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The Algae World pp 483–500Cite as

Algae as a Source of Biofuel

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Part of the book series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology ((COLE,volume 26))

Abstract

Discovering the next source of transportation fuels remains one of the greatest challenges in the twenty-first century for governments and scientists. Bio-based fuels, currently the source of less than 1 % of the transportation fuel supply chain, represent a potential renewable feedstock. Presently, arable land-based biofuel feedstock production has resulted in an increase in food values and environmental degradation. Contrasting traditional agrarian-based feedstocks, algae represent a carbon neutral alternative. The resurgence in micro and macroalgal-based biofuels has resulted in numerous studies on the production of biodiesel, bioethanol, and biogas. The fundamental economic modeling of algal-based biofuels does not support the direct utilization of algae as a feedstock as the various algal bioproducts are far more valuable. As a result, algal-based biofuel production will be economically viable when fully integrated into complete bioproducts/biofuel processing strategy which will be covered in this paper.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Zakir Husain Delhi College, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110002, India

    Savindra Kumar

  2. Marine Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India

    Dinabandhu Sahoo

  3. University of Southern Maine, Lewiston, USA

    Ira A. Levine

Authors
  1. Savindra Kumar
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  2. Dinabandhu Sahoo
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  3. Ira A. Levine
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Savindra Kumar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi, India

    Dinabandhu Sahoo

  2. The Hebrew Univ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach

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Kumar, S., Sahoo, D., Levine, I.A. (2015). Algae as a Source of Biofuel. In: Sahoo, D., Seckbach, J. (eds) The Algae World. Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 26. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7321-8_19

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