Life cycle assessment of integrated microalgae oil production in Bojongsoang Wastewater Treatment Plant, Indonesia

This study aims to determine the eco-friendliness of microalgae-based renewable energy production in several scenarios based on life cycle assessment (LCA). The LCA provides critical data for sustainable decision-making and energy requirement analysis, including net energy ratio (NER) and cumulative energy demand (CED). The Centrum voor Milieuwetenschappen Leiden (CML) IA-Baseline was used on environmental impact assessment method by SimaPro v9.3.0.3® software and energy analysis of biofuel production using native polyculture microalgae biomass in municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) Bojongsoang, Bandung, Indonesia. The study was analyzed under three scenarios: (1) the current scenario; (2) the algae scenario without waste heat and carbon dioxide (CO2); and (3) the algae scenario with waste heat and carbon dioxide (CO2). Waste heat and CO2 were obtained from an industrial zone near the WWTP. The results disclosed that the microalgae scenario with waste heat and CO2 utilization is the most promising scenario with the lowest environmental impact (− 0.139 kg CO2eq/MJ), positive energy balance of 1.23 MJ/m3 wastewater (NER > 1), and lower CED value across various impact categories. It indicates that utilizing the waste heat and CO2 has a positive impact on energy efficiency. Based on the environmental impact, NER and CED values, this study suggests that the microalgae scenario with waste heat and CO2 is more feasible and sustainable to adopt and could be implemented at the Bojongsoang WWTP.