Chapter 16

Microalgae for Biodiesel Production and Wastewater Treatment (pp. 277-288)
Authors:  (Rifat Hasan, Lijun Wang and Bo Zhang, Department of Chemical Engineering, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC, USA)
Abstract:
Microalgae are promising third-generation biofuel feedstocks that offer many
potential technical and economic advantages. Algae can use and sequester CO2 from
many sources and may be processed into a broad spectrum of products including
biodiesel, green diesel and gasoline replacements, bioethanol, methane, heat, bio-oil,
biochar, animal feed and biomaterials, etc. This chapter reviews the microalgae studies
for wastewater treatment and biodiesel production. Under suitable conditions, microalgae
can be cultured in wastewater to reduce nitrate, phosphate and organic matter. These
algae can then be used in biofuel production reducing the load on the limited arable lands,
so that the food production does not get disrupted to meet the demand of feedstock for
biofuel production. With the current requirement for renewable fuels, especially in the
transportation sector, there is a need to develop a range of sustainable biofuels resources
and that will be a significant step towards the replacement of fossil fuels.