The Promise and Challenges of Algae for Transportation Biofuels

There is a pressing need to haste developing advanced transportation fuels to reduce dependency on crude oil and climate protection. Microalgae have the highest potentials in biodiesel production compared to other oil crops. The technological advances suggest that the industrial production of algal biodiesel may be feasible in the nearest future. It is a mission for many countries, especially for those countries lacking conventional fuel resources. Therefore, finding cheaper oleaginous materials and improving biodiesel production technologies is the key to producing transportation biofuels successfully. Provided research on the promise and challenges of algae for transportation biofuels were carried out by the Dept of Transport Engineering at Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania), Dept of Alternative Energy Sources Management at Vinnitsia National Agrarian University (Ukraine), Laboratory of Renewable Energy Sources at Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia) with assistance of Odessa I. I. Mechnikov National University (Ukraine).