The Advantages of Algae as Biofuel  

Algae biodiesel looks all set to be the next wave of revolution to hit the energy industry.  As the race to produce the best and cheapest biodiesel as an alternative for petroleum based products, biodiesel seems to be a very promising alternative to replenish these depleting sources of energy through a renewable and sustainable alternative energy source. Scientists are scouring the country and devoting endless hour to find the most feasible solution to end the world dependence on fossil-based fuels. So are the algae ready to take on the responsibility to be the savoir of mankind’s economy through massive production of algae oil biodiesel?  

Let’s take a close look at the algae itself. Algae to biodiesel may seem like a very exciting option but there are some basic things you need to know about algae to biodiesel before jump onto the bandwagon. Algae is a colony of micro sized plants that are either unicellular or in some strains, they are multicellular as well. Cells are the basic building blocks to both the animal and the plant kingdom and so you can guess how simplistic these microbes are.  

Even scientist are reluctant to classify these as plants due to the lack the necessary attributes that is common to all members of the plant kingdom. They don’t have branches, leaves and they don’t have the roots to help hem gather nutrient from the soil. Instead these tiny microbes act more like animals; they directly suck in nutrients from the environment through their cellular membranes or simple tentacles that would gather sources for food around them.  

They turn those carbon dioxides into carbohydrates by using the power of sunlight!  That is the process of photosynthesis. Since these tiny algae can produce food through the process of photosynthesis, many scientists would classify them safely as plants, even when they don’t have the full attributes of plants be classified as one.  

But scientists discover more about these lowly algae that causes a stir of excitement among the scientific community.  They not only contain some of the best nutrients around but they have a high content of lipid oils which makes it perfect as an excellent source of lipid oils, which makes it perfect as a raw material in the production of algae biodiesel.  

The large biomass of algae that is prevalent in many lakes an aquatic area has prompted scientists to explore the possibilities of using these as a source of biofuel energy. However, the harvesting and processing of these algae to make algae biodiesel involves some complex methodologies and advanced technologies. However, the future looks bright for these algae as a reliable source due to their extremely high production of algae oil biodiesel per acres, which is more than 30 times then other biodiesel plants out there known to man.  

Algae grow rapidly without the need for extra resources to care for them.  These amazing plants can grow in place where there is water, sunlight and carbon dioxide. So basically, they can grow anywhere on Earth! And interestingly enough, some species of algae can double their mass within 24 hours! Amazing indeed but this is one attribute of the algae species which makes it suitable for biodiesel production from algae to replace those fossil-based fuels.  

Almost all algae species can be used as a raw material for algae biodiesel. Some species are more attractive than others due to their high lipid content and rapid expansion of their colony. Even wastewater can be turned into farms to cultivate these algae. In fact, scientists have extracted biodiesel fuel from algae that is grown in sewage areas.