This website provides an informative overview of what microalgal biofuels are, how they are made and how advancements in technology can overcome some of the limitations they currently face in becoming a widely used and affordable biofuel.

In recent years, algae have become a focus in commercial biofuel research. Not only can these water plants thrive in areas not useful for agriculture, they are extremely versatile and can produce large amounts of biomass (and useful lipids) to be converted into a wide array of biofuels.

An overview of algal biofuel production including traditional methods of algal cultivation, harvesting and high energy input oil extraction

Algae can grow significantly faster than any other plant, which is one of their biggest drawing points as a biofuel feedstock. What's more, they can be grown in a number of different ways almost anywhere that temperatures are warm enough and, depending on their strain, do not require freshwater.

An important feature of algae as a potential biofuel feedstock is their ability to produce various types of biofuels. Through a series of different processing techniques, the oil and biomass recieved as a result of large scale cultivation can be converted to biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas and biohydrogen.

Concerns over the potential risks of GM crop plants provide a good starting point to evaluate GM algae. However, algae are different to terrestrial plants by their dispersal and growth rates and may contain different engineered traits.

The San Francisco based algal biofuel company Algenol have recently announced the opening of their first commercial algal biofuel facility in the US. Scientists at Algenol have engineered cyanobacteria species, cultivated in specialised photobioreactos, to produce ethanol directly.

Results from these studies have shown that certain algal species can be engineered to increase lipid production, growth rates and overall yields as well as simplifying costly harvesting and extraction processes.

Algal species are capable of directly producing biohydrogen through biochemical processes that occur in certain conditions. When algae is grown in conditions where there is no oxygen (anaerobic conditions), enzymes in their cells can split water molecules, releasing H 2 gas.

A sustainable and renewable biofuel will no doubt bring enormous benefits to human beings and the environment. However to be implemented on a large scale there is one important obstacle to be overcome: Biofuels must be competitive in price with oil from fossil fuels.