This document discusses the relationships between water, energy, food, land, and the environment. It presents a triangle diagram showing how conflicts can arise between these areas. The text then provides examples of how algal biomass cultivation can help address some of these conflicts by utilizing wastewater and nutrients to produce fuels and foods in a more sustainable way. Specific opportunities discussed include using algae to treat wastewater and recover nutrients, thereby reducing pollution and dead zones while producing valuable biomass. Integrated systems are presented as a way to optimize resource recovery and utilization.

1. Triangle of conflicts
Water Energy
Environment
Food

2. Land type Area Natural Fuel and yield % area of
(mio km2) Productivity (tons per ha / corresponding
(tons of carbon GJ per ha) ecosystem
fixed per hectare required to
and year) cover 2030
demand
Tropical and 10.5 10.7 Palmoil 110%!!!
subtropical biodiesel
evergreen forest (5 / 189)
Tropical and 4.7 7.67 Jatropha 765%!!
Subtropical Dry biodiesel
Forest (1.5 / 56.7 )
Tropical Savanna, 6.7 6.65 Cane­ethanol 270 %!!
Woodland (4.34 / 116)
Mid lattitude 14 5.30 Miscanthus 95 %!!
forests, abandoned cellulosic
croplands ethanol*
(4.4 / 120)
Warm 33 1 – 3.50 Algae­biodiesel 5.4 – 8.2 %
Shrubland/grassla (20 / 756)
nd or desert
Table 1 - Comparison of land use impact of various biofuel crops to the area of suitable
ecosystems available assuming full coverage of 2030 projected liquid fuel demand of 210
exajoules (1 Exajoule is 1 billion gigajoules).
*50% of cellulosic biomass is deduced for process energy!

3. Sustainability
driven
System Design;
Point of
Reference:
Roundtable on
Sustainable
Biofuels;
All demands
satisfied!

4. Effluent polishing – productive
opportunities

5. Example 1: Water
Does not include
floodwater runoff from
towns, roads or
agriculture that
require treatment!
800 - 1600 m 3 evaporation per ton biodiesel,
2030 demand for liquid fuels would be 5.55 billion tons
5.55 bln times 1600 = 8800 billion m3
Recovery of 25% of projected water demand in the form of
waste, drainage water would suffice to produce 20% of
projected global fuel demand.

6. 90% of developing World’s
Water untreated!
Conventional treatment costs
energy, dissipates nitrogen!
Acting now for establishing
infrastructure!!

7. Sea Water (Or Fossil Ground Water):
it’s not that simple!
For 4.5% Salinity:
• 75 tons biomass (25 GJ per ton) per year, pumping of 90000 m3 required;
• 1.50 GJ of pumping energy per ton of biomass
• 6% for maintaining 4.5% salinity at 100 m elevation;
• ca 50% recoverable as hydroelectricity, ideal for storage of surplus solar or
wind energy!
• Fossil electricity prohibitive due to low efficiency

8. Salt Tolerance of Nannochloropsis sp
140 Con (2.7 % NaCl)
35
1.3% Na cl
120 4% Na cl
30
100
Chl (mg/l)
Chl (mg/l)
25
80
20
60
Control
40 1.3% Nacl 15
4% Nacl
20
10
0 0 2 4 6 8 10
Time(days )
0 2 4 6
Time (days) 8 10
8 6
5
6
DW (mg/ml)
4
DW(mg/ml)
Con (2.7 % Na Cl)
4 3 1.3% Na cl
C ontrol
4% Na cl
1.3% N acl 2
2 4% N acl
1
0
0 0 2 4 6 8 10
0 2 4 6 8 10 Time(days )
Time (days )
Growth of Nannochloropsis under control Growth of Nannochloropsis under nitrogen
conditions at 3 different salt concentrations stress at 3 different salt concentrations
determined as chlorophyll concentration determined as chlorophyll concentration
(top) or dryweight (bottom) (top) or dryweight (bottom)

9. Land
Elevation!
Climate 100 m elevation costs 3% of energy
produced for pumping!
250000 km2
250000 km2
250000 km2
250000 km 2
Population
250000 km 2
Below 200 m

10. Examples 2: Nutrients
Not a burden, a blessing in algal sustainability assessments!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aquatic_Dead_Zones.jpg

11. Pollution by agriculture --Integrated resource management
Pollution by agriculture Integrated resource management
Israel: Cattle contributes 35 % of total water pollution
FAO: Livestock farming is responsible for 18 % of global greenhouse gas emissions

12. Nutrient Run-Off and Dead Zones
Many areas around the world are suffering from the problem of eutrophication. The Gulf
of Mexico, Caspian Sea, Bering Sea and Arabian Sea. The Gulf of Mexico already has a
huge Dead Zone which the scientists warn could expand further.
Phytoplankton concentration along the North American Coastline
Efficient Use Of Fertilizers
Most fertilizers contain Phosphorus and Nitrogen on which these algae thrive hence it is
that we use fertilizers that a) are biodegradable and b) contain lesser quantities of these
elements. Also the farmers need to irrigate their lands in a scientific manner. Each crop
requires a definite amount of water to give the best yield hence the farmers shouldn’t
over-irrigate their lands since it could lead to more voluminous runoffs.

13. Nitrogen Load Mississippi
41% of Continental
US water
discharge!
35% of Continental
US area!

15. Modern Farming Produces Enormous Nitrogen Surpluses
200 mio hectares of European farmland times 50 kg recoverable excess:
10 million tons of nitrogen per year!

16. Immediately Applicable
Integrated Biological Systems for Exploitation of Humid Agro-Industrial Waste
Resources
IBSEHAWR - FP7 Useful Waste

17. PURPOSE:
GHG NEGATIVE
ENERGY NEUTRAL PRODUCTIVE
SYSTEMS

18. Biological resource recovery from agro-industrial waste:
Several Project Ideas developed,
Four to five project ideas with implementation details!
NEW CALLS REQUIRED!
Algal Pond: Biogas Reactor
Biomass for Fodder or Energy
Biogas
Nutrients
CO2 Gas Turbine
Water
Flow
Constructed Wetland: Agro-Industrial
Biomass for Fodder or Energy
Enterprise

19. Full System Integration (Project ALTEC):
The Challenge – Co-location of Resources
The Answer – Integrated Infrastructure Development
Electricity, Process Heat Biogas
Fertilizer Fermentation residues
Biogas plant
O2
Algae
Residues
Biomass or Fossil CO2 Algae Oil
dehydration extraction
Power plant Algae
Algae oil
Effluent
Nutrients
Bioethanol plant
Biodiesel plant
Cane Ethanol:
Ca 80% of biomass as CO2!
Waste Water Urban
Treatment Plant community Petrol station
Again Brazil!

20. Integrated Exploitation of Agro-Industrial Emissions
More Favorable Economic and Environmental Balance!

21. Resource Recovery from Landfill Effluent
17-4before
0.30
0.25
Control
0.20
Pond1
OD
Pond2 0.15
Pond3
0.10
Pond4
0.05
0.00
250 300 350 400 450 500
Degradation of Recalcitrant Toxic Organics
nm
Total N and P
1600
1400
1200
1000
ppm
800
600
400
200
0
N (ppm) Effluent Pond 1 Pond 2 Pond 3
P (ppm)
Identification of Novel Interesting
Algal Species 95% Nitrogen Recovery as Struvite (pond 1) and biomass
(ponds 2 and 3), load reduction from 1400 ppm to ca 70 ppm

22. Cultivation of Scenedesmus on Biogas
Recover 10 from
waste 5 for
reuse
Effluent
= Recover 10
+5=15 available,
7.5 for reuse
Growth of Scenedesmus in mBG11 or Conditionned
Recover 10 +7.5 Biogas Effluent
= 17.5 availabe
8.75 for reuse
Recover 10 + 1.4 mBG11
d ry w eig h t (m g /m l
8.75 = 18.75, 9.4 1.2 Biogas effluent
for reuse 1
Recover 10
0.8
10, Recover 8
18, recover 9
0.6
19, recover 9.5 0.4
19.5 0.2
10 0
11 +8 0 2 4 6 8
12+ 9.5
13+10.75 days
14+ 12
15+ 13
16+14 A local Scenedesmus strain displays similar maximal growth rates in mBG11 as in
N- and other conditioned 1:20 diluted biogas effluent. No bacterial or other contaminations were
nutrient pool observed in the effluent during 10 days of cultivation, resources were exhausted after
tripled in 30
years
6 days (picture right).

23. Implications on LCA
A Scientists View
Major Reassessments Required for Integrated Production Systems:
Abiotic Depletion (water, nutrients, fossil fuels) can be negative in algae if
nutrients and water are recovered from waste materials etc!
Eutrophication: can be negative if wastewater is treated and effluent is
adequately polished!
GWP: can be reduced if methane and N2O emissions from organic waste and
sludge are reduced!
Land (and other impacts): may be reduced if protein production is
incorporated (integrated fuel-food LCA)!
Land is not land: must be corrected for land value, land scarcity, productivity
and biodiversity potentials, economic and environmental value!

24. Waste Water in – Treated Water out!!
Algal Biodiesel
Water Footprint Numbers are
Arbitrary!
Algal Biodiesel
Eutrophication - Ecotoxicity

25. Nitrogen Recovered - Exported as fertilizer
Algal Biodiesel

26. Methane and N2O Emissions Avoided
– Negative GHG Emissions
Algal Biodiesel

27. Indirect Land-Use:
Protein as By Product,
1 ha replaces up to 10 ha of Soy beans!
Algal Biodiesel

28. Waste Water in – Treated Water out!!
Algal Biodiesel

29. April 2003 Hartbeespoort Dam

30. Exploitation of Algal Blooms
Chlorophyll-a distribution

32. Integrated Remediation Approach
Lake
Nutrient
Rich
Harvest and Dry Algae Mat and Water- Lake Water
Hyacinth 15000 tons/year
Nutrient
Green
Depleted
Algae
Water
CO2 Ponds
Gasification
Plant Algae Suspension
Tilapia Pond
Electricity: 4 MW
Heat: 6 MW
Biochar –Soil Enrichment – Carbon Sequestration Fish

33. Integrated Carbon Capture – Cost
Waste Water Treatment – Algal
Biomass Arawa: 6 bln
Resource Mapping
Algal Cultivation for
Returns?
Waste water treatment –
Energy
Red Sea-Dead Sea
Channel
Waste Water + CO2 from
Aqaba Power Plant
Red sea-Deadsea 2
• 1 Mio Inhabitants billion m3 per year
• 200000 Cattle and Livestock pumped, half used for
• Intensive Agriculture-Drainage Water algae, 2/3 recovered
(loss 450 mio cubes) (or
• About 30000 t N / 3000 t P per year supplemented by waste
• 1 mio tons Algae at 3% N and drainage waters):
• Water required 450 mio cubes, 15
cubes/sec
• 300000 tons oil – 10% of annual
consumption
• Land required: 150 km2

34. Not a Task for 3-Men Startups
A Question of National
Infrastructure
(with corresponding economic
rules!)

35. All That’s Required: VISION
Cost $ 20 bln, return maybe in 50 years,
But significant socioeconomic and
environmental impact