Micro-algae could be profitable source of biodiesel
Scientists from the UAB and CSIC, after four years of research, show that these cultures are close to producing an effective biofuel.
By Biocat
Researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) and the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) have concluded in a recent study that micro-algae can be used as a profitable raw material to produce biodiesel. Published in the international scientific journal Biomass and Bioenergy, the work affirms that dinoflagellate micro-algae, a species native to the Mediterranean that has as of yet been exploited very little, is highly suited to the production of this type of biofuel.
The research team has worked for four years with samples (see photo), which were cultivated under natural exterior conditions, meaning without artificial light or temperature control, in the same low-cost, seasonal environment the microorganisms grow naturally. After comparing the growth of these micro-algae, their biomass production rate and, above all, the volume of lipids generated in each cell –which is key to obtaining biofuel- the results are hopeful: these cultures are close to producing profitable fuel even under uncontrolled environmental conditions.
Sergio Rossi, of the ICTA, explains the specifics of the situation, “With some simple adjustments to optimize the process, the biofuel obtained from these marine micro-algae could be an alternative to supply energy to towns near the sea." These adjustments would include taking advantage of the leftover organic pulp from the algae and using more efficient air pumps and cultivation materials.
In addition to these scientists from the ICTA and the Institute of Marine Sciences, researchers from the UAB spin-off Inèdit Innovació and the SosteniPra group in the UAB Department of Chemical Engineering also participated in the study.
Fuel created from microorganisms, like micro-algae, is called third-generation biodiesel. Algae are an optimal raw material because they occupy between 4% and 7% of the surface area needed to produce the same yield of a land-based crop, don’t require fresh water, can be grown in arid zones near the coast, and avoid monocultivation of products to make fuel instead of food. On the other hand, first-generation biofuels like those made from palm oil, sugar cane or corn, occupy large swaths of land, require huge amounts of fresh water and turn food products into power sources.