Biodiesel Production from Oleaginous Microorganisms with Organic Wastes as Raw Materials

Organic wastes from agriculture, other industries, and residential areas are rich in carbon and/or nutrients, often available for free or at low cost, and thus, have been used as raw materials for culturing oleaginous microorganisms. This chapter overviews the sources and properties of these organic wastes, their use for growing oleaginous microorganisms, their bioconversion to biodiesel with related technologies and processes, as well as the parameters that affect lipid accumulation. Compared to agriculture wastes, industrial and residential wastes are a more suitable substrate and/or nutrients for oleaginous microbe production because they generally can be directly used without pretreatment. Enhancing lipid productivity is another way of reducing biodiesel production cost. By controlling cultivation conditions, including pH, dissolved oxygen, carbon to nitrogen ratio, temperature, trace elements, and fermentation modes, one can improve lipid productivity.