11 Conclusions
Biofuels can supplement the existing conventional energy sources to a great extent.
Microalgae are capable of producing bio-sustainable goods that do not seem to
threaten the human right to food, water, and safety and do not damage the environment as they can be produced in non-agricultural land and do not need fresh water
for their growth. Moreover as the system is carbon-neutral, it is the best possible
choice and sustainable substitute to nonrenewable energy sources. Nevertheless,
microalgae feedstocks are not yet become cost-effective in bioproducts and biofuel
production, given their exceptional potential and the well-known cultivation options.
Even after many years of hard work and huge sum of dollars (billions) in investments, its unacceptably high cost remains the ultimate drawback in the industrialization of algal biofuel.
New species discovery and usage of genetically modified microalgal strains via
synthetic biology approaches which can produce higher yields and could potentially
reduce the cost of production on a commercial scale. To capitalize on the research
benefits, both socially and economically, synergistic combination of production of
microalgae biofuel and biotechnological applications, such as bioremediation of
environmental pollutants and manufacture of high economic value bio-byproducts,
could be an effective way of achieving economically feasible biofuel production. In
addition, more research and development is required to make harvesting techniques
more reliable and cost-effective to reduce future production costs. Furthermore, the
techniques for biomass production (i.e., PBR and open-pond systems) often need
much focus to produce algae at cheaper costs and to make it environmentally
sustainable. Apart from biofuel production, several other valuable co-products like
food supplements with nutritional values, animal feed, and various pharmaceutical
ingredients for producing medicines, cosmetics, toiletries, and other goods including
bioplastics and biofertilizer may be produced from algal biomass feedstock. The
production cost can be reduced by adapting a strategy of co-production of both
biofuel and valuable by-products from microalgae. It can therefore be inferred that
algal biofuels can be an ideal substitute for fossil fuel in the future if the cost of
production of biofuels is minimized.
References
1. Chi NTL, Duc PA, Mathimani T, Pugazhendhi A (2018) Evaluating the potential of green alga
Chlorella sp. for high biomass and lipid production in biodiesel viewpoint. Biocatal Agric
Biotechnol 17:184–188
2. Wijffels RH, Barbosa MJ (2010) An outlook on microalgal biofuels. Science 329
(5993):796–799
3. Chisti Y (2007) Biodiesel from micro-algae. Biotechnol Adv 25:294–306
4. Larkum AWD (2010) Limitation and prospects of natural photosynthesis for bio-energy
production. Curr Opin Biotechnol 21:271–276
156
B. Srinivasan and G. Kulshreshtha
Biofuels can supplement the existing conventional energy sources to a great extent.
Microalgae are capable of producing bio-sustainable goods that do not seem to
threaten the human right to food, water, and safety and do not damage the environment as they can be produced in non-agricultural land and do not need fresh water
for their growth. Moreover as the system is carbon-neutral, it is the best possible
choice and sustainable substitute to nonrenewable energy sources. Nevertheless,
microalgae feedstocks are not yet become cost-effective in bioproducts and biofuel
production, given their exceptional potential and the well-known cultivation options.
Even after many years of hard work and huge sum of dollars (billions) in investments, its unacceptably high cost remains the ultimate drawback in the industrialization of algal biofuel.
New species discovery and usage of genetically modified microalgal strains via
synthetic biology approaches which can produce higher yields and could potentially
reduce the cost of production on a commercial scale. To capitalize on the research
benefits, both socially and economically, synergistic combination of production of
microalgae biofuel and biotechnological applications, such as bioremediation of
environmental pollutants and manufacture of high economic value bio-byproducts,
could be an effective way of achieving economically feasible biofuel production. In
addition, more research and development is required to make harvesting techniques
more reliable and cost-effective to reduce future production costs. Furthermore, the
techniques for biomass production (i.e., PBR and open-pond systems) often need
much focus to produce algae at cheaper costs and to make it environmentally
sustainable. Apart from biofuel production, several other valuable co-products like
food supplements with nutritional values, animal feed, and various pharmaceutical
ingredients for producing medicines, cosmetics, toiletries, and other goods including
bioplastics and biofertilizer may be produced from algal biomass feedstock. The
production cost can be reduced by adapting a strategy of co-production of both
biofuel and valuable by-products from microalgae. It can therefore be inferred that
algal biofuels can be an ideal substitute for fossil fuel in the future if the cost of
production of biofuels is minimized.
References
1. Chi NTL, Duc PA, Mathimani T, Pugazhendhi A (2018) Evaluating the potential of green alga
Chlorella sp. for high biomass and lipid production in biodiesel viewpoint. Biocatal Agric
Biotechnol 17:184–188
2. Wijffels RH, Barbosa MJ (2010) An outlook on microalgal biofuels. Science 329
(5993):796–799
3. Chisti Y (2007) Biodiesel from micro-algae. Biotechnol Adv 25:294–306
4. Larkum AWD (2010) Limitation and prospects of natural photosynthesis for bio-energy
production. Curr Opin Biotechnol 21:271–276
156
B. Srinivasan and G. Kulshreshtha