An Outlook on Microalgal Biofuels

Unlike the use of corn and other foodstuffs for biofuels, one of the new emerging technologies is the application of microalgae as an alternative energy source. It could alleviate many of the negative externalities that ethanol currently has and would be more desirable to countries that are currently anxious about the negative impacts of corn-based biofuels on food supplies. "Microalgae are considered one of the most promising feedstocks for biofuels. The productivity of these photosynthetic microorganisms in converting carbon dioxide into carbon-rich lipids, only a step or two away from biodiesel, greatly exceeds that of agricultural oleaginous crops, without competing for arable land. Worldwide, research and demonstration programs are being carried out to develop the technology needed to expand algal lipid production from a craft to a major industrial process. Although microalgae are not yet produced at large scale for bulk applications, recent advances—particularly in the methods of systems biology, genetic engineering, and biorefining—present opportunities to develop this process in a sustainable and economical way within the next 10 to 15 years."