Prospect of Biodiesel production from Algae as a renewable energy source in Sarawak

Abstract

Biodiesel (monoalkyl esters) is one of the alternative fuels, which is obtained by transesterification of triglyceride oil with monohydric alcohols. Many research works have been reported on the use of biodiesel obtained from oils of canola, soybean, palm, sunflower, and algal. Algae have emerged as one of the most promising sources of renewable energy, especially for biodiesel production due to the following two main reasons: the yield of oil from algae is higher than those for traditional oilseeds; and algae can grow in places away from the farmlands & forests, thus minimising the damages caused to the food chain system. As an advantage, algae can be grown in sewages and next to powerplant smokestacks where they digest the pollutants and through this it can give us oil. Such an approach can contribute to solve major problems of air pollution resulting from CO2 emission and future crisis due to a shortage of energy sources. The research on algae biodiesel is very rare and still on the preliminary step in Malaysia. However, adequate funding on this research may provide prove that algae biodiesel have a bright future in Malaysia. Sarawak has a land area of 124,449 km2 which represents 38% of Malaysia's landmass with a coastline length approximately 1000 km. In general, the climate in Sarawak is tropical monsoon characterized by high temperature, high humidity and heavy seasonal rainfall. On the other hand, rainfall shows considerable seasonal variation in tune with the monsoon periods. The land and coastal waters are enriched with nutrients leached from the land and all this support a highly diverse flora and fauna. Among the conspicuous floras in the coastal environment are the seaweeds or scientifically called macroalgae. As Sarawak is surrounded by warm waters on all sides and the sun shines all the year round, seaweeds tends to grow luxuriously along the coastal areas. This shows that the climate in Sarawak is very fit for algae cultivation and with this benefit it would be easier to produce large amount of oil for mass biodiesel production. There are about 116 species of algae found in Sarawak and mostly the species are situated along coastline of Sarawak. This paper focuses on the prospect of algal oil production from different kinds of algae available in Sarawak, the conversion process of algal oil to biodiesel and the performance of diesel engines using biodiesel from algae.