Microalgae Production in Service of Fuel Production

Abstract

Driven by the rising need for biofuels because of the constant rise in the world market price of crude oil, and by the necessity to capture carbon dioxide, autotroph organisms got into the spotlight of energetic research. Algae production is the most promising solution amongst the alternatives because of its specific area necessity and high reproduction rate. Research on the whole range of algae cultivation and processing is done at the Department of Chemical Engineering of the University of Pannonia. The utilization of algacultures in experimental photobioreactors is examined, together with the optimization of the operational conditions both for artificial and natural light and with different fertilizers. The various parameters of alga-processing is also determined. Based on literature data and experiments conducted in Veszprém, in this paper we give an overview of the planning, operation and processing principles connected to algae reactors.