Turning fossil-derived CO2 into value-added chemicals and carbon resources: Thermochemical conversion of microalgae with acid mine drainage sludge

IF 7.8 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL

Process Safety and Environmental Protection Pub Date : 2025-09-27 DOI:10.1016/j.psep.2025.107950

Gihoon Kwon , Kwangsuk Yoon , Jeong Seop Lee , Sang Jun Sim , Hocheol Song

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Abstract

Global consumption of fossil resources has increased to meet the growing demand for carbon-based products, including fuels, chemicals, and plastic products, significantly contributing to global warming. This study explored sequestration of fossil-derived atmospheric CO₂ using Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (C. reinhardtii) microalgae and its conversion into value-added products via a thermochemical pathway. Radiocarbon analysis revealed that C. reinhardtii, cultivated in a photobioreactor (PBR), effectively assimilated carbon in the flue gas of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plant, exhibiting low modern carbon (pMC) (17 %). Amending acid mine drainage sludge (AMDS) during the pyrolysis of harvested C. reinhardtii enhanced H₂ and CO production. AMDS also reduced pyrogenic oil production at low loading (8:2 of C. reinhardtii to AMDS mass ratio), but at higher loading (3:7), it produced oil with much simplified composition and a notable content of hexadecanenitrile, a high-value chemical. The residual fraction of C. reinhardtii was carbonized into biochar enriched with g-C₃N₄ structure, while Fe phases in AMDS were transformed into Fe⁰ and Fe₉S₁₀. The resulting biochar exhibited strong persulfate activation property for amaranth degradation. These findings represent a practical approach to converting CO₂ into valuable chemicals and environmental catalysts, highlighting its potential for sustainable CO₂ management.

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将化石来源的二氧化碳转化为增值化学品和碳资源：微藻与酸性矿山排水污泥的热化学转化

为了满足对碳基产品（包括燃料、化学品和塑料制品）日益增长的需求，全球对化石资源的消耗不断增加，这大大加剧了全球变暖。本研究探讨了莱茵衣藻（Chlamydomonas reinhardtii）微藻对化石来源的大气CO2的封存及其通过热化学途径转化为增值产品的过程。放射性碳分析表明，在光生物反应器（PBR）中培养的C. reinhardtii有效地吸收了液化天然气（LNG）发电厂烟气中的碳，表现出低现代碳（pMC）（17 %）。在采收的莱茵松木热解过程中，对酸性矿井排水污泥（AMDS）进行改性，可提高H2和CO的产量。AMDS在低负荷（C. reinhardtii与AMDS质量比为8:2）下也降低了热原油的产量，但在高负荷（3:7）下，生产的油成分大大简化，十六烯腈（一种高价值化学品）含量显著。将莱茵C. reinhardtii残余部分碳化为富含g-C3N4结构的生物炭，AMDS中的Fe相转化为Fe0和Fe9S10。所得生物炭对苋菜具有较强的过硫酸盐活性。这些发现代表了一种将二氧化碳转化为有价值的化学品和环境催化剂的实用方法，突出了其可持续二氧化碳管理的潜力。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Process Safety and Environmental Protection 环境科学-工程：化工

CiteScore

11.40

自引率

15.40%

发文量

929

审稿时长

8.0 months

期刊介绍： The Process Safety and Environmental Protection (PSEP) journal is a leading international publication that focuses on the publication of high-quality, original research papers in the field of engineering, specifically those related to the safety of industrial processes and environmental protection. The journal encourages submissions that present new developments in safety and environmental aspects, particularly those that show how research findings can be applied in process engineering design and practice. PSEP is particularly interested in research that brings fresh perspectives to established engineering principles, identifies unsolved problems, or suggests directions for future research. The journal also values contributions that push the boundaries of traditional engineering and welcomes multidisciplinary papers. PSEP's articles are abstracted and indexed by a range of databases and services, which helps to ensure that the journal's research is accessible and recognized in the academic and professional communities. These databases include ANTE, Chemical Abstracts, Chemical Hazards in Industry, Current Contents, Elsevier Engineering Information database, Pascal Francis, Web of Science, Scopus, Engineering Information Database EnCompass LIT (Elsevier), and INSPEC. This wide coverage facilitates the dissemination of the journal's content to a global audience interested in process safety and environmental engineering.