SIST EN 17983:2024

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-september-2024
Alge in izdelki iz alg - Merjenje obnovljivih surovin iz alg za energetske in
neenergetske namene
Algae and algae products - Measurement for renewable algal raw material for energy
and non-energy applications
Algen und Algenprodukte - Charakterisierung nachwachsender Algenrohmaterialien für
Energie- und Nichtenergieanwendungen
Algues et produits à base d’algues - Mesure de la matière première algale renouvelable
pour les applications énergétiques et non énergétiques
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 17983:2024
ICS:
13.020.55 Biološki izdelki Biobased products
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EN 17983
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
July 2024
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 13.020.55
English Version
Algae and algae products - Measurement for renewable
algal raw material for energy and non-energy applications
Algues et produits à base d'algues - Mesure de la Algen und Algenprodukte - Charakterisierung
matière première algale renouvelable pour les nachwachsender Algenrohmaterialien für Energie- und
applications énergétiques et non énergétiques Nichtenergieanwendungen
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 26 May 2024.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2024 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 17983:2024 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Measurement for renewable algal raw material . 9
4.1 General. 9
4.1.1 General. 9
4.1.2 Green box inputs and outputs . 9
4.1.3 Green box boundaries . 10
4.2 Energy balance of algae facilities and algae products for life cycle assessment and
techno-economic analysis . 12
4.2.1 General. 12
4.2.2 Energy inputs and outputs . 12
4.2.3 Energy inputs . 12
4.2.4 Energy outputs . 13
4.2.5 Simplified energy balance, land-based cultivation. 13
4.2.6 Energy balance, cultivation at sea. 14
4.3 Mass balance of main algal biomass elements . 15
4.3.1 Gas exchanges . 15
4.3.2 Carbon . 15
4.3.3 Nitrogen . 19
4.3.4 Phosphorus . 20
4.3.5 Hydrogen. 21
4.3.6 Oxygen . 21
4.3.7 Other nutrients and micronutrients . 21
4.3.8 Mineral fraction of algae biomass . 21
4.4 Carbon source parameters specific to algae as bio-based products . 21
4.4.1 Algae as feedstocks for biofuels . 21
4.4.2 Algae as feedstocks for non-food-feed applications other than biofuels . 22
4.5 Water management . 23
4.5.1 Water in closed systems . 23
4.5.2 Algae cultivation at sea . 25
4.6 Air management . 25
4.6.1 Atmospheric equilibria in photosynthetic systems . 25
4.6.2 Atmospheric equilibria in heterotrophic systems . 26
Annex A (informative) Example of calculation for the measurement of energy and main
elements balances of algae systems . 27
Annex B (informative) Overview of carbon/CO neutrality . 28
Annex C (informative) Overview of life cycle assessment (LCA) . 29
Annex D (informative) Algae as feedstocks for biofuels . 31
Bibliography . 32
European foreword
This document (EN 17983:2024) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 454 “Algae and
algae products”, the secretariat of which is held by NEN.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by January 2025, and conflicting national standards shall
be withdrawn at the latest by January 2025.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document has been prepared under a standardization request addressed to CEN by the European
Commission. The Standing Committee of the EFTA States subsequently approves these requests for its
Member States.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body.
A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North
Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United
Kingdom.
Introduction
This document has been prepared by CEN/TC 454 “Algae and algae products”.
The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) was requested by the European Commission (EC) to
draft European standards or European Standardization deliverables to support the implementation of
Article 3 of Directive 2009/28/EC for algae and algae-based products or intermediates.
This request, presented as Mandate M/547, also contributes to the Communication on “Innovating for
Sustainable Growth: A Bio economy for Europe”.
The former working group CEN Technical Board Working Group 218 “Algae” was created in 2016 to
develop a work program as part of this Mandate. The technical committee CEN/TC 454 “Algae and algae
products” was established to carry out the work program that will prepare a series of standards.
The interest in algae and algae-based products or intermediates has increased significantly in Europe as
a valuable source of, including but not limited to, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and several pigments.
These materials are suitable for use in a wide range of applications from food and feed purposes to other
sectors, such as textile, cosmetics, biopolymers, biofuel and fertilizer/biostimulants. Standardization was
identified as having an important role in promoting the use of algae and algae products.
The work of CEN/TC 454 should improve the reliability of the supply chain, thereby improving the
confidence of industry and consumers in algae, which include macroalgae, microalgae, cyanobacteria,
Labyrinthulomycetes, algae-based products or intermediates and will promote and support
commercialization of the European algae industry.
In industrial and scientific assessments, many methodological differences occur with regard to mass and
energy balances. This constitutes a major issue, as the results often are difficult to compare.
The goal of this document is to define basic metrics for carbon accounting of algae, so as to allow a more
scientifically sound comparison between algae systems and other biomass feedstocks.
The need for such metrics and methodology is related to the wide existing differences in algae growth
sites and strategies. For example, there are significant differences in the application of the “green box
concept” to closed cultivation units and wild harvested algae. However, common sustainability and life
cycle assessment (LCA) approaches are needed.
These metrics can be used to apply existing LCA standards to algae systems.
An overview of LCA standards is given in Annex C.
This document aims to provide specific life cycle assessment requirements and guidance for algae
cultivation, based on EN ISO 14040 Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Principles and
framework, EN ISO 14044 Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Requirements and
guidelines and EN 16760 Bio-based products — Life Cycle Assessment. These standards are all applicable
to algae-based products, but the topic which is not clearly defined in these standards is the accounting of
the main parameters of algae cultivation sites. The sustainability aspects of algae cultivation can be
assessed either by EN 16751 Bio-based products — Sustainability criteria when the outcome is a product,
or by ISO 13065 Sustainability criteria for bioenergy, when the outcome is energy. Both these documents
provide a framework for considering environmental, social and economic aspects that can be used to
facilitate the evaluation and comparability of biomass for products or energy, respectively.
This document covers the problem of using fossil CO as photosynthesis feed to algae in relation to
EN 16785-1 Bio-based products — Bio-based content — Part 1: Determination of the bio-based content
using the radiocarbon analysis and elemental analysis. This situation calls for proper application criteria
opposite to plant photosynthesis. A similar situation can arise for nitrogen and phosphorus capture in
open seas.
1 Scope
This document specifies methods for the measurement of energy content and main elements balances of
algae fro
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