ALGAE TO BIOFUELS

Algae Basics
Like plants, photosynthetic microalgae produce biomass from water and CO2 using sunlight as the energy source. However, unlike plants, microalgae do not have to spend any of their energy budget producing roots, stems, or leaves. The alga cell itself achieves all the functions of these components as it floats in water. This leads to higher productivity for algae in generating and storing biomass. Some species of algae accumulate energy in lipid molecules much like vegetable oil found in terrestrial crops. These lipids can be converted into biodiesel using the same biorefineries that are currently using soybean oil and other feedstocks. Biodiesel can be used in millions of existing engines already on the road. Further, the non-oil fraction of biomass has other uses: it can be fermented into ethanol or put into a digester to produce natural gas.

CO2 as a Production Input
Because many species of algae can double their biomass in a day, they have a high rate of CO2 consumption. Coal, natural gas and biomass fired power plant emissions provide a CO2 concentration much higher than normal atmospheric concentrations and thus are an attractive source of CO2 to feed algae culture.

Favorable Land Use
Additionally, algae can be grown in ponds or closed photobioreactors using low quality water on non-arable land and so do not compete directly with food production as do soybean, corn and sugarcane cultivation for biofuels.