Large-scale Biodiesel Production from Algae

Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Nature’s way again

Theoretically, Biodiesel produced from algae appears to be the only feasible solution today for replacing petro-diesel completely. No other feedstock has the Oil Yield high enough for it to be in a position to produce such large volumes of oil. To elaborate, it has been calculated that in order for a crop such as soybean or palm to yield enough oil capable of replacing petro-diesel completely, a very large percentage of the current land available needs to be utilized only for biodiesel crop production, which is quite infeasible. For some small countries, in fact it implies that all land available in the country be dedicated to biodiesel crop production. However,

if the feedstock were to be algae, owing to its very high yield of oil per Acre of cultivation, it has been found that about 10 million acres of land would need to be used for biodiesel cultivation in the US in order to produce biodiesel to replace all the petrodiesel used currently in that country. This is just 1% of the total land used today for farming and grazing together in the US (about 1 billion acres). Clearly, algae are a superior alternative as a feedstock for large-scale biodiesel production.

In practice however, biodiesel has not yet been produced on a wide scale from algae, though large scale algae cultivation and biodiesel production appear likely in the near future (4-5 years).

In order to produce biodiesel from algae on a large-scale, the following conditions need to be met, logically speaking:

• Ability to sustainably produce high-oil-yielding algae strains on a large-scale
• Ability to extract the oil from the algae on a large scale
• Capability for large-scale conversion of algal oil into biodiesel
  

The first two aspects are specific to algae, while the third is a generic aspect for biodiesel production from all plant oils.

Based on the current research inputs, it appears that the real concern would be condition # 1: Capability to sustainably produce high-oil-yielding algae strains on a large-scale. While the other two conditions need to be addressed as well, those two are primarily engineering considerations over which we have more control than over condition #1. This, hence needs to be given more focus.

The capability to sustainably produce high-oil-yielding algae strains on a large-scale can again be thought to contain two distinct aspects: (1) Identifying the high-yielding Algal Strains and (2) Identifying the most optimal methods to cultivate them. A good amount of research is taking place in each of these two aspects and it is hoped that there will be more good news soon. 

More articles & news on large-scale algal fuel production: Visitors may kindly have a look at the Oilgae Blog Directory for relevant blog articles.

See also:

Widescale Biodiesel Production from Algae – Michael Briggs, University of New Hampshire

Large-scale Algae Culture Systems

Large-scale Algal Turf Scrubber (PDF)

Algae Culture – from Wikipedia

Other Related Sections

Blue Green Algae, Red Algae, Green Algae, Marine Algae, String Algae, Pond Algae, Pond Algae Control, Algae Control

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About Oilgae - Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae has a focus on biodiesel production from algae while also discussing alternative energy in general. Algae present an exciting possibility as a feedstock for biodiesel, and when you realise that oil was originally formed from algae - among others - you think "Hey! Why not oil again from algae!"

To facilitate exploration of oil production from algae as well as exploration of other alternative energy avenues, Oilgae provides web links, directory, and related resources for algae-based biofuels / biodiesel along with inputs on new inventions, discoveries & breakthroughs in other alternative energy domains such as solar, wind, nuclear, hydro, geothermal, hydrogen & fuel cells, gravitational, geothemal, human-powered, ocean & wave / tidal energy. We hope Oilgae proves to be useful as a research information & inputs resources, and as a source of news & info for algae business & trade of algal oil, algal fuels & new alternative energy products - specially with regard to new feedstock / feedstocks, production processes and uses, and market info such as price / prices, data & statistics