Microalgae Culturing To Produce Biobased Diesel Fuels: An Overview of the Basics, Challenges, and a Look toward a True Biorefinery Future

Microalgae is envisioned by many experts to be one of the key future feedstocks for producing transportation fuels and other chemical products. The concept has many positive aspects inclusive of being fully renewable, having minimal carbon footprint, and being able to be implemented in low value agricultural lands. There has been a tremendous amount of developmental work done to commercialize the concept since the mid-1900s; however, the reality is that the cost for a gallon of microalgae oil is still too expensive to be considered a viable option to produce biobased diesels at this time. Expanding the production of more than one or two products from a microalgae biorefinery is an economic must. Products derived from the algal cake must be developed and commercialized to offset the high cost of oil production. This paper will investigate the status of the concept and provide insight into directions needed to improve economic viability.