Friday, February 27, 2009

BIODIESEL FROM ALGAE












Though research into algae as a source for biodiesel is not new, the current oil crises and fast depleting fossil oil reserves have made it more imperative for organizations and countries to invest more time and efforts into research on suitable renewable feedstock such as algae.Algae have emerged as one of the most promising sources especially for biodiesel production, for two main reasons they are (1) The yields of oil from algae are orders of magnitude higher than those for traditional oilseeds.
(2) Algae can grow in places away from the farmlands & forests, thus minimising the damages caused to the eco- and food chain systems. There is a third interesting reason as well: Algae can be grown in sewages and next to power-plant smokestacks where they digest the pollutants and give us oil.


No comments: