Algae Biomass as a Potential Source of Liquid Fuels

Marcin Dębowski,Joanna Kazimierowicz,Izabela Świca,Marcin Zieliński

doi:10.3390/phycology1020008

Marcin Dębowski, Joanna Kazimierowicz + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/phycology1020008

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Abstract

Algae biomass is perceived as a prospective source of many types of biofuels, including biogas and biomethane produced in the anaerobic digestion process, ethanol from alcoholic fermentation, biodiesel synthesized from lipid reserve substances, and biohydrogen generated in photobiological transformations. Environmental and economic analyses as well as technological considerations indicate that methane fermentation integrated with bio-oil recovery is one of the most justified directions of energy use of microalgae biomass for energy purposes. A promising direction in the development of bioenergy systems based on the use of microalgae is their integration with waste and pollution neutralization technologies. The use of wastewater, another liquid waste, or flue gases can reduce the costs of biofuel production while having a measurable environmental effect.

Highlights

The development and large-scale implementation of clean, effective, and renewable technologies for energy production is today becoming a challenge for scientists and a priority to energy system operators
This paper presents the possibility of using algae biomass to produce liquid and gaseous biofuels, including bio-oil, biohydrogen, and biogas
Biofuels’ production from algae biomass is characterized by many limitations that must be verified in installations operating in a technical scale

Summary

Introduction

The development and large-scale implementation of clean, effective, and renewable technologies for energy production is today becoming a challenge for scientists and a priority to energy system operators. The heterotrophic culture eliminates the common problem of photoautotrophic systems related to the overgrowth of the surface of photobioreactors and self-shading of microalgae cells, which directly reduces the access of light imperative for effective photosynthesis, biomass proliferation, and bio-oil production [23]. The possibility of using various organic compounds in the heterotrophic culture was described by De Swaaf (2003), who applied a protocol for acetic acid addition and culture pH control when multiplying the Crypthecodinium cohnii strain This technological solution allowed obtaining very high values of final yield indicators, i.e., the concentration of cell dry matter in the culture at 109 g/dm and the final lipid concentration in the culture at 61 g/dm3 [30]. F&M-M29 Chlorella vulgaris CCAP 211/11B Tetradesmus obliquus Rebecca salina CS 49 Thalassiosira pseudonana CS 173

Biohydrogen Production

Biogas Production

Findings

Conclusions