Full Title: Sustainable Development of Algal Biofuels in the United States
Author(s): Committee on the Sustainable Development of Algal Biofuels
Publisher(s): National Research Council
Publication Date: October 1, 2012
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
At the request of the Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (DOE-EERE) Biomass Program, the National Research Council (NRC) convened a committee of 15 experts to examine the sustainable development of algal biofuels. (See Appendix A for biographical sketches of committee members.) The purpose of this study was to identify and anticipate potential sustainability concerns associated with a selected number of pathways for large-scale deployment of algal biofuels, discuss potential strategies for mitigating those concerns, and suggest indicators and metrics that could be used and data to be collected for assessing sustainability across the biofuel supply chain to monitor progress as the industry develops. (See Appendix B for the complete statement of task.) In addition, the committee was asked to identify indicators that are most critical to address or have the greatest potential for improvement through DOE intervention and to suggest preferred cost and benefit analyses that could best aid in the decision-making process.