global warming and to substitute fossil fuel when this resource is exhausted. However, land area limits the production capacity, and the increasing world population limits this possibility. The utilization of algae can be introduced as a possibility [17]. Mainly, the nutrients and carbon dioxide (CO2) that must be supplied to the algae cultivation process should be calculated. Considering the solution to this problem, combining the algae cultivation (AC) with anaerobic digestion (AD) has been a research focus since 1959 [12,19,6,24]. In their combined process, the required nutrients and the lack of CO2 for the algae cultivation were supplied from a digest of an AD process and in biogas, respectively. To produce more energy in the combined process, currently, the combination has been improved by adding the biodiesel production process [25,1]. Algae cultivation (AC) for wastewater treatment (WWT) and the production of biogas and biodiesel were compared with AC for WWT and the production of biogas by using a computer model in a case study in Hisingen, Sweden. The investigations in terms

Corresponding author at: Bitlis Eren University, Environmental Engineering Department, Bitlis, Turkey. Tel.: +90 4342285170; fax: +90 4342285171. E-mail address: sedef01@gmail.com (Z. Sapci).
0196-8904/$ - see front matter 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2013.12.010

of product outputs, focused upon CO2 emissions and energy savings [1]. Estimation of the total CO2 savings indicated that the biogas and biodiesel case saves CO2 emission more than the biogas case. They also found the combined case to be more economically feasible than the biogas case. AC combined with AD and biodiesel extraction was investigated by using another data model [25,18]. Many different operations factors and processes were combined in the data model, which was called ACAD-Biorenery Data Model by Strmme [25] and Morken et al. [18]. By producing its own energy, the biofuel improved its degree of renewability and level of carbon neutrality. Energy estimations of the model indicated that more energy could be produced by combining the processes, such as in the previous report by Andersson et al. [1]. The yields and energy potential of microalgae depend on the species chosen and the environmental conditions for growing, the cultivation period, and the lipid and protein content ([14,8]). Therefore, one of the signicant factors of the concept is the biochemical characteristic of the algae species and its nutrient needs. Hence, this ACADBiorenery Data Model is chosen in our study to investigate then inuence of the algae species based on the biodiesel yield in the combined process. The objectives of this paper are to investigate the effect of changing the process parameters on the ACAD-Biorenery Data Model and to research how the renewable energy production could be increased. Three different algae species, Chlorella vulgaris, Nannochloropsis sp. and Haematococcus pluvialis, which have different

520

Z. Sapci, J. Morken / Energy Conversion and Management 79 (2014) 519524

biochemical properties, are evaluated based on renewable energy production (electricity and biodiesel) in the model. 2. Methods 2.1. Model description The ACAD-Biorenery Data Model was used in the present study [18]. According to this model, the AD was fed with residues (algal oilcake and glycerin) from biodiesel extracts and two different external wastes, sludge from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and waste paper, because of the supply nutrient balance in the AD. After the AD, occulation, coagulation and subsequent dewatering processes were chosen to separate the liquid from the solids in the digestate. The liquid phase was shifted to an algal pond in which it acts as a fertilizer. During this process, algal biomass was grown and harvested from the pond. Afterward, the liquid phase in the harvested biomass was removed by the occulation and coagulation process, and thus, the solid phase (the algal biomass) was obtained. The dewatered algal biomass was pre-treated due to extracting the lipids (oil) and the residual algal oilcake. The oil was estericated by introducing methanol and sodium hydroxide, and the biodiesel was produced together with glycerin, which was used in the digester. This process produces biodiesel and the glycerin residue. The glycerin was fed back to the AD. To increase the methane content of the biogas and to obtain pond water that is carbon-rich due to algae productivity, the separated water was transferred to a scrubbing process. The enriched biogas based on the methane content went into a combined heat and power (CHP) gas engine to produce electricity and heat, which were used to provide energy for the whole process. The methane from the biogas is used in a combined heat and power plant. The plant delivers both heat and power internally and exports extended electric power. The principle of the model is shown in Fig. 1.

2.2. Scenario description The microalgae is the most important energy source in the ACAD-Biorenery Data Model. The production depends on the microalgae species and the growing environmental conditions, the cultivation period, and the lipid and protein content of the biomass, which present differences [7,14,8]. The ACAD-Biorenery Data Model has been built with data from C. vulgaris, which was taken from different references in the literature (Table 1) [18]. In this study, this data application was called the 1st scenario because it follows easily the effect of the algae species on the model. Data from two different algae species, Nannochloropsis sp. and H. pluvialis, were used in the model and were labeled as the 2nd scenario and 3rd scenario, respectively. Most of the input and output data in the model were obtained from Morken et al. [18]. However, the carbohydrate content of C. vulgaris and H. pluvialis was calculated by the differences in the percentages while considering the protein and lipid data from the literature (Table 1). 2.3. Model calculation The engineering calculation software MathCad 15.0 was used to model the system ow in the ACAD model. To implement the algae productivity in the ACAD-Biorenery Data Model, data of C. vulgaris (1st scenario), Nannochloropsis sp. (2nd scenario) and H. pluvialis (3rd scenario) are chosen from conditions in which they are grown under limited nitrogen conditions (low-N) ([14]), grown under nitrogen and light limited conditions (Fabregas, 2004) and grown under maximum growth conditions (the production rate) ([13]), respectively (Table 1). Phosphorus was more closely associated with the metabolic functions (e.g., photosynthesis) than with the storage function (Lardon, 2009). The model assumed that the quota of phosphorus in the algae was proportional to the protein content and, then, that it was indirectly proportional to the nitrogen fraction of the biomass.

Fig. 1. The description of the ACAD data model.

Z. Sapci, J. Morken / Energy Conversion and Management 79 (2014) 519524 Table 1 Chemical composition and cultivation properties of Chlorella vulgaris, Nannochloropsis sp. and Haematococcus pluvialis in the model. Properties C. vulgaris (1 Scenario) [18] Algae Biomass Fraction of protein (%) Fraction of carbohydrates (%) Fraction of lipids (%) Caloric value (kJ/g) Algae cultivation Growth rate (per day) Dry weight per volume (g/m ) Productivity (g/m2/day)
a b c d e f g 3 st

521

Nannochloropsis sp. (2
nd

H. pluvialis (3th Scenario) 10.2 [2] 48.8b 40.7 [2] 21.3 [15] 1.9 [13] 206 [13] 36.4 [13]

Scenario)

47 [14]a 28 [14]b 25 [13]a 22 [14]a 0.25 [14] 206 [14] 15.1 [14,13,16]

10.3 [10]c, [22] 29 [10]c 60.7 [10]c, [22] 29.5 [20]d, [22]d 0.8 [10,26]e,f 580 [29]g 64 [10]c

Was Was Was Was Was Was Was

assumed by Strmme [25] regarding given reference. found the way of mathematic calculation from molecular formula and differences of total percentages. taken from irradiance condition of 10 lmol quanta m2 s1. assumed according to reference. taken from light intensity of 80 mol photons m2 s1. max growth rate. gross weight of algae samples washed by ammonium bicarbonate solution.

In the study, the needed levels of the different nutrients (N, P, K, Mg and S) in each scenario were calculated using the gures for C. vulgaris low-N, which are estimated in the work of Lardon et al. [16] and are calculated in proportion to the protein content, as reported by Morken et al. [18]. The data model assumed that the total amount of nutrients was used with perfect efciency. According to the model, the nitrogen balance was built considering the production of algae-available nitrogen [18]. Regarding the nutrient requirements, the nutrient supply is estimated by multiplying the organic N and P in the feedstock, with the mineralization factor in the AD [16,5]. Similarly, the carbon balance in this approach was built considering the production of CO2 in the biogas and from the combustion of CHP and CO2 consumed by the algae. Water scrubbing was used to remove CO2 from the biogas. The CO2 solubility in water was calculated according to Henrys Law. Because the AD is a central process in the model, a determination of the feedstock mix ratios for the AD with respect to the C/N ratio is important. Zhao and Ruan [28] indicated that biogas yield was increased not only to balance the nutrients for anaerobic bacteria, but also to enhance the buffering capacity of the digester. To calculate the mixture of the organic matter that enters the ADreactor in the model, the optimal C/N-ratio in the mixed co-digestions (sewage sludge, waste paper, algal oilcake and glycerin) was maintained in the range of 20-25/1, as similarly reported by Yen and Brune [27]. In addition to this, to make the results of each scenario comparable, the feeding mixture of the biomass in the AD reactor was xed as 7380 kg for the total amount of volatile solids (Table 2) to produce the same units of biogas which is approximately 4000 m3. Since the amount of algal matter and other feedstocks in the mixture is limited to the optimal C/N range as 25, each feedstock percentages in the mixture were calculated for each scenario separately due to differences of algal chemical composition and cultivation process. For the calculation of the C/N-ratio in the mixture, the C/N-ratio in the sewage sludge, the ratio in the waste paper and the ratio in the glycerin were assumed as 7.2 [9], 126 ([3]), and 0 [11], respectively in all scenarios. The lipid fraction in the algal biomass is assumed to have been removed by the oil extraction process in the model [18]. Therefore, the C/N-ratio in the residual algal oilcake was calculated based on the remaining biomass which was consisted of protein and carbon.

In the view of the energy production from AD in the model, 60% of the biogas produced was calculated to determine the amount of methane [27]. According to the model, 55% of the energy in the methane was converted to heat through the CHP process. This heat was used for the oil extraction, the esterication, the biomass pretreatment, and for maintaining an optimal process temperature in the AD-reactor. The required power for the pumping and for circulation was also calculated according to the study of Morken et al. [18].

3. Results and discussion To make each scenario comparable, the biogas unit, which is the central process in the model, was xed as 4000 m3 (90 GJ) in this approach. The required amount of the feedstock mixture was calculated as 7380 kg Volatile Solid (VS) (Table 2). The amount of the each feedstock biomass in the mixture (algal oilcake, glycerin, WWTP sludge, waste paper) was calculated on the basis of a 2025 C/N-ratio and the nitrogen cycle of the approach. After the value of the C/N-ratio in the sewage sludge, waste paper and the glycerin were taken from literature, the ratio of the algal oilcake in each scenario was calculated. The ratio of the residual algal oilcake in the 1st scenario, the 2nd scenario and the 3rd the scenario were found as 4.79, 10.6, and 15.72, respectively. Feeding mixture according to the required amount of the feedstock and C/N-ratio was found to be 58% of the feedstock mixture in the 1st scenario, which originated from external sources (WWTP sludge and waste paper). The total percentages of the external feedstock mix of both the 2nd scenario and the 3rd scenario were calculated as approximately 20% less than in the 1st scenario. These differences occurred because of the effect of high VS content in the algal oilcake and glycerin (Table 2). The three scenarios based on this modeling approach indicated that the production of algal biomass in the 2nd scenario was greater than in the other scenarios. However, the lowest algae growing area was sufcient for the approach of the 2nd scenario due to having a high productivity compared to the other scenarios (Table 3). However, the lowest cultivation pond area did not cause less evaporation with this approach, because the high algae concentration in

522

Z. Sapci, J. Morken / Energy Conversion and Management 79 (2014) 519524 Table 3 Estimates of algae biomass produced, evaporation, evaporation, total pond area and productivity for production of 4 m3 biogas. Process Proprieties Algal biomass produced (kg) Total evaporation (m3) Needed area (ha day) Productivity (ton/ha/yr) 1st Scenario 4416 17.66 29.24 55.15 2nd Scenario 10910 43.65 17.05 233.76 3rd Scenario 8918 35.67 24.50 132.94

the pond required a higher water volume (Table 3). Therefore, the size of the algae cultivation pond is independent in this approach. Considering the production of algal biomass in each scenario, the results of the N, P and CO2 requirements were calculated (Table 4). The results of all of the scenarios showed that they did not require an external supply for the N, but all of them required external P sources. In view of the CO2 requirement, the approach of the 2nd scenario required more additional CO2 compared with the approach of the 3rd scenario (Table 4). Biochemical characteristics of the algae (i.e., the lipid, protein and carbohydrate content), which shows a variety regarding the algae species [14,8], has a signicant inuence in this approach. To supply the nutrient requirements, the system was fed with external sources (the sludge, the waste paper). In addition to these inputs, methanol was given to the system for the esterication process (other inputs are not included because of their low contribution). The total biomass energy that entered from external sources in the 1st scenario, the 2nd scenario and the 3rd scenario were calculated as approximately 100, 81 and 60 GJ, respectively (Table 6). Studies in which AC is combined with AD in the literature have focused mainly on two nal outputs: the methane and the electricity ([6]). Similar to in our study, there were two outputs from the model; organic waste (organic fertilizer) and energy. The energy from the feedstock mix was converted from biogas to electrical power, and energy was converted from the electrical processes to heat energy and from photosynthetic energy to biodiesel. Table 6 indicates these distributions in the system. The electricity produced by CHP, the loss of energy from CHP and the produced heating energy of the system had the same amounts in each scenario because the same processes were applied (Table 5). Morken et al. [18] reported that this concept produces more energy due to the C/N-ratio in which the co-digestion feedstock has a high carbon content that improves the digestion performance, compared with the study of [6]. The nal energy in the latter is the heat of combustion of methane, while the nal energy in the ACAD biorenery is biodiesel and electricity, which has a higher energy quality. When compared with each scenario in the study, the biodiesel produced in the system was higher than the other energy types in all of the scenarios. Table 5 shows that a high biodiesel production occurred in the 2nd scenario (60% of the total produced energy), in which the highest lipid content of the algae was used (Table 1). The lipid effect has also been reported similarly by others [23,4,22]. According to Chisti [4], the oil content in microalgae can exceed 80% by weight, and oil levels of 2050% are quite common. Therefore, this higher energy quality could be even higher if the appropriate algae species is chosen. Regarding the algae amounts in the system, the 2nd scenario produced the highest amount of organic waste from the system. In spite of having the highest amount, the organic waste had a relatively low ratio in the total produced energy of the 2nd scenario when compared to the other scenarios. According to Rittmann [21], algae that has a high oil content has a low productivity in general, thus providing an alternative way to improve oil productivity

in the use of photosynthetic bacteria, such as the Cyanobacteria sp., Synechocystis sp. However, the model assumed that the three algae species were not affected negatively under such possible stress conditions. Therefore, we chose three algae types that did not show any negative relation between the productivity and energy production. The energy was produced from the feedstock and algae that was used by the different processes in this approach (e.g., the biodiesel production process, CHP). Through the combustion of methane in a CHP gas engine, the system produces its own electric power. As mentioned above, the electricity produced by CHP had the same amounts in each scenario because of choosing the same process conditions (Table 5). Similarly, the distributions of the electricity consumption for the stirrer in the AD, the scrubbing, and the CO2 injection showed the same ratio for all of the scenarios (12.5%, 14.9% and 1.1%, respectively) (Table 6). In addition, for all of the scenarios, the scrubbing process consumed most of the electricity followed by the stirring of the AD. The other processes (e.g., mixing in the algae cultivation pond, water pumping) showed differences in the electricity consumption for each scenario. For example, the 2nd scenario had the highest amount of algae; hence, it required more energy for the oil extraction process than the other scenarios. However, during the water separation process for an amount of algae this high, the rotary press did not require the additional energy that was needed by the other scenarios because of the high dry weight per growing medium volume (Table 6). From an alternative viewpoint, even though C. vulgaris and H. pluvialis were chosen for having the same dry weight per volume in the study, the electricity consumption of the rotary press was found to be different. The rotary press in the 3rd scenario required more electricity than the 2nd scenarios rotary press because the H. pluvialis was more productive than C. vulgaris. Hence, not only the lipid ratio but also the productivity should be used to optimize the energy production from the algal production systems, as reported by Chisti [4]. The residual energy can be exported as biodiesel and electricity, with each scenario demonstrating differences in the total exported energy (Table 5). It can be inferred that, if it is preferable to apply H. pluvialis or Nannochloropsis sp. as the algae species in the model, then there would be more renewable energy exported than from the C. vulgaris application. A high percentage of lipids have been found to be mutually exclusive, as reported by Sheehan et al. [23]. Therefore, the algae species for such applications has been chosen very carefully because it is an important parameter in the overall approach.

Table 2 Amount and fraction of the feedstock mixture for the AD. 1st Scenario Feedstock types Oilcake Glycerin Sludge Waste paper Sum VS (kg) 2981 117 3420 863 7381 Fraction (%) 40 2 46 12 100 2nd Scenario VS (kg) 3830 705 1804 1041 7381 Fraction (%) 52 10 24 14 100 3rd Scenario VS (kg) 4736 387 1467 790 7380 Fraction (%) 64 5 20 11 100

Z. Sapci, J. Morken / Energy Conversion and Management 79 (2014) 519524 Table 4 Nutrient and CO2 requirements for algal biomass to produce one ton biodiesel. Parameter 1st Scenario Needed N (kg) P (kg) CO2 (kg) 321.1 73.1 7065 Supplied 377.9 39.6 7110 External supply None 33.5 None 2nd Scenario Needed 172.4 39.2 17460 Supplied 202.4 21 7110 External supply None 18.2 10350 3rd Scenario Needed 139.9 31.8 14270 Supplied 164.4 17.1 7110

523

External supply None 14.8 7159

Table 5 General energy distributions in the model. Description 1st Scenario GJ Energy from feedstock Algae Sludge Wastepaper Methanol Total Biodiesel Electricity Organic waste Heat Produce Loss at CHP Total Biodiesel Electricity Total 97.2 78.7 18.0 2.8 196.6 40.0 28.7 67 49.3 11.6 196.6 40 17 57 % 49.9 40.0 9.2 1.4 100 20.3 14.6 25.1 5.9 34.1 100 70.2 29.8 100 2nd Scenario GJ 322.2 41.5 21.8 16.9 402.3 241.3 28.7 71.4 49.3 11.6 402.3 241.3 14.7 256 % 80.1 10.3 5.4 4.2 100 60 7.1 12.3 2.9 17.7 100 94.3 5.7 100 3rd Scenario GJ 190 33.7 16.5 9.3 249.1 132.6 28.7 26.9 49.3 11.6 249.1 132.6 13.8 146.4 % 76.1 13.5 6.6 3.7 100 53.2 11.5 19.8 4.7 10.8 100 90.6 9.4 100

Distribution of energy in the system boundary

Exported energy

Table 6 Consumption of electrical energy. Description 1st Scenario GJ Consumption of electricity AD Mixing in the pond Scrubbing Pumping CO2 injection Rotary presses Oil extraction Esterication Total 3.6 0.9 4.3 1 0.3 1 0.4 0.2 11.7 28.7 17 Total electricity consumption (%) 30.6 8 36.6 8.3 2.8 8.7 3.6 1.4 100 100 59.3 Total electricity production (%) 12.5 3.3 14.9 3.4 1.1 3.5 1.5 0.6 40.7 28.7 14.7 2nd Scenario GJ 3.6 0.5 4.3 0.85 0.32 0.89 2.5 1 13.9 Total electricity consumption (%) 25.5 4 30.5 6.1 2.4 6.3 18.2 7.0 100 100 51.2 Total electricity production (%) 12.5 1.9 14.9 3.0 1.1 3.0 8.9 3.4 48.8 28.7 13.8 3rd Scenario GJ 3.6 0.78 4.3 1.92 0.33 2.03 1.4 0.54 14.9 Total electricity consumption (%) 24.5 5.3 28.6 12.9 2.0 13.6 9.5 3.4 100 100 48.2 Total electricity production (%) 12.5 2.7 14.9 6.7 1.1 7.1 4.9 1.9 51.8

Produced electricity Exported electricity

4. Conclusions The aim of this study was to investigate the roles of algae species on biodiesel yields within the eco-technology combination concept. A combined process was built with algae cultivation, anaerobic digestion and a biodiesel production process, mainly by using the ACAD-Biorenery Data Model. The algae cultivation process of the data model was calculated according to three different algae species, C. vulgaris, Nannochloropsis sp. and H. pluvialis. To make the different scenarios comparable, the biogas unit was xed in this approach. For each algal application, the required amount of external biomass showed differences, depending on the produced amounts of the algal oilcake and glycerin in this approach. This change also affected the amount of energy production from the feedstock, the amount of energy that is required for running each process and

the amount of the exported energy in the form of biodiesel and electricity. A high biodiesel production occurred when the highest lipid content of the algae was used.

References
[1] Andersson V, Broberg S, Hackl R. Integrated algea cultivation for biofuels production in industrial clusters. Arbetsnotat Nr 47 2011:14038307 (ISSN 1403-8307). [2] Batista AP, Nunes MC, Raymundo A, Gouveia L, Sousa I, Cordobs F, et al. Microalgae biomass interaction in biopolymer gelled systems. Food Hydrocoll. 2010;25:81725. [3] BIOBIB-Database. University of Technology Vienna. <http:// www.vttuwienacat/biobib /fuel295html>. [4] Chisti Y. Biodiesel from microalgae. Biotechnol. Adv. 2007;25:294306. [5] Clarens AF, Resurreccion EP, White MA, Colosi LM. Environmental life cycle comparison of algae to other bioenergy feedstocks. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2010;44:18139.

524

Z. Sapci, J. Morken / Energy Conversion and Management 79 (2014) 519524 [18] Morken J, Sapci Z, Strmme JET. Biorenery combining anaerobic digestion with algae cultivation model based approach of bioenergy. Energy Policy 2013;60:98105. [19] Oswald WJ, Golueke CG. Biological transformation of solar energy. Adv. Appl. Microbiol. 1960:223. rez A, Garc [20] Rebolloso-Fuentes MM, Navarro-Pe a-Camacho F, Ramos-Miras JJ, Guil-Guerrero JL. Biomass nutrient proles of the microalga Nannochloropsis. J. Agric. Food. Chem. 2001;49:296672. [21] Rittmann BE. Opportunities for renewable bioenergy using microorganisms. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2008;100:20312. [22] Rodol L, Zittelli GC, Bassi N, Padovani G, Biondi N, Bonini G, et al. Microalgae for oil: strain selection, induction of lipid synthesis and outdoor mass cultivation in a low-cost photobioreactor. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;102:10012. [23] Sheehan, J., Dunahay, T., Benemann, J., Roessler, P., 1998. A Look Back at the US Department of Energys Aquatic Species Program: Biodiesel from Algae.In: US Department of Energys Ofce of Fuels, Development. NREL/TP-580-24190. [24] Sialve BBN, Bernard O. Anaerobic digestion of microalgae as a necessary step to make microalgal biodiesel sustainable. Biotechnol. Adv. 2009;27:40916. [25] Strmme JET. An ecotechnological approach to energy production using microalgae and anaerobic digestion. Master-Thesis: Norwegian University of Life Sciences; 2010. [26] Xu F, Cai Z-L, Cong W, Ouyang F. Growth and fatty acid composition of Nannochloropsis sp. grown mixotrophically in fed-batch culture. Biotechnol. Lett. 2004;26:131922. [27] Yen H-W, Brune DE. Anaerobic co-digestion of algal sludge and waste paper to produce methane. Bioresour. Technol. 2007;98:1304. [28] Zhao M-X, Ruan W-Q. Biogas performance from co-digestion of Taihu algae and kitchen wastes. Energy Convers. Manage. 2013;75:214. [29] Zhu CJ, Lee YK. Determination of biomass dry weight of marine microalgae. J. Appl. Phycol. 1997;8:18994.

[6] De Schamphelaire L, Verstraete W. Revival of the biological sunlight-to-biogas energy conversion system. Biotech. Bioeng. 2009;103:296304. [7] Demirbas A, Demirbas MF. Importance of algae oil as a source of biodiesel. Energy Convers. Manage. 2011;52:16370. [8] Dong Q, Zhao X, Xing X, Hu J, Gong J. Concomitant NH+4 secretion during astaxanthin synthesis in Haematococcus pluvialis under high irradiance and nitrogen decient conditions. Chin. J. Chem. Eng. 2007;15:1626. [9] European Commission, 2001. DG Environment- B/2, Disposal and recycling routes for sewage sludge Part 3 Scientic and technical report, ISBN 92-8941800-1. [10] Fabregas J, Maseda A, Dominguez A, Otero A. The cell composition of Nannochloropsis Sp. changes under different irradiances in semicontinuous culture. World J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2004;20:315. [11] Fernandes BS, Peixoto G, Albrecht FR, Saavedra del Aguila NK, Zaiat M. Potential to produce biohydrogen from various wastewaters. Energy Sustain. Dev. 2010;14:1438. [12] Golueke CG, Oswald WJ. Biological conversion of light energy to the chemical energy of methane. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 1959:219. [13] Huntley M, Redalje D. CO2 mitigation and renewable oil from photosynthetic microbes: a new appraisal. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 2007;12:573608. [14] Illman AM, Scragg AH, Shales SW. Increase in Chlorella strains caloric values when grown in low nitrogen medium. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 2000;27:6315. [15] Kibby HV. Energetics and population dynamics of Diaptomus gracilis. Ecol. Monnogr. 1971;41:31127. [16] Lardon L, Helias A, Sialve B, Steyer J-P, Bernard O. Life-cycle assessment of biodiesel production from microalgae. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2009;43: 647581. [17] Maguyon MCC, Capareda SC. Evaluating the effects of temperature on pressurized pyrolysis of Nannochloropsis oculata based on products yields and characteristics. Energy Convers. Manage. 2013;76:76473.