Microalgae Oil Biodiesel

This chapter reviews oleaginous microalgae that are suitable for biodiesel production and the main lipid composition of these microalgae. It discusses the microalgae cultivation mode, factors affecting productivity of microalgae biomass and lipid, harvesting methods, the drying process, lipid extraction approaches, and transesterification. The major factors affecting oil accumulation in microalgae are strains, cultivation mode, and cultivation conditions. Harvesting as the step following microalgae cultivation plays an important role in biodiesel production from microalgae because the harvesting method directly influences biodiesel quality and cost. Centrifugation is efficient but expensive; flotation is cheap but not well developed; gravity sedimentation is simple but inefficient; filtration might be a wise choice currently for microalgae harvesting in practice, even though it could cause pollution on microalgae biomass. The chapter also addresses the current problems and future aspects of microalgae for biodiesel production.