The Bioeconomy of Microalgal Biofuels

Biofuels such as biodiesel and bioethanol, synthesized via microalgal bioprocess engineering, could be a major contributor to the purview of sustainable energy in the foreseeable future. In contrast to other biomass feedstocks like corn, sugar crops, and vegetable oil, microalgae display a number of significantly superior benefits as a raw material for biofuel manufacturing. This includes an enhanced metabolic rate of biomass production, subsistence of diverse microalgae species with sundry biochemical profiles, prospects for carbon dioxide sequestra- tion, and either limited or near absolute monopoly from the perspective of food production modalities and logistics. However, attributing to a wide range of factors, for instance the insipid characteristic of microalgal cultures, and the fact that microalgae cells possess trivial sizes, the process of biomass production and sub- sequent conversion into biofuels become prohibitively expensive. As a conse- quence, from an economic outlook, the large-scale production of biofuels from microalgae achieves a somewhat less appealing status, compared to the other biomass types and sources. The current chapter delivers an outline of the bioe- conomy analysis for microalgae-derived biofuels. In addition, case studies on microalgal biofuel production are presented along with cost estimations and the necessary strategies to augment its commercial viability.