What are micro culture of algae?

What are micro culture of algae?

Microalgae cultivation is a water-intensive process requiring in raceways 1000L of water per kilogram of biomass (Guieysse et al., 2013) and up to 3360L of water per liter biodiesel (Farooq et al., 2015). From: Microalgae-Based Biofuels and Bioproducts, 2017.

Does dried algae burn?

The hydrocarbon content is likely to be the most energy-dense, so even though it’s only 30% of the mass it’ll probably have more than half the energy content (for example, even dry algae has some water content, and water doesn’t burn).

What are three pros and three cons of using algae as biofuels?

Pros and Cons of Algae Biodiesel

• A Renewable Resource. Unlike coal, natural gas and petroleum, oil derived from algae is a renewable resource.
• Algae Biodiesel is Carbon Dioxide Neutral.
• Efficient Land Use.
• High Water Use.
• High Fertilizer Use.
• High Cost of Algae Biodiesel.

Why is Algae Biofuel good?

Advantages for Biofuels A significant advantage of using algae for biofuels is that it need not displace farmland used for growing food sources. The Department of Energy reports that algae have the potential to yield at least 30 times more energy than land-based crops currently used to produce biofuels.

What is another name for microscopic algae?

Microalgae or microphytes are microscopic algae invisible to the naked eye. They are phytoplankton typically found in freshwater and marine systems, living in both the water column and sediment. They are unicellular species which exist individually, or in chains or groups.

How is microscopic algae cultured?

Microalgae are also cultured in vertical alveolar panels (VAP) that are a type of photobioreactor. This photobioreactor is characterised by low productivity. However, this problem can be overcome by modifying the surface area to volume ratio; where a higher ratio can increase productivity.

What happens if you burn algae?

Use of Algae as a Biofuel When dry algal biomass is burned, it releases more oxygen and less carbon dioxide than our current fuel sources. The increase in oxygen released into the atmosphere not only helps to lower CO2 emissions but increases the overall atmospheric ratio of oxygen to carbon dioxide.

Can you make charcoal from algae?

Scientists combine coal waste and algae to create a new super-clean fuel. Scientists have discovered a new, clean-burning fuel made from unlikely ingredients: coal dust and algae. Coalgae is easy to produce, low in cost, burns without smoke, and researchers believe it can be make a major dent in crude oil imports.

What is bad about algae biofuel?

Algae production consumes more energy, has higher greenhouse gas emissions and uses more water than other biofuel sources, like corn, switch grass and canola, Clarens and his colleagues found by using a statistical model to compare growth data of algae with conventional crops.

Why we should not use algae as biofuel?

Algae require a significant water source available to maximize growth. Temperature levels for the best growth cause water to evaporate, so algae biofuel uses much more water than other resources. This means that agricultural water resources may have to be diverted and used.

Why is algae biofuel so expensive?

The production cost is high because of the energy required to circulate gases and other materials inside the photo bioreactors where the algae grow. It also takes energy to dry out the biomass, and Solix uses far less water than other companies (see Cutting the Cost of Making Algae by 90%).

Do algae produce oxygen?

Like most plants, many algae produce oxygen during the daylight as a by-product of photosynthesis. At night these algae consume oxygen, but usually much less than was produced during the daylight.