SpeciesFrom Phyco.orgThe number of species of algae worldwide is speculated to number in the hundreds of thousands. (citation needed) New species are catalogued regularly. This diversity provides many options for generation of renewable fuels.
[edit] CompositionAlgae, like all other organisms, contain proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids. Proteins are used to provide structure to the organism, carbohydrates store energy, lipids form membranes, and nucleic acids carry genetic information. Algal lipids can be used in the generation of biodiesel. Since oils created from algae are similar to fish and vegetable oils, they can be used to substitute. The lipid content of an algae species can be increased by imposing a stress factor, such as starving of nitrogen or silicon. In this manner, lipid fractions up to 70-85% have been reported for nitrogen starvation and 60% for silicon starvation.[1] It is however noted that while starvation increases cellular lipid content, it also decreases cell growth rates. The result being a lower overall oil yield. [edit] TaxonomyAlgae is a rather broad term, and spans three of the five kingdoms: Monera, for the eukaryotic single-celled organisms; Protista, for the prokaryotic single-celled organisms; and Plantae, for the prokaryotic multicellular organisms. The divisions of algae include:
[edit] Specific Varieties
The Aquatic Species Program suggests that one should start a project with local strains of algae. This is partly because local strains seem to both contaminate ponds and provide better results than "laboratory strains". An inexpensive method to test the oil content of said strains is still needed. [edit] Sources
[edit] Further Reading
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