Algal nanotech for biofuel production

Abstract

Energy is required for socio-economic and cultural development of every complex societies of the world. Basic source of energy and primary global economic center is petroleum which is a fossil fuel. Through millions of year of deposition, under high stress, fossils are transformed to important components that drives the major operations on earth. It is estimated that gasoline and natural gas may get depleted in 35 - 40 years whereas the coal reserves is for 100 years. Biofuel is considered as an excellent alternative fuel for automotive. Biofuel is a liquid, gas or solid fuel derived from biomass. Not only does environmental concerns makes biofuel a market competitor, but economic concerns serves the process as well. Although biofuel production is attempted from food crops, but algae has come up as a strong competitor to be used as a biomass for biofuel production. At present the production process is facing many obstacles for its commercialization. In the light of nanotechnology all these obstacles finds a solution for increasing and commercialization of the process. Here, how algae and nanotechnology are used for biofuel production has been discussed.