Microalgae: the new biofuel

Microalgae are an amazing little organisms that are being used by municipalities and industry to take nutrients and pollutants out of waste water. Micoalgae also are harvested for use as supplements and animal feeds. Now scientists are asking, could microalgae be the biofuel of the future?

Microalgae are a variety of organisms that grow in fresh water or salt water. They also live in moist rich soil as well as desert sands. There are millions of species of microalgae. The biodiversity of these organisms offer potential for many technological and industrial uses.

As fossil fuel supplies dwindle and we struggle to figure out how to reduce global warming pollution, researchers are looking into using microalgae for fuel. Studies are showing that microalgae could take the place of fossil fuels for transport fuel more efficiently and sustainably than plant crops such as corn, sugarcane or palm.

Researchers at Massey University in New Zealand found that biodiesel from microalgae seems to be the only renewable biofuel that has the potential to completely displace petroleum-derived transport fuels without adversely affecting the supply of food and other crop products.

Microalgae may also hold promise as a fuel for power plants during this transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy.

The urgency of global warming and dwindling energy supplies is strong motivation for bringing nature and technology together for solutions.