What is microalgae biofuel?
Microalgae have emerged as a potential feedstock for biofuel production as many strains accumulate higher amounts of lipid, with faster biomass growth and higher photosynthetic yield than their land plant counterparts.
How is biodiesel made from microalgae?
The algal biodiesel production processes fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). The chemical composition of biodiesel is generally produced by transesterification of algal oil in the presence of acid or alkali as a catalyst [5]. The biodiesel from algae can be derived directly from transesterification of algal biomass [9].
How is microalgae used for biofuel?
Microalgae don’t directly produce biofuel – they produce lipids (fats). To make biofuel these fats must be converted through a process known as transesterification.
Why microalgae is used for biodiesel production?
Microalgae are biomass feedstock that have found remarkable application in biodiesel production. They are renowned to have high lipid content, CO2 emission mitigation, rapid growth rate and non-arable land use for cultivation [1]. These qualities present microalgae as advantageous over various other feedstock.
What is microalgae used for?
A range of microalgae species are produced in hatcheries and are used in a variety of ways for commercial purposes, including for human nutrition, as biofuel, in the aquaculture of other organisms, in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, and as biofertiliser.
How algae can be used for biodiesel?
The algae can be converted into various types of renewable biofuels including bioethanol, biodiesel, biogas, photobiologically produced biohydrogen, and further processing for bio-oil and syngas production through liquefaction and gasification, respectively (Kraan, 2013).
How is algae biodiesel used?
Algal oil is converted into biodiesel through a transesterification process. Oil extracted from the algae is mixed with alcohol and an acid or a base to produce the fatty acid methylesters that makes up the biodiesel. An excess of methanol is used to force the reaction to favor the right side of the equation.
What is algae biodiesel made of?
Algal oils, just like oils produced by soy, canola, palm and the less-known jatropha plants, can be made good biodiesel feedstocks through transesterification. In that process, a catalyst creates a biodiesel fuel (consisting of fatty acid methyl esters) by hydrolyzing and methylating fatty acids in the oils.
What is the example of microalgae?
Examples of prokaryotic microorganisms are Cyanobacteria (Cyanophyceae) and eukaryotic microalgae are for example green algae (Chlorophyta) and diatoms (Bacillariophyta).
What are the properties of microalgae?
Microalgae are a diverse group of photosynthetic microorganisms that can produce a number of economically valuable bioproducts including proteins, omega-3 fatty acids, and powerful antioxidants, as well as feedstocks for biofuels [1], [2].