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Abstract
The world’s energy needs highly depend on fossil fuels, which were formed over several million centuries. The price of petroleum increases daily and unfortunately, its exploitation is currently at an alarming rate for such essential non-renewable energy. Also, the recent clamour for safe and cheap alternative means of energy generation to mitigate global warming and its detrimental effects is drawing attention towards biofuel production to supplement and possibly, substitute fossil fuels. To this effect, many plant materials have been tested and employed in the past decades for biofuel production. However, a good number of plants used in biofuel production as feedstock are crop plants, which have more economic value as food. Therefore, it is imperative to explore the possibility of biofuel production from non-food sources, hence, we examine the potential of microalgae as an alternative source of renewable energy. Microalgae are of great interest in biofuel production for its high productivity, cosmopolitan nature, easy culturing on waters and land, and noncompeting with conventional agriculture for resources. In view of these, this article focuses on the potentials of microalgae in biofuel production and mitigation of environmental pollution by its considerably low greenhouse gas emissions.
Highlights
Macroalgae and microalgae are distinguishable, the two groups differ considerably in their morphology
A good number of plants used in biofuel production as feedstock are crop plants, which have more economic value as food
It is imperative to explore the possibility of biofuel production from non-food sources, we examine the potential of microalgae as an alternative source of renewable energy
Summary
Macroalgae and microalgae are distinguishable, the two groups differ considerably in their morphology. The discovery of biofuel and other renewable energy sources are fostered by the rapid depletion of oil reserves, increasing global concern on climate change, and greenhouse gases emission. Several crops and plant materials such as cereals, oil plants, sugar cane molasses, agricultural and forest residual waste, as well as the household wastes may be sources of raw materials for biofuel production Owing to their large biomass, sugar beet and cereals have been the major feedstock for biodiesel production in the USA and Brazil (U.S EIA, 2020). Biomass provides approximately 14% of the energy demand, ranking fourth as an energy resource and increasingly gaining attention as an eco-friendly source of electricity generation, greatly reducing the amounts of greenhouse gases emissions (Larson & Kartha, 2000). Thermal energy has not been well harnessed in Africa even though the African Development Bank in 2017 projected that Africa has the potential of producing 15 GW of geothermal energy
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