ABSTRACT
The detrimental rise in the world’s energy demand, rapid exhaustion of fossil fuel reserves and environmental damages have necessitated the shift towards sustainable and renewable energy sources. Microalgal biodiesel has garnered considerable interest as a propitious energy alternative. Algae are the most efficient photosynthetic organisms on earth which makes them a prospective feedstock for different purposes. Microalgal biomass is considered as a third-generation feedstock for biofuel production. In the present era, several approaches are being adapted for the maximization of biodiesel production from microalgae. Increasing the CO2 fixation rate of microalgal strain and channeling the metabolic flux towards lipid production using a metabolic engineering approach is one of the major challenging arenas. Different scale-up strategies of microalgal biodiesel production using a suitably designed photobioreactor coupled with innovative downstream processing strategies have provided needed impetus to the algal biodiesel technology. Extensive scientific and industrial research has been carried so far for suitable photobioreactor design for microalgal cultivation and different harvesting techniques. Recent advances on microalgal biodiesel production, harvesting and lipid extraction to biodiesel conversion procedures, integrating metabolic engineering approaches for the maximization of lipid content in microalgae, different scale-up strategies and challenges to achieve the commercializing of microalgal biodiesel production are discussed in detail in the present chapter.
