Prospects to extract oil from microalgae

Research creates biofuels from microalgae that have strong growth potential, especially when Japan is looking for alternative energy sources to reduce dependence on atomic energy.

Unlike other biofuels made from food crops such as corn and soybeans, algae-based oils do not increase agricultural prices because algae can survive under tougher conditions. Production of algae oil is hundreds of times more effective than made from terrestrial plants. The biggest challenge is high production costs but can be overcome by improving farming methods.'If we develop technology that can maximize the amount of oil in microalgae, Japan is likely to become an oil exporter , ' said Professor Makoto Watanabe at Tsukuba University.

His research focused on Botryococcus algae and Aurantiochytrium - two varieties of algae that can produce hydrocarbons, the main constituent of petroleum and all have their own pros and cons. Botryococcus contains a lot of hydrocarbons but grows slowly, while Aurantiochytrium has only about a third of oil compared to Botryococcus but grows 48 times faster. If Aurantiochytrium's ability to produce hydrocarbons is greater, he believes the price of biofuels will fall.

Currently, biofuels made from Botryococcus cost 155 - 800 yen / liter, much higher than crude oil prices, about 50 yen / liter. Because Aurantiochytrium needs organic matter to produce oil, Professor Watanabe is working on a way to create an algae-growing system by utilizing wastewater from factories and households and then purifying it to feed algae. Professor Watanabe prepares to conduct experiments at the wastewater treatment plant in Sendai in hopes of producing algae oil from the water treatment process."Just to ensure about 20,000-200,000 hectares of land or sea, the production of biofuels from algae equal to the amount of Japanese oil imported in a year is feasible ," he said.

It is known that many energy companies such as IHI mechanical group, JX Japan oil and energy group . are also studying biofuel from algae. Commercial production of this oil is expected to begin around 2020.