Evaluation of the production of lipids for fuels and proteins from microalgae by decomposition of the processing network
Microalgae is a promising feedstock for the production of liquid fuels to be used as replacements of oil based fuels. In this work, we analyse a Chlorella vulgaris microalgae biorefinery that aims to produce biodiesel and renewable diesel from the lipids contained in the algae. The analysis is carried out by decomposing the biorefinery into a supply of lipids problem and a demand of lipids one. The results indicate that by just producing fuels out of microalgae, none of the actors involved (suppliers and demanders) make profit. Reconfiguration of the processing pathway by incorporating a cell disruption step together with the addition of a valuable protein stream, displays potential for a feasible biorefinery in which all actors make profit.