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Algal Biomass for Biofuels and Bioproducts

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Bioprocess Engineering for Bioremediation

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 104))

Abstract

In recent times, due to rapid consumption of fossil fuels and increased pollution levels, the demand for biofuels has been on raise. Currently the resources utilized for biofuel production are derived through conventional agriculture; it may pose a significant danger to food security. Switching over in the direction of third generation biofuels (from algae) is one among the best possible solutions for this problem. Moreover algae contain substantial quantity of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins, thereby making them as a potential candidate for the manufacture of biofuels like bioethanol, biohydrogen, biodiesel, biobutanol, etc. Apart from biofuel production, algae can also be able to produce valuable products like omega-3 fatty acids, carotenoids, protein-rich supplements, etc. This chapter offers an insight into the modern practices being followed in the manufacture of biofuel like screening of potential strains, avoiding contamination risks, optimization of mass cultivation conditions, easy harvesting, and extraction methods. The key concerns of these process and opportunities on the employment of algal biomass in multiple applications like fuel, food, and environment will also be discussed.

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Abbreviations

BOD:

Biological oxygen demand

COD:

Chemical oxygen demand

DAB:

Dry algal biomass

FAME:

Fatty acid methyl esters

HTL:

Hydrothermal liquefaction

PBR:

Photobioreactor

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acids

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial Chemistry, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia

    Babuskin Srinivasan

  2. Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Garima Kulshreshtha

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  1. Babuskin Srinivasan
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  2. Garima Kulshreshtha
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Correspondence to Babuskin Srinivasan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology Warangal, Warangal, Telangana, India

    Manuel Jerold

  2. School of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Kozhikode, Kerala, India

    Santhiagu Arockiasamy

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Kozhikode, Kerala, India

    Velmurugan Sivasubramanian

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Srinivasan, B., Kulshreshtha, G. (2020). Algal Biomass for Biofuels and Bioproducts. In: Jerold, M., Arockiasamy, S., Sivasubramanian, V. (eds) Bioprocess Engineering for Bioremediation. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 104. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2020_580

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