Growing concerns about the rapid depletion of fossil fuel reserves rising crude oil prices
energy security and global climate change have led to increased worldwide interest in renewable
energy sources such as biofuels. In this context biofuel production from renewable sources is
considered to be one of the most sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels and a viable means of
achieving environmental and economic sustainability. Although biofuel processes hold great
potential to provide a carbon-neutral route to fuel production first-generation production
systems are characterized by considerable economic and environmental limitations. The advent of
second-generation biofuels is intended to produce fuels from lignocellulosic biomass the woody
part of plants that does not compete with food production. However converting woody biomass
into fermentable sugars requires costly technologies. Therefore third-generation biofuels from
microalgae are considered to be a viable alternative energy resource free from the major
drawbacks associated with first and second-generation biofuels. This book examines the
background of third-generation biofuel production the advantages of algae over traditional
biofuel crops algal biomass production algae harvesting and drying methods production of
biofuel from microalgae and future prospects.
