R&D on Microalgae for Sustainable Energy at TISTR

“Microalgae” have been considered as potential source of new renewable energy (NRE) feedstock. Production of biofuels from microalgae providing many advantages for sustainable development as follows: 1) energy security (microalgal biomass is renewable feedstock), 2) food security (production of microalgal biomass uses smaller foot print and non-arable land, therefore, no competition with food crop on price and land used), 3) CO2-fixation (from atmosphere or industrial flue gas, hence, reduces global warming), 4) Up take nitrogen and phosphorus from waste water (consequently reduce eutrophication in aquatic ecosystems) and 5) restoration of land (by fertilizer or soil conditioner obtained from biomass residue). The bottle-neck of using microalgal biomass as NRE source is the cost of production. To make this production feasible, series of R&D have been conducted at Bioscience Department, TISTR as follows: 1) selection of suitable strains (high productivity of biomass yield and oil content), 2) large-scale production, especially outdoor system 3) development of co-processes using waste (CO2 and waste water) and 4) development of co-products (food, feed, feed supplement, fertilizer and soil conditioner). This paper reviews the progresses as well as shortcoming of R&D at TISTR in above mentioned areas.