Microalgae Biofuels: A Green Renewable Resource to Fuel the Future

Abstract

Intensive investigation and spectacular attention have been currently on microalgae fuels because they are the only sustainable alternate, inherently renewable, economical, and eco-friendly fuels unlike fossil fuels which are fast depleting. Microalgae are rapidly growing organisms and contain high amount of oil content when compared to season-depending terrestrial and food crops containing low percent dry weight of oil. The oil content of microalgae, a remarkable feature could be tuned higher especially under stress conditions as nutrient deficiency, in particular nitrogen. It is quite explicit and plausible that the conversion of microalgae into liquid fuels facilitates a sustainable, long-term fuel production circumscribed in an environmentally attuned manner. As the world population reaches ten billion mark and the sequels of negative environmental, economic and social impacts, the compromise based on first-generation biofuels seems quite irremediable. To surpass the existing problems, microalgae biofuels are envisaged as rather promising and potential due to high photosynthetic efficiency and growth rate in the development of about 70% of lipid content within the cells depending on species. Photo-bioreactors substitute the open raceway ponds for curtailing the problem of contamination and evaporation in open ponds. The production of value-added byproducts after biofuel extraction could also be the best outcome of microalgae residues.