Microalgae as a protein rich livestock feed ingredient in The Netherlands: an environmental sustainability analysis

The natural resource footprint of producing protein rich algal meal for livestock feed applications in The Netherlands was examined. Microalgae were cultivated at pilot scale (500m² open ponds) and integrated in a biorefinery making use of waste heat and flue gases. The final products were electricity, digestate, heat available for a nearby bio-ethanol facility and algal oil and meal. The sustainability of this rather new biomass source for animal feed was compared with the more traditional route of soybean crop production. The soybeans were cultivated, dried and crushed in Brazil and the soy... Mehr ...