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Biomethanation Potential of Algal Biomass

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Algal Biofuels

Abstract

For meeting the ever increasing demands of energy in domestic as well as industrial sector, biomethanation from algal biomass could be an environmentally sound option for promoting renewable and sustainable source of energy. Algae efficiently convert solar energy into biomass and therefore they can be a potential feedstock for biomethanation process. Utilizing algal feedstock has numerous benefits associated with it like they involve high energy yields, the process does not need biomass drying as it is wet fermentation, when co-digested with other substrate they can efficiently produce heat and electricity, etc. Several factors like algal cell wall composition and degradability, methane source in algae and its pretreatment affect the process of biomethanation. But, due to numerous technical constraints, low concentration of available digestible matter, and cell wall disruption, biomethanation from algal biomass could not gain importance as a feedstock. Though, through greater understanding and research activities these constraints can be overcome and biomethanation could achieve economic and environmental sustainability in near future. By optimizing the process, algal biomass as a feedstock could play a promising role in sustainable energy generation for future of clean energy.

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Acknowledgments

Authors extend their sincere thanks to the Director, Head and Dean, Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University for providing necessary facilities. RPS is thankful to Department of Science and Technology, India, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Indo- US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) and Robert Daugherty Water for Food Institute (DWFI) - University of Nebraska for necessary help.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

    Barkha Vaish, Pooja Singh & Rajeev Pratap Singh

  2. Civil Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

    Prabhat Kumar Singh

  3. WARI Fellow, Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA

    Rajeev Pratap Singh

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  1. Barkha Vaish
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  2. Pooja Singh
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  3. Prabhat Kumar Singh
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  4. Rajeev Pratap Singh
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Correspondence to Rajeev Pratap Singh .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Sanjay Kumar Gupta

  2. Applied Microbiology Laboratory, Centre for Rural Development and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Anushree Malik

  3. Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa

    Faizal Bux

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Vaish, B., Singh, P., Singh, P.K., Singh, R.P. (2017). Biomethanation Potential of Algal Biomass. In: Gupta, S., Malik, A., Bux, F. (eds) Algal Biofuels. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51010-1_16

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