How Is Algae a Biodiesel Production?

Biodiesel Fuel

Biodiesel fuel is essentially a biodegradable fuel that has less carbon dioxide emission than fossil fuels. With the depleting supplies of the petroleum sources, there is a rising need for renewable and carbon-neutral fuels.

Among all the sources of biodiesel, algae have shown a lot of promise. An alga that is exposed to carbon dioxide can produce more oily substances. Thus, two benefits are reaped from the growth of algae. Since, algae consumes the carbon dioxide and organic sewage, it can be a solution for the ever growing air pollution problems across the world, and by producing oily substances which can be used as a replacement for the traditional fuels, algae serve multiple purposes.

When grown in natural conditions and exposed to normal amounts of carbon dioxide, water and sunlight, algae produce less oil, approximately equal to 1 percent of the weight of the algae. However, as per the research conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy, algae that is exposed to a lot of carbon dioxide and is grown in organic sewage produces a lot of oil, approximately 40 percent of the weight of the algae. If this research is confirmed, algae can prove to be the solution for waste water treatment and can also prove to be the solution for the large amounts of carbon dioxide emitted from big industries.

When compared to other conventional oil producing crops such as palm, algae produce three hundred times more oil. A crop of algae can be harvested in one to ten days, hence, within a short span, several harvests are possible. Even arid lands can be used for algae cultivation.

The process of extracting biodiesel from algae is highly expensive. Unless research paves ways for harnessing the biodiesel in an inexpensive way, it is impractical to put to use the biodiesel obtained from algae.

Scientific research has already proved to an extent that algae can be the environment-friendly solution we all are looking forward to as the alternative to the conventional fuels.