This edited volume focuses on comprehensive state-of-the-art information about the practical aspects of cultivation, harvesting, biomass processing and biofuel production from algae. Chapters cover topics such as synthetic ecological engineering approaches towards sustainable production of biofuel feedstock, and algal biofuel production processes using wastewater. Readers will also discover more about the role of biotechnological engineering in improving ecophysiology, biomass and lipid yields. Particular attention is given to opportunities of commercialization of algal biofuels that provides a realistic assessment of various techno-economical aspects of pilot scale algal biofuel production. The authors also explore the pre-treatment of biomass, catalytic conversion of algal lipids and hydrothermal liquefaction with the biorefinery approach in detail. In a nut shell, this volume will provide a wealth of information based on a realistic evaluation of contemporary developments in algal biofuel research with an emphasis on pilot scale studies. Researchers studying and working in the areas of environmental science, biotechnology, genetic engineering and biochemistry will find this work instructive and informative.

Dr. Sanjay Kumar Gupta is a technical superintendent at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, India. His research areas include wastewater chemistry, ecotoxicological risk assessment, environmental monitoring, biofuel production by microalgae and harvesting of microalgae. Dr. Anushree Malik is an associate professor at the Center for Rural Development Technology, Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, India. Her research areas include food & environmental biotechnology, bioremediation, natural antimicrobial compounds and biological pest control. Dr. Faizal Bux is the Director of the Institute for Water and Wastewater Technologies at Durban University of Technology in South Africa. His primary research areas are wastewater biotechnology, bioremediation, algal biofuels research and biotechnology, constructed wetlands, rhizofiltration and rainwater harvesting.