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19 May 2023

The Potential of Algae Biofuel as a Renewable and Sustainable Bioresource †

,
and
Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology Patna, Patna 800005, India
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Processes: Process Engineering—Current State and Future Trends (ECP 2023), 17–31 May 2023; Available online: https://ecp2023.sciforum.net/.
Eng. Proc.2023, 37(1), 22;https://doi.org/10.3390/ECP2023-14716
This article belongs to the Proceedings The 2nd International Electronic Conference on Processes: Process Engineering—Current State and Future Trends
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Abstract

Algae are promising sources of biofuel. Microalgae’s ability to grow quickly with photosynthesis, carbon dioxide, and nutrients makes them ideal biofuel sources that do not compete for resources with food crops like corn. Algae cultivation on non-arable land allows it to produce biofuel while not competing with them for resources. Algae biofuel has many advantages over fossil fuels, including reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon emissions. There are various methods for turning algal feedstock or biomass into advanced biofuels. Algae biofuels have become widely used as fossil fuel replacements; however, several challenges must still be overcome, such as high production costs, the need for extensive growing systems, harvesting techniques that enable efficient harvesting/extraction techniques, as well as efficient harvesting/extraction technologies.

1. Introduction

Recent years have witnessed global energy consumption steadily increase as a result of rapid urbanization and industrial development [1]. Conventional fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas still represent the primary energy supply [2]. Renewable and sustainable sources such as wind, solar, tidal hydropower, and biomass must be applied to meet the increasing energy demands. Algae species boast over 30,000 varieties that reproduce rapidly, making them one of the most diverse groups among plants [3]. Microalgae are capable of rapidly growing through photosynthesis, carbon dioxide, and nutrients and also of producing significant oil production that can be extracted by disrupting their cell structure and producing biofuels (Biodiesel, Bioethanol, Biohydrogen, Bio-oil, and Biohydrogen). With various conversion processes such as Transesterification Fermentation Pyrolysis and Anaerobic Digestion [4,5], algal feedstock could easily be transformed into algae-based biofuels [4]. The algae can withstand almost all environments and temperatures, including extreme cold and scorching heat. They can eliminate CO2 from industrial chimney gases by bio-fixation and, after oil extraction, produce electricity or heat energy as well as biofertilizer, animal feed, healthcare products, and food products.

2. Overview of Algae

A wide variety of algae exist in different sizes and forms, including single-celled microalgae and the largest multicellular seaweeds. Algae produce organic compounds through photosynthesis. Algae are highly efficient biofuel sources due to their ability to convert solar energy directly into biomass [5].

2.1. Classification of Algae

Algae can be classified according to various characteristics such as size, cell type, habitat, energy source, pigment color, and motion. The classification of algae is discussed further below and illustrated in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Classification of algae.
Size: Depending on the size of an organism, the term “alga”, can refer to either a single-cell organism or a multicellular seaweed. Diatoms are unicellular organisms that can grow to a maximum of (2–200 μm). Some species of brown algae can grow as long as several meters.
  • Cell Types: Algae can be divided into unicellular and multicellular groups according to their cellular structures, with some species featuring only one cell while others like seaweed have multiple.
  • Habitat: Algae can be classified into four distinct habitats based on their environment: freshwater, marine, brackish, or moist terrestrial. Although most green algae prefer freshwater environments for growth, some species also thrive in brackish marine waters due to the brackish conditions where they originate from. In freshwater environments, some green filaments float freely while others become attached to rocks or roots and flow with fast currents through still waters or swift currents.
  • Energy Sources: Algae can obtain their energy either through photosynthesis, chemosynthesis, or some combination thereof.
  • Pigment color: Algae can be classified by their pigment color as either green, red, brown, or blue-green depending on which wavelengths of light they absorb to ensure survival in various environments.
  • Movement: Algae can be divided into non-motile and motile classes depending on their movement through the water. Some green development species can simply drift along rivers while others use flagella or plans to propel themselves through it—or both! There are various orders for how well they interact with their environment, which has different needs for movement.

2.2. Sustainable Development of Algae

Sustainably developing algae means using this natural resource in a way that minimizes greenhouse gas emissions while decreasing our dependence on non-renewable resources [6]. Furthermore, sustainable development means minimizing negative environmental impacts while optimizing economic and social benefits—Table 1 details these applications and benefits of algae in sustainable development in various fields.
Table 1. Algae’s contributions to sustainable development in a variety of contexts [6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14].

2.3. Types of Algae Biofuels

Different biomass from different sources like forests, farms, and aquatic environments has been considered feedstock for the production of various biofuels such as biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas, bio-oil, and biohydrogen. Algae are an economical and eco-friendly choice when it comes to producing biodiesel; numerous techniques exist that transform it into algae-based fuels. Table 2 details their production process.
Table 2. Production process of algae biofuel [8,15,16,17,18].

2.4. Advantages of Algae Biofuels

Algae biofuel offers several advantages over traditional fossil fuels and other biofuels. Table 3 lists these advantages of algae biofuel with descriptions.
Table 3. Advantages of Algae Biofuels [19,20].

2.5. Indian Scenario of Algal Biofuel

India currently ranks fifth globally, using 4.1% of global energy production. By 2025, however, it is expected to surpass both China and the US to become the third-biggest energy user worldwide. India boasts the world’s highest urban electrification rate (93.1%), as well as the world’s largest rural population rural electrification schemes, which are implemented at various times across rural regions; however, the limited electricity-generating capacity in India makes these plans hard to implement [21]. India has shown increasing interest in algae production for various purposes and is taking steps to advance it through research, development, and commercialization [22]. Table 4 depicts India’s recent progress and program related to algal biofuel.
Table 4. The Indian scenario of algal biofuel in recent years [23,24,25].

2.6. Challenges of Algae Biofuels

Algae biofuels have long been seen as a potential replacement for traditional fossil fuels in our energy needs, producing biofuels from algal biomass with several advantages over first- and second-generation feedstocks. Unfortunately, algae biofuel production remains underdeveloped on a large scale; therefore, revisits will need to take place to address any technology-related issues. Table 5 offers details of all of these issues with algae biofuel production.
Table 5. Algae Biofuel Challenges [26,27].

3. Conclusions

Microalgae have one of the fastest growth rates among photosynthetic organisms and can be grown on non-arable soil using wastewater as their nutrient source, offering exciting prospects for biofuel production from them. Algae-based fuels are considered one of the most cost-effective, renewable, sustainable, environmentally friendly solutions to climate change and food security, potentially meeting long-term global fuel demands by meeting energy demand from microalgae cultivation approaches as well as efficient low-cost harvesting methodologies. Nevertheless, more research needs to take place for microalgae to produce more biofuel than currently possible due to cultivation approaches as well as the lack of effective low-cost harvesting mechanisms from this organism.

Supplementary Materials

The presentation materials can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/ECP2023-14716/s1.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, writing—original draft preparation, K.N. and K.G.; writing—draft preparation, review, and editing, K.N. and K.G.; writing—final draft review and editing, all authors. R.S. contributed equally to this work. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

Not applicable.

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology Patna.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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