1 Alcoa Foundation’s Conservation and sustainability Fellowship Program Exploration of Indonesia’s Biodiesel Producing Microalgae As Sustainable Energy Source

The increase in price of petroleum products will become unavoidable after about 2010 when world oil production will have peaked and other more costly supplies of energy are utilized. In this situation, there is a growing interest in renewable energy around the world, but the growing demand for biodiesel could drive large-scale forest conversion for energy crops. In addition global warming induced by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is a matter of great environmental concern. Microalgal photosynthesis has received attention as a means of reducing the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere while increasing producing biofuel Indonesia has a great microalgae diversity, but has not yet received much study nor has this diversity been used for biofuel production in Indonesia. This study seeks to provide a strong foundation for further research in oil-producing microalgae in Indonesia. The aims of the study were to: • Isolate, cultivate and characterize biodiesel producing microalgae from Indonesia • Develop media which are suitable for their growth • Determine the effect of environmental variables on the growth of microalgae and their lipi