Technology Roadmap for Biofixation of CO 2 and Greenhouse Gas Abatement with Microalgae John Benemann 1 , Paola Maria Pedroni 2 , John Davison 3 , Heino Beckert 4 , and Perry Bergman 4 1 Consultant, Walnut Creek, California, USA 2 EniTecnologie S.p.A., San Donato Milanese, Milan, Italy 3 IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme, Cheltenham, Great Britain 4 National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy, Morgantown, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA SUMMARY Microalgae mass cultures can use CO 2 from power plants flue gases for the production of biomass suitable for conversion to renewable biofuels - methane, ethanol, biodiesel and hydrogen. Microalgae cultures can also be sources of fossil fuel-sparing products (fertilizers, biopolymers and lubricants) as well as of environmental services, specifically wastewater treatment and nutrient recyling. Currently microalgae are cultivated commercially in raceway-type, paddle wheel mixed, open ponds to produce food- and feed-grade algal biomass and are also used in wastewater treatment. However these systems are presently too expensive for applications in greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement. Engineering cost analyses project sufficiently low operating costs if large (> 100 hectare) open-pond cultivation systems were deployed, high algal biomass productivities achieved (100 metric tons/ hectare/year, or more) and large-volume co-products and co-processes reduce the costs of biofuels and GHG abatement from such systems. Achieving these goals will require both applied and fundamental R&D into algal physiology, genetics and photosynthesis, as well as improved biomass harvesting and processing. To advance the development and applications of microalgae biofixation processes for GHG abatement, the U.S. Department of Energy–National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE-NETL) and EniTecnologie, the R&D arm of the Italian oil company Eni, organized the "International Network on Biofixation of CO 2 and Greenhouse Gas Abatement with Microalgae". The Network, managed by the IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme, also includes as members major energy companies, government agencies and other organizations with an interest in supporting R&D in this field: Arizona Public Services (a U.S. electric utility), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), ENEL Produzione Ricerca (the R&D arm of a major Italian electric utility), ExxonMobil, Gas Technology Institute, and Rio Tinto, the international mining company. The Network provides to its member organizations research coordination, project development and review, other technical assistance and techno-economic analyses and resource assessments. The strategic goal of the Network is to demonstrate within five years the technical and economic feasibility of microalgae CO 2 biofixation technologies for GHG abatement and to achieve practical applications within the decade. To help guide future R&D activities, an "R&D Roadmap" was developed, based on a consensus of technical advisers to the Network, which identifies key scientific and technological developments needed to achieve the Network goals. Four general microalgae processes were identified that combine CO 2 utilization from power plant flue gases with biofuels production and additional co-products and co- processes, specifically wastewater treatment, nutrient recycling, biofertilizers, biopolymers, animal fees or other large-volume co-products. The R&D needs of these processes and the potential of microalgae biofixation in greenhouse gas abatement, in the U.S. and globally, are discussed. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND. Microalgae are microscopic plants that convert solar energy and CO 2 into O 2 and carbohydrates, then used to synthesize all other biomass constituents. Microalgae are typically grown suspended in a liquid nutrient media, with an enriched source of CO 2 , such as power plant flue gas, required for cultivation. The biofixation of CO 2 from fossil fuel combustion flue gases is one of the attractions of microalgae in GHG abatement, although the biofixation of CO 2 is only a first step in such a process. Participants Poster Presentations Plenary Sessions Technical Sessions Main Menu