Microalgae biomass cultivation for production and quality testing of biodiesel

Abstract

The global warming and climate change challenge has forced us to reassess the current energy generation and utilization methods. Fossil fuels still fulfill more than 80% of the global annual energy need. The urgency to move towards environmental friendly renewable sources of energy is now more than ever, considering the rapidly rising pollution level and leaping energy demand. Biodiesel has been assessed and recommended as one such alternative fuel for diesel engines. It has an additional benefit of production from locally available resources. Microalgae have been identified as a source of biodiesel that can efficiently fulfill the future transport energy demand of the human population. In the current research work, microalgae biodiesel has been explored as an alternate fuel for an indirect injection compression ignition engine. Initially, six microalgae strains were isolated using wastewater from the Kabitkhedi sewage treatment plant, Indore, India. The selection of microalgae strains for further study is finalized by analyzing their lipid composition and estimating their thermo-physical properties.