Microalgal biomass production as a sustainable feedstock for biodiesel: Current status and perspectives

Nowadays, fossil fuels; including coal, oil, and natural gas; are the world's primary energy sources required for industry, lighting, transportation and heating. Their needs increased dramatically due to the vast expansion in human population and economy. In contrast, a greenhouse gas emission is a serious problem arose from such uses that might lead to potentially catastrophic changes in the earth's climate. In addition, fossil fuels are limited non-renewable resources that will run out in few decades. These factors motivated many researchers to develop a new renewable energy sources that could replace fossil fuels. Biodiesel is considered as the best candidate for this purpose. Recently, microalgae were discussed as a promising feedstock for biodiesel production. This review presents a critical overview of engineered challenges compilations related to microalgal biomass production. In addition, advantages and current limitations of biodiesel production, quantitative and qualitative feasibility of microalgal biodiesel, and its economic feasibility are discussed.