hi i have just join this forum.
i want to know when cost is $0.05 - .25 per gallon then why it is not in market. what are the reason which hurdle its mass use or production.
Generally speaking, there are many bottlenecks to commercialize algae production:
Strain selection – Choosing a right strain with high lipid content and high
environmental tolerance is a difficult exercise.
• Land requirements – Large tracts of land areas are required to setup algae farms,
where terrestrial cultivation is considered.
• Cost of nutrients – Algal cultures need to be enriched with nutrients for their
growth and division, and this adds to the cultivation costs.
• Contamination in open pond algae cultivation – Algae that are cultivated in open
ponds are vulnerable to contamination.
Cost of algae cultivation using photobioreactors – The capital and operational
costs of algae cultivation using photobioreactors are very high.
• Cost of algae harvesting – Harvesting is energy intensive and this adds
significantly to operational costs.
• Efficient and cost effective oil extraction from algae – High-efficiency extraction
methods carry high costs.
Consequently, the real challenges that hinder large-scale, commercial biofuel production
from microalgae are the following three:
• Difficulties in optimal strain selection
• High cost of photobioreactor
• High cost of microalgae harvesting.
Hope this helps !!