Hydrothermal liquefaction of algae biomass is a promising technology for the production of sustainable biofuels, but the non-oil, aqueous co-product of the process has only been examined to a limited extent. The aqueous phase from liquefaction of the alga Nannochloropsis oculata (AqAl) was used to make growth media for model heterotrophic microorganisms Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas putida, and...

The great need for more sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels has increased our research interests in algal biofuels. Microalgal cells, characterized by high photosynthetic efficiency and rapid cell division, are an excellent source of neutral lipids as potential fuel stocks. Various stress factors, especially nutrient-starvation conditions, induce an increased formation of lipid bodies fill...

(or up to 150 million gallons per year) to BioAlternatives as a feedstock for fuel production. The partners plan to locate algae production and biodiesel refinery facilities in Louisiana. In October 2007, the Chevron Corporation announced a collaborative research project with the DoE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to explore the production of transport fuels, including jet fuel, ...

Microalgae offer great promise to contribute a signifi cant portion of the renewable fuels that will be required by the Renewable Fuels Standard described in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act of the United States. Algal biofuels would be based mainly on the high lipid content of the algal cell and thus would be an ideal feedstock for high energy density transportation fuels, such as...

Renewable biodiesels are needed as an alternative to petroleum-derived transport fuels, which contribute to global warming and are of limited availability. Algae biomass, are a potential source of renewable energy, and they can be converted into energy such as biofuels. This study introduces an integrated method for the production of biodiesel from Chara vulgaris algae collected from the coasta...

A major challenge for next decades is development of competitive renewable energy sources, highly needed to compensate fossil fuels reserves and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Among different possibilities, which are currently under investigation, there is the exploitation of unicellular algae for production of biofuels and biodiesel in particular. Some algae species have the ability of accum...

Algae are predicted to play an important role in tomorrow’s bioeconomy. The technical goal of the project was to develop enhanced algal cultivation processes utilising waste flows and to increase the overall material and energy efficiency of algal processing for biodiesel and biogas production. The project produced new knowledge on the boundary conditions for cost efficient algal cultivation an...

The world energy crisis and increased greenhouse gas emissions have driven the search for alternative and environmentally friendly renewable energy sources. According to life cycle analysis, microalgae biofuel is identified as one of the major renewable energy sources for sustainable development, with potential to replace the fossil-based fuels. Microalgae biofuel was devoid of the major drawba...

In the EU-27, national policies supporting biofuels seem to be continuously changing. The first reason for this wave of changes stems from efficiency concerns. In previous years—say, up to 2007—the main objective of biofuel policies was to trigger both domestic production and consumption in the member countries through measures of fiscal stimulus and incentives (Directive 2003/ 30, shown in the...