Biodiesel production from microalgal resources: Harvest and postharvest technologies

Algae are imperative biomass that can be exploited extensively for biodiesel production in the meantime, due to the deprival of fossil fuels and the detrimental effects of byproducts obtained by the processing of conventional sources. On the other hand, biodiesel produced from algae possesses bio-degradable and eco-friendly nature that offers sustainable development in socioeconomic means. This chapter gives an outlook of trends and prospects allied with biodiesel production using algae. The extensive cultivation of algae requires limited conditions that do not affect the environment anyway, at the same time, which also provides carbon credit. The selection of potential algal strain is a primary step in biodiesel production that can be accomplished through algal screening. However, the conditions required for confluent growth of algae is differ from algae to algae. There are two types of cultivation systems are available as open pond systems and photobioreactors, where photobioreactors are preferable in course of highly optimized nature. Likewise, proper harvesting technique is required to harvest diverse types of algae, in fact, microalgal harvesting needs more attention and relevant harvesting techniques are necessitated for the purpose. Hence further advancements are recommended to explore more algae for biodiesel production along with implementing an optimized biodiesel production system.