Algae: The Reservoir of Bioethanol

Abstract

Overuse of non-renewable fossil fuels due to the population explosion urges us to focus on renewable fuels such as bioethanol. It is a well-known fact that ethanol is useful as a blending product with common fuels such as petrol and diesel. This reduces the cost besides bringing down environmental pollution. Apart from chemical methods, bioethanol is generated from photosynthetic plants including algae, plant-based products, microbial organisms and their waste. Specifically, the production of ethanol from microalgal sources has been an attractive method in recent days. The reason behind using microalgal species is their simple structure with photosynthetic ability. In contrast, certain algal species often go disused in some regions. Hence, the production of ethanol from algal sources is one of the best waste management practices. Moreover, it is easy to improve the biomass in microalgal species by altering the physicochemical conditions such as light, pH, temperature, external supply of nutrients, vitamins, nano-sized particles, gene alterations etc., which will enhance ethanol production. In this review, the methods used for ethanol production are discussed. In addition, the factors involved in algal growth and ethanol production are emphasized. Overall, this review focuses on ethanol production from various algal species. This information will be useful for industrial-level production of ethanol and future renewable energy research.

Fish Waste: A Potential Source of Biodiesel

“…Biodiesel is one of the clean renewable fuels which causes less pollution when it is combusted. In recent times, increasing demand for renewable energy makes biodiesel an attractive alternative to depleting fossil fuels [5]. The advantage of fish waste is its abundant availability in the seashore and aquaculture industry.…”

“…In contrast, the continuous lessening of fossil fuels due to indiscriminate usage shifts our focus towards alternatives. Thus, the gap between the demand and supply of fossil fuels is increasing regularly, which in turn leads to rising fuel prices in most countries [5]. In addition, fossil fuels are responsible for environmental pollution which is one of the major causes of global warming and climate change, thereby imposing severe threats to the health of living organisms [6].…”

Bottom-up construction and screening of algae-bacteria consortia for pollutant biodegradation

“…Microalgae are versatile organisms that can capture CO 2 from biodegradation processes, providing oxygen in return to support bacterial enzymatic activites. Microalgal biomass also serves as a rich source of lipids for biofuel production, carbohydrates for ethanol and biogas ( Chandrasekhar et al, 2023 ), and fibrous polymers for biodegradable plastics ( Zanchetta et al, 2021 ). They can also provide high-value products like pigments ( Stachowiak and Szulc, 2021 ) and vitamins ( Arora and Philippidis, 2023 ).…”