Publication in the ‘Groene Grondstoffen’ (Green raw materials) series
The cultivation of microalgae can play an important role in sustainable production of raw materials for biodiesel. In addition, algae offer several other useful compounds for the food and chemical industry. The booklet “Microalgae: green gold of the future?” describes the possibilities for economically viable large scale algae cultivation for the production of different products, including raw material for biodiesel. Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research has published the booklet as part of the ‘Groene Grondstoffen’ series as a contribution towards creating a Bio-based Economy.
Different aspects of algae are descripted in this booklet:
- the potential role of microalgae in developing a more sustainable society.
- some important groups of algae and the opportunities they offer as producers of useful substances.
- the main algae cultivation systems and the current state-of-the-art of algae cultivation in the Netherlands.
- the benefits of algae cultivation in relation to other agricultural crops.
- the possibilities of cost-effective, large-scale microalgal production and the significant role that the new algae research centre in Wageningen, AlgaePARC, will play in the research on optimization of algae cultivation.
- the conclusions and recommendations for cost-effective microalgae cultivation.
The booklet was made possible through the policy support research topic Biobased Economy, which is funded by the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Agriculture & Innovation.
The English version Microalgae: the green gold of the future? and the Dutch version 'Microalgen: het groene goud van de toekomst?' can be downloaded.