Algal Biofuel: Innovations and Viability for Clean Energy

This essay explores the potential of algal biofuel as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, addressing the pressing issues of air pollution and global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions. It highlights the need for innovation in biofuel production and the importance of substrate quality and source. The essay focuses on algal biomass as a promising substrate, emphasizing its dual benefit of wastewater treatment and biofuel production. It discusses the processes involved in algal biofuel production, including metabolic engineering to enhance efficiency. The conclusion emphasizes the viability of algal biofuels for environmental sustainability and pollution reduction, offering a compelling solution for a cleaner energy future. The essay also provides relevant references to support the arguments.

Running head=BIOFUEL FOR CLEAN ENERGY
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Biofuel for clean energy
Algal biofuel for clean energy
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Biofuel for clean energy 1
The burning of fossil fuels has resulted in a high concentration of particulate matter and
greenhouse gas (GHG) emission (Maroto-Valer, Song, & Soong, 2012), a prime source of air
pollution and global warming. Biofuel has been studied as an alternative to fossil fuel because
they produce less particulate matter and hydrocarbon in emission, further helping in lowering the
pollution (Hanaki & Portugal-Pereira, 2018), (Frangoul, 2017). The following thesis will focus
on the innovation required in biofuels along with their applicability in the future. The thesis will
also make an assessment in terms of the viability of biofuel in the future.
Innovations in the availability of alternative fuels are required to minimize the use of
fossil fuels along with the reduction in emission of GHG. Biofuels have been seen as an
alternative to fossil fuels; however, initially, biofuels were produced with the help of food source
which raised a major concern regarding food security (Koizumi, 2015). Therefore innovation
along with the innovation in a compatible fuel combustion system was a prerequisite in terms of
utilization for biofuel for sustainable growth.
Biofuels have been reported to produce lower the amount of GHG emission from the
exhaust, but innovation in substrate quality and substrate source was required for optimum
utilization of biofuels in comparison to fossil fuels. Algal biomass is being studied as a source of
substrate for the production of biofuels. The main advantage associated with the growth of algal
biomass is they could be used for wastewater treatment simultaneously at the time of their
growth and the final algal biomass could be used as a raw material for biofuel production
(Voloshin, Rodionova, Sergey, Veziroglu, & Allakhverdiev, 2016).
One of the major steps in the process of algal biofuel production is the algal biomass
cultivation, which is mainly carried out using open-air tanks or photobioreactors cells. However,
this process required energy-intensive chemical and physical processes for the conversion of
algal biomass into biofuel (Raheem, Azlina, Yap, Danquah, & Harun, 2015). Application of
metabolic engineering has been studied to produce fourth generation biofuel, for the
modification of metabolic pathways of algal culture and enhance biofuel production (Shuba &
Kifle, 2018).
There is a high demand for fuel in sustainable growth and maintenance of any
infrastructure. The utilization of fossil fuel produces major stress on the economy as well as on

Biofuel for clean energy 2
the Environment. Biofuels have been studied as a replacement for fossil fuel; however, the
utilization of food products for the production of biofuel has limited its usage in earlier times.
The current innovation in the metabolic engineering of algae has produced a good alternative to
the traditional biofuel production processes. Therefore, based on the information mentioned in
the aforementioned paragraphs, algal biofuels can be used as a viable option for environmental
sustainability and pollution reduction.

Biofuel for clean energy 3
Reference
Frangoul, A. (2017, March 17). Biofuels cut jet engine pollution, NASA study shows. Retrieved
March 13, 2020, from Sustainable Energy.
Hanaki, K., & Portugal-Pereira, J. (2018). The effect of biofuel production on greenhouse gas
emission reductions. Biofuels and Sustainability, 53-71.
Koizumi, T. (2015). Biofuels and food security. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,
829-841.
Maroto-Valer, M. M., Song, C., & Soong, Y. (2012). Environmental challenges and greenhouse
gas control for fossil fuel utilization in the 21st century. Springer Science & Business
Media.
Raheem, A., Azlina, W. W., Yap, Y. T., Danquah, M. K., & Harun, R. (2015). Thermochemical
conversion of microalgal biomass for biofuel production. Renewable and Sustainable
Energy Reviews, 990-999.
Shuba, E. S., & Kifle, D. (2018). Microalgae to biofuels:‘Promising’alternative and renewable
energy, review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 743-755.
Voloshin, R. A., Rodionova, M. V., Sergey, K. Z., Veziroglu, T. N., & Allakhverdiev, S. I.
(2016). Biofuel production from plant and algal biomass. International journal of
hydrogen energy, 17257-17273.