Algae have emerged as one of the promising sources for bio-diesel production. There is a compelling reason - The yields of oil from algae are much higher than those for other identified sources. In practice, there are many questions and issues to be resolved before biodiesel can be produced sustainably & affordably on a large-scale from algae.
Algae pond operations are very simple. The algae are introduced into the pond and allowed to grow until they occupy 1% of the volume of the pond. Very high growth rates are achieved if the pond is constantly mixed by the paddle wheel and it is infused with an ample amount of CO2 and fertilizer. The paddle wheel rotates providing a current around the pond. The mixing is required to ensure that all of the algae receive the necessary amounts of solar radiation, CO2, and fertilizer required for optimal growth. The bubblers are spaced around the pond so that the CO2 is evenly dispersed throughout the pond.
The research so far indicates that that there are strains developed which can produce algae oil at $25 to 30 per barrel. Also the output indicated is of the order of 1.5 barrels a day per hectare. This is far superior to any other source of bio diesel, a million hectares can yield 1.5 million barrels a day! If crude prices continue to hover at levels of over $40 per barrel on a sustainable basis, algae oil is bound to attract research and development followed by commercialization.
An issue here that concerns India is the size of these ponds. In general the ponds that are to be constructed will need to be at least 20-25 hectares to be of economically viable scale. This implies that small farmers will not be able to participate as growers. Companies or individuals will have to rent out land from many small farmers and construct the ponds. This may not work out in most parts of India India, where renting out land from farmers on a large scale is not encouraged.
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