January 3, 2026
Report

2023 Billion-Ton Report: An Assessment of U.S. Renewable Carbon Resources - Microalgae

Abstract

Microalgae is a unique biomass resource that does not need to compete for land and water with other biomass feedstocks because it can be cultivated on low-quality unencumbered land using noncompetitive water types including saline and wastewater. It is included as a complementary resource alongside other biomass feedstocks reported in this study, albeit at higher biomass production costs reflective of more capital-intensive farming operations than typical for terrestrial biomass. Higher biomass costs can be offset by the potential to produce value-added coproducts unique to compositional constituents of microalgae. Relative to the 2016 Billion-Ton Report, this chapter reflects the latest analysis from the 2022 Algae Harmonization Update, which uses the latest parameterized and high-performing saline algal strain, second-generation carbon capture of point-source waste CO2, and high-pressure pipeline transport resolved to specific point-source types, saline water sourcing up to 40,000 mg/L total dissolved solids for source and makeup water salinity, blowdown water treatment and recycle, and brine disposal handling. National-scale algal biomass availability potential was calculated at 152 million tons/yr ash-free dry weight (AFDW) (191 million tons/yr dry weight) at an average biomass

Published: January 3, 2026

Citation

Davis R., A. Coleman, T.R. Hawkins, B. Klein, J. Zhang, Y. Zhu, and S. Gao, et al. 2024. 2023 Billion-Ton Report: An Assessment of U.S. Renewable Carbon Resources - Microalgae Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. doi:10.23720/BT2023/2316165.