Forget palm oil and soya, microalgae is the next big biofuel source

Microalgae could help turn the tide on climate change by providing clean, green energy for everything from light bulbs to planes, argues Matthew Aylott. But does the UK have enough space, sunshine - or indeed the stomach - to grow them?

Microalgae use sunshine to convert water and carbon dioxide (CO2) – the gas emitted by burning fossil fuels – into oils and other useful products.

Some species of microalgae contain high levels of these oils, which can be extracted from the algae and used to produce biofuels, such as biodiesel. Indeed, some species are so efficient at making oil that they can produce greater volumes of biodiesel than most plants...

To read the full article please visit The Ecologist.