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Theoretical Modeling of Algal Productivity and Carbon Capture Potential in Selected Places of Odisha, India

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Abstract

Microalgae hold a promising potential for generating third-generation biofuel as well as for biological carbon sequestration. However, translation of algal technology to field scale is often hindered by a lack of appropriate data and economic challenges. Pertaining to these issues, a pre-estimate of the site-specific productivity of microalgae at realistic scenario is necessary. Five potential sites (Rourkela, Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar, Gopalpur and Balasore) in the Odisha state of India were chosen for predicting the average biomass, lipid productivity and carbon dioxide (CO2) capture capacity of microalgae. Meteorological data averaged over 21 years (Jan’ 1985–Dec’ 2005) were fed into the biophysical empirical equations for estimating the biomass and lipid productivity of microalgae along with the CO2 sequestration capacity. Maximum average biomass and lipid productivity was projected for Sambalpur, corresponding to an aerial value of 63.03 g/m2/day and 21.89 ml/m2/day, respectively, in the month of April with CO2 sequestration potential of 17.87 g/m2/day. Such preliminary site-specific theoretical estimates would facilitate policy making for realizing the potential of large-scale algal cultivation.

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Abbreviations

\(E_{\text{Solar}}\) :

Full-spectrum solar energy that accounts to the total amount of incident solar insolation

PAR:

Photosynthetically active radiation, which relates to the amount of solar radiation (400–700 nm) used for photosynthesis

c :

Velocity of light (2.998e8 m/s)

h :

Plank’s constant (6.63e−34 J/s)

\(\lambda\) :

Wavelength of light (nm)

\(E_{\text{Photons}}\) :

Energy of photons (kJ/mol)

HHV:

Higher heating value of microalgae (36.6 kJ/mol of photon)

\(n_{\text{photon}}\) :

Number of photons required to convert 1 mol of CO2 to biomass

Energy of PAR:

Amount of energy (kJ/mol of photon) corresponding to PAR (400–700 nm)

\(\eta_{\text{Transmission}}\) :

Amount of light transmitted onto the surface of microalgae

α :

Coefficient of light absorption by microalgae

\(\eta_{\text{Capture}}\) :

Amount of incident solar energy captured by microalgae and converted into biomass

\(\eta_{\text{Photosynthesis}}\) :

Photon conversion efficiency, which denotes the maximum amount of light energy that can be converted into biomass and is constant for all microalgal species

\(\eta_{{{\text{Photon}}\;{\text{utilisation}}}}\) :

Capacity of utilization of the available photon energy by microalgae

r :

Fraction of energy used by microalgae for respiration

\(I_{\text{S}}\) :

Light saturation in the process of photosynthesis (µmoles/m2 s)

\(I_{\text{I}}\) :

Incident light used in photosynthesis (µmoles/m2 s)

\(f_{\text{L}}\) :

Fraction of lipids

\(f_{\text{P}}\) :

Fraction of proteins

\(f_{\text{C}}\) :

Fraction of carbohydrates

\(E_{\text{L}}\) :

Energy content of lipids (kJ/g)

\(E_{\text{P}}\) :

Energy content of proteins (kJ/g)

\(E_{\text{C}}\) :

Energy content of carbohydrates (kJ/g)

\(E_{\text{Microalgae}}\) :

Total energy stored in microalgae (MJ/kg)

\({\text{MB}}_{{ ( {\text{daily)}}}}\) :

Daily microalgal biomass productivity (g/m2/day)

\({\text{ML}}_{{ ( {\text{daily)}}}}\) :

Daily microalgal lipid productivity (ml/m2/day)

\(\rho_{\text{L}}\) :

Density of lipids (0.85 kg/l)

\(M_{{{\text{CO}}_{ 2} }}\) :

Molecular mass of CO2 (44 g/mol)

\(M_{\text{Biomass}}\) :

Molecular mass of microalgae (g)

K :

Rate constant of CO2 captured (1.89)

Total CO2 :

Total amount of CO2 sequestered (g/m2/day)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, India

    Bunushree Behera, Nazimdhine Aly & Balasubramanian Paramasivan

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  1. Bunushree Behera
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Behera, B., Aly, N. & Paramasivan, B. Theoretical Modeling of Algal Productivity and Carbon Capture Potential in Selected Places of Odisha, India. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. A 101, 503–512 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40030-020-00450-8

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