Book Review: Biofuels from Algae: A Promising Future Fuel

provides in-depth information on various strategies and large-scale cultivation of algal biomass with updated state-of-art information and knowledge by the internationally recognized experts and subject peers in various areas of algal biofuels. Algae biofuel (Chisti, 2007) has been currently recognized as the alternative and clean energy source that attracted the interests of many researchers and policymakers over the globe. Biofuel and other co-products derived from microalgae have the potential for mitigating the global greenhouse gas emission, but the implication and commercial scale production of biofuel from microalgae are still a challenging task. Researchers have been working towards the genetic engineering aspects of microalgae for high biomass and lipid yield. The book provides detailed information on the various processes of algal biomass production. Moreover, the latest information and the breakthrough researches are the cynosure features of the book. Consequently, this review provides chapter-wise brief information that may be helpful for environmentalist, biotechnologist, and biochemist for their references. Introduction of the book starts with historical review of the algal biofuel and basics of algae biofuel technology. Chapter 1 deals with the production of algal biomass using the open-pond and closed photobioreactor system and its cost effectiveness for the commercial production of biofuel. The comparative study of open-pond system and closed photobioreactor system provides the cost-effectiveness of the system. Chapter 2 details the cultivation of microalgal through the biorefinery process. It examines the phototrophic growth aspects of photobioreactor system (Carvalho et al., 2006) at the biomass productivity level; it also focuses on cost-effectiveness and at the practical platform. Chapter 3 provides the conceptual framework on the energy supply and demand gap and suggests the strategies for sustainable production of biofuel from microalgae. It also covers the molecular, physiological, and metabolic engineering aspects of the microalgae and recent research breakthroughs done in microalgal biomass and lipid productivity in the various metabolically altered strains. Chapter 4 includes the general methodology for the routine subculturing of microalgal culture maintenance. It also contains various information regarding the methodology and quantification of carbon sequestration. It also deals with the growing carbon economy and global carbon market. Chapter 5 is focused on the harvesting of microalgal biomass, which is one of the major problems of present day. It provides information related to the efficient biomass harvesting techniques. Chapter 6 is intended to understand the heterotrophic production of algal biomass and their potential use in the field of biofuels and …