Mass Cultivation from a Korean Raceway Pond System of Indigenous Microalgae as Potential Biofuel Feedstock

The world’s demand for renewable and sustainable energy resources is increasing exponentially because of changes in climate and energy shortage problems. This situation has given rise to the development of numerous new technologies such as biomass, geothermal, solar, tidal, and wind energies. Among these resources, microalgae are now considered one of the most attractive candidates for biofuelproduction due to their higher photosynthetic efficiency and oil yield compared to terrestrial sources. 

A number of microalgae strains with desired characteristics for biofuel production have been found and/ or developed. However, the attempts to grow these microalgae in outdoor open pond systems have not always been successful due to rapid contamination with bacteria, predatory zooplanktons, and other algal species. To overcome these challenges, indigenous microalgae strains have been cultivated for large scale production since these endemic wild types are well adapted to their local conditions and, therefore, they are able to outcompete other indigenous algal strains. In this study, biomass productivity and characterization data obtained from commercial-scale microalgal cultivation from outdoor raceways over 1.25 years are presented. Read more....................