Le microalghe nel settore dei biocombustibili. Sviluppo e sostenibilità

Today energy systems not only put pressure on natural energy resources which are nearly running down but also they involve an increase in the greenhouse gas emissions. After the development of the 1st and 2nd generation technologies for biofuels production, the attention is now shifting to the 3rd generation ones, which use microalgae as feedstocks (since their main features are the high oil content, the high oil and biodiesel yield, the low land area needed). These technologies have been developed only in pilot plants (ponds or photobioreactors), with high capital expenditures. In the medium-long term with the joint production of several profitable co-products (pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products, animal feed supplements, bioplatsics, etc.) and the link with other processes (such as the waste gas recovery and the wastewater treatment), it is expected that, the production of biodiesel from microalgae, as well as sustainable, it may become an economically viable optio