Fresh Water Algae: A Best Option for Renewable Energy Generation

Abstract

Sustainable use of natural resources is key principle in present environment. It requires maximum utilization with minimum environmental impact. Use of Freshwater algae is better option for this. Freshwater algae are photosynthetic lower plants having 50% of oil content in their weight. By simple reactions, algae produce carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins in heavy stock over shortest period of time. These products are further converted into bioethanol, biodiesel, and many more useful products. This study deals with biofuel production from the microalgae collected from River Baldi, Doon Valley, Uttarakhand. Some common species are Nitzschia sp., Chlorella sp., Cladophora sp., Zygnema sp., Spirogyra sp., Microcystis aeruginosa, Oscillatoria limnetica, Navicula sp. 19.5% of lipid was obtained from 0.758 g dry wt m−2 microalgal biomass harvested from River Baldi by using soxhlet extraction method by using chloroform:methanol (2:1) as solvent. Extracted algal biomass was hydrolyzed in the form offermentable sugar which was converted into 58% bioethanol. Algal biomass was utilized for biofuel production, in biotreatment to treat waste water and as biofertilizer to enhance crop production. Hence, Microalgae have 3B role (Biofuel; Biotreatment; Biofertilizer). The results shows that biofuel derived from freshwater microalgae act as better substitute to fossil fuels in future.