PRODUCTION OF BIODIESEL FROM FRESH WATER ALGAE

Algae are simple autotrophic organisms and from simple inorganic molecules such as carbon dioxide they produce complex organic compounds using energy from light or inorganic chemical reactions. Although algae grows at a fast rate and good producers of lipids in comparison to other oil sources, harvesting the algae and extracting the lipids is a challenge to the commercial- scale development of algae.Algal biofuels offer great promise in contributing to the growing global demand for alternative sources of renewable energy. However, to make algae- based fuels cost competitive with petroleum, lipid production capabilities of algae need to improve substantially and the use of alternate economic nutrient sources to cultivate algae is recommended for the reduction of production cost significantly.