Biofuels From Macroalgae

Abstract

The steep rise in human population together with the simultaneous growth of urbanization and industrialization has triggered overuse of fossil fuels in the recent years. However, they are non-renewable and release carbon dioxide causing global warming. In this context, biofuels come as excellent substitutes because they are renewable and eco-friendly. They are obtained from biological products and include biodiesel, biomethane, bioethanol, and biohydrogen. They are classified into first, second, and third generation fuels depending on the biological feedstocks being used. Of these, the third-generation fuels, obtained from marine resources like algae, have attracted special research interests because they do not rival the food crop production or depend on land and freshwater for their cultivation. However, the potentialities of macroalgae as a biofuel resource have not been investigated thoroughly. The chapter tries to outline all the aspects of biofuel production from macroalgae pointing out the scopes for future research.