Microalgae

Algal biofuels would be based mainly on the high lipid content of the algal cell and thus would be an ideal feedstock for high energy density transportation fuels, such as biodiesel as well as green diesel, green jet fuel and green gasoline. A comprehensive research and development program for the development of algal biofuels was initiated by the US Department of Energy (DoE) more than 30 years ago, and although great progress was made, the program was discontinued in 1996, because of decreasing federal budgets and low petroleum costs. Interest in algal biofuels has been growing recently due to increased concern over peak oil, energy security, greenhouse gas emissions, and the potential for other biofuel feedstocks to compete for limited agricultural resources.

The high productivity of algae suggests that much of the US transportation fuel needs can be met by algal biofuels at a production cost competitive with the cost of petroleum seen during the early part of 2008. Development of algal biomass production technology, however, remains in its infancy."

These eminent scientists from NREL in a paper titled The Promise and Challenges of Microalgal-Derived Biofuels provide six reasons why these amazing organisms are in the spotlight again:

1) Productivity per acre is potentially very high;
2) These are a non-food based resource;
3) The organism can be grown on low productive or non-arable land;
4) The organism can be grown in a wide range of water sources, including brackish, saline, freswater and wastewater;
5) Valuable as a biofuel and other byproducts such bioplastics; and
6) This has renewable energy form has the potential to uptake and recycle CO2 from flue gases of fossil fuel power plants and other waste streams.

The full article by Pienkos and Al Darzins can be downloaded here.

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