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Abstract: Rapidly depleting stocks of fossil fuels and increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have necessitated the exploration of cost effective sustainable energy sources focussing on biofuels through algae. Abundant wastewaters generated in urban localities every day provide the nourishment to nurture algae for biofuel generation. The present communication focuses on the lipid prospects of algae grown in wastewater systems. Euglena sp., Spirogyra sp. and Phormidium sp. were collected from selected locations of sewage fed urban lakes and sewage treatment plants of Bangalore and Mysore. The total lipid content of Euglena sp. was higher (24.6%) compared to Spirogyra sp. (18.4%) followed by Phormidium sp. (8.8%) and their annual lipid yield potential was 6.52, 1.94 and 2.856t/ha/year, respectively. These species showed higher content of fatty acids (palmitate, stearate followed by oleic and linoleic acids) with the desirable biofuel properties. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Strong potential exists in India for bioelectricity (biomass-derived electricity) to meet the rising, domestic demand for energy. In order to fill the anticipated need, precise assessments of the resource potential are necessary as well as regularly-tracked resource inventories and apt policy. Studies addressing these aspects of energy management are limited for India, particularly in terms of energy planning at the local level. The current research evaluates the prospects for bagasse co-generation in Uttar Pradesh, the largest sugarcane-producing state in India. Specifically, the geo-spatial pattern of bagasse harvestable distributions and bioelectricity potential are assessed, along with policies and market mobilization directions for optimizing increased adoption of biomass energy. Results show that Uttar Pradesh has the potential to produce 27.05 million tonnes of usable bagasse annually. Major, sugarcane producing regions are identified within the western and north-eastern agro-climatic zones. Specific to power generation, the state could produce 1.93 GW of bioelectricity from sugarcane bagasse. At the agro-climatic zone level, the bioelectricity potential varies between 2.46 MW (Vindhyan zone) and 655 MW (western plain zone). When considered at the district level, the potential varies from 66 kW in Firozabad to an upper bound of 232 MW in Muzaffarnagar. The latter estimate indicates that some districts of Uttar Pradesh could be transitioned to 100% renewable electricity from bagasse co-generation. In conjunction with the ongoing growth path for India and energy access considerations, we recommend more strategically-focused energy policies, including auctions, regular resource-mapping, and zoning that can catalyze biomass energy adoption, while mitigating the greenhouse gas footprint of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability of a bioenergy project depends on precise assessment of biomass resource, planning of cost-effective logistics and evaluation of possible environmental implications. In this context, this paper reviews the role and applications of geo-spatial tool such as Geographical Information System (GIS) for precise agro-residue resource assessment, biomass logistic and power plant design. Further, application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in understanding the potential impact of agro-residue bioenergy generation on different ecosystem services has also been reviewed and limitations associated with LCA variability and uncertainty were discussed. Usefulness of integration of GIS into LCA (i.e. spatial LCA) to overcome the limitations of conventional LCA and to produce a holistic evaluation of the environmental benefits and concerns of bioenergy is also reviewed. Application of GIS, LCA and spatial LCA can help alleviate the challenges faced by ambitious bioenergy projects by addressing both economics and environmental goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]