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EDITORIAL

The current potential of algae biofuels in the United Arab Emirates

Biofuels (2013) 4(4), 347349

If approximately 10 million ha of algae could meet the demand of the entire US transportation system,

then a fraction of this land area can meet, if not exceed, the whole energy demand of the UAE.

Abdullah A Jaradat*
Keywords: algae n carbon neutral n climate change n environmental protection n renewable energy n sustainability n water resources

In spite of future uncertainties about industrial algae biofuel production, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is planning to become a world leader in biofuels from the algae industry by 2020 [101], thus joining major countries that have already started producing renewable energy and biofuels (biodiesel and bioethanol) from renewable sources, including algae. Although one of the worlds largest crude oil exporters, the UAE already embarked on a nuclear program for civilian use and established the worlds largest solar energy farm in order to diversify its energy sources and face the sustainability of renewable energy challenges. This move was taken, in part, to combat climate change by absorbing atmospheric CO2 and to protect the environment. A newly established R&D center, MASDAR, is spearheading these efforts [1]. The rising energy consumption and demand for electricity from traditional sources represent a challenge for the country and may have triggered the move by public and private sectors to develop environmentally friendly and renewable energy sources, including algae. If approximately 10 million ha of algae could meet the demand of the entire US transportation system [102], then a fraction of this land area can meet, if not exceed, the whole energy demand of the UAE. The great challenge is to

design, implement and maintain open-pond production systems that are economically and environmentally sound. Considering the current level of biofuel from algae technology, the use of industrial-scale p hotobioreactors is prohibitively expensive [2,3]. On the face of it, the potential for a thriving algaebased biofuel industry in the UAE appears to be positive and sizable. The vast desert expanses; the long shorelines; year-round sunny days; ample CO2 from ue gas; plenty of seawater, brackish and grey water from sewage and wastewater plants; and adapted native algae species, some of which thrive in sabkhas with salinity levels twice as high as those in the Gulf waters, are invaluable assets and support a strong justication for a future algae-based biofuel industry [101]. The local popular press and many research-based reports consider such industry, compared with fossil fuels, as environmentally friendly and sustainable; carbon-neutral; efcient in converting sunlight, water and CO2 into clean energy; and scalable [46]. However, it is too early to take all of this for granted and without a grain of salt. R&D, along with rigorous life cycle analyses during the pilot phase and throughout implementation, testing and upscaling, are essential to verify that the industry

*United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service & University of Minnesota, 803 Iowa Ave, Morris, MN, USA E-mail: abdullah.jaradat@ars.usda.gov

future science group

10.4155/BFS.13.18

ISSN 1759-7269

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EditorialJaradat

is environmentally green, and economically viable and competitive [7,8]. Technological advances and a highly optimized production system to t local conditions are key factors in achieving the said objective [4,9]. The UAE, as part of the Arabian Peninsula, has an extremely arid hot climate; high annual solar irradiance (~2000 kWh/m2) and potential evapo-transpiration rate (~3000 mm/year); sparse natural vegetation; fragile soil resources; and mainly nonrenewable alluvial aquifers [10]. Apart from a reliable and free source of light, and probably more than enough heat source necessary for algae farming, the proper mix of the remaining resources may not be readily available at the right time and place. A reliable and inexpensive water supply, including fresh water, is critical for all phases of algae growth and bioenergy production [2,7]. Although saline and brackish grades of water are available, they may need pretreatment, are not readily amenable for recycling and, depending on proximity to algae farms, they need energy expenditure for their delivery and discharge. Under the dry conditions of the UAE, evaporation rates and the amount of salt to be disposed of are real concerns, especially in relation to aquatic and marine life in the Gulf; a relatively small and semiclosed, bottle-necked water body under increasing environmental stress. Besides the availability of plenty of water, algae growth needs large amounts of nutrients. Production, delivery, cycling and management of these nutrients will depend on the size of algae farms and on the level of sophistication of their design and operation [5]. Nutrient pollution in a country with a fragile ecosystem will have far-reaching repercussions on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem structures and functions, including the sensitive intertidal mangrove ecosystems and associated ora and fauna [56]. Nevertheless, if properly managed, residual nutrients may produce positive effects on surrounding ecosystems.
Although saline and brackish grades of water are available, they may need pretreatment, are not readily amenable for recycling and, depending on proximity to algae farms, they need energy expenditure for their delivery and discharge.

CO2 needed is several times more [3,102]. Power stations and desalination plants are reliable sources of continuous CO2 supply; however, these are strategically located in certain areas of the UAE that may or may not be appropriate for algae farming. In addition, separating CO2 from the ue gas may be necessary to avoid any adverse effects on the algae and requires additional energy expenditure [5]. Land area suitable for largescale, shallow open-pond algae farms may not be a limiting factor, as envisioned by some developers and entrepreneurs [1,10]. However, soils in the UAE are predominantly light textured with high permeability [10], and will need lining and sealing for economic and environmental reasons [9]. Poor soil conditions, if all other requirements are satised, may add to the capital cost of algae farming. In addition, large-scale pond construction for industrial algae farming may have a large impact on the narrow biodiversity base in the UAE.
An algae-based oil industry in the UAE may be economically and environmentally desirable, financially affordable, and technically scalable and compatible with the existing refining and transport infrastructure.

The current (400 ppm) and projected atmospheric content of CO2 towards the end of the 21st century (~800 ppm), although potentially damaging from an environmental point of view, is not enough to satisfy the needs of algae for maximum biomass and bioenergy production [23]. Therefore, algae farms require a large and continuous supply of CO2. Algae needs 1.83 kg of the gas to produce 1 kg of dry weight of algae biomass; however, depending on its xation efciency, which is very low in open ponds (~10%), the actual amount of

The most important player in the whole system is, however, the single-celled algae. Local sources contend that, The native algae are unique have evolved to grow under a wide range of temperatures and salinities [101]. It is pertinent to remark that the search, among the huge natural variability of local wild-type algae, for the right species that can be adapted to industrial settings and are capable of delivering high biomass and biofuel content under local conditions, will not be simple or straightforward [46]. It is well known that the future of biofuels, whether from plants or algae, depends on breakthroughs in genetics, molecular biology and metabolic engineering [4]. Genetic modication of algae is an option to maximize biomass and biofuel production; it was already successfully used in pilot projects elsewhere [102]. Using genetically modied algae at a large scale in open ponds may pose serious environmental and regulatory threats and challenges in the UAE. Genetically modied or wild-type algae may produce toxic chemicals that can be harmful to humans and to the environment unless properly regulated. Summer sandstorms, a common phenomenon in the UAE and other arid and semi-arid parts of the Middle East, are known to move or dump huge amounts of dust and may represent a challenge in the design, maintenance and management of algae open ponds [9]. Many claims and counter claims in the popular press, as well as a wide range of conclusions based on life cycle analyses of short-term pilot projects, add to the uncertainty of the future of algae as a sustainable

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Biofuels (2013) 4(4)

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The current potential of algae biofuels in the United Arab Emirates Editorial

source of bioenergy in developed and developing countries [1,4,8]. Most certainly, breakthroughs in biotechnology will change this landscape. In the case of the UAE as a leading oil-producing country, imagine algae farms as above-the-ground oil elds that are renewable and carbon neutral. An algae-based oil industry in the UAE may be economically and environmentally desirable, nancially affordable, and technically scalable and compatible with the existing rening and transport infrastructure. However, the public and private sectors, whether involved in funding, planning, researching or implementing large-scale algae projects in the UAE, should consider the potential current and future value of ecosystem services and the cost of dis-services as integral components of a strategic plan. Obviously, the history of References
1

the biofuel industry strongly suggests that the time horizon to ll a wide knowledge gap, develop locally adapted technologies, diversify energy sources, and become a world leader in biofuels from the algae industry lies well beyond 2020 [5,6,102].
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The author has no relevant afliations or nancial involvement with any organization or entity with a nancial interest in or nancial conict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert t estimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

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Websites
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www.masdar.ac.ae/inc/7/details. php?type=news&id=397
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www.sapphireenergy.com/locations/ green-crude-farm

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