# The Perspective of Large-Scale Production of Algae Biodiesel
## 3 Production of Algal Biodiesel
### Biodiesel Production from Algae in the World  
The global annual amount of algal biodiesel produced is tiny. The development of these fuels has been slowed by the fall of oil prices in 2014. This condition continued with the global economic crisis. Research indicates that the current production of algae biomass in Europe is negligible (1.14% of world production). In Europe, algal biomass production has been stable since 1950, below 0.5 Mt. Algae production is mainly located in Norway, France, Ireland, and the Russian Federation.  
The prediction is that a technical production potential of 41 megawatts of algae biomass can be achieved by 2030 in Europe, with production costs less than 50.985/kg [82]. Only twelve EU countries are producing significant amounts of algae biomass. Spain has the highest potential for algae cultivation compared to other EU countries. Despite its great theoretical potential, algal biodiesel is unlikely to be competitive by 2030 or 2050 concerning fossil fuels [82].  
In the California desert, a 0.8 ha (10 acre) pond is filled with saltwater and algae. This pond is one of several ponds where Exxon Mobil and Synthetic Genomics is trying to organize large-scale biodiesel production at competitive prices. In 2017, the partners announced that, by genetic engineering, they got twice the amount of fat compared to wild algae. They failed to increase their growth rate, and it remained the same. They are still working on the problem of algae productivity. Great efforts are being made to improve algae cultivation and collection efficiency. Exxon engineers are studying how best to mix the algae, so they get as much sunlight and CO\({}_{2}\) as possible, both components necessary for algae growth, which requires a good understanding of photosynthesis. For the specified area of 0.8 ha (40,470 m\({}^{2}\)), it is possible to produce 0.8 to 3.6 barrels/day (137 L/day to 567 L/day) of biodiesel. With some assumptions about further improvement of algae farming, companies plan to produce 10,000 barrels of algae biofuel per day in seven years. This amount requires an area of 11,360 to 50,000 ha (which corresponds to an area of 5680 to 25,000 football fields). This capacity is very small compared to crude-oil production (10 million barrels per day). To be able to talk about significant production (1 million barrels per day), huge areas for algae cultivation are needed, 1,136,000 ha to 5,000,000 ha.  
Assuming that the depth of the pool is about 30 cm, the water required for the specified area is from \(3.4\times 10^{9}\) to \(15\times 10^{9}\) m\({}^{3}\) (authors' analysis).  
Reliable and inexpensive water supply is one of the critical elements of the commercial production of algal biomass at lower prices [70]. Water should be added to ORP to offset evaporation, and cooling water is also required for some closed photobioreactor designs [90]. Water recycling after harvesting can contribute to a significant cost reduction. This returns some of the nutrients to the process, reducing fertilizer consumption [70]. Some researchers identify an opportunity for economical algae farming in link to the wastewater treatment process [91]. However, it should be borne in mind that in higher latitudes the use of microalgae in wastewater treatment is restricted by the short vegetation season, low air temperatures, and shorter day lengths in certain parts of the year [92].  
A summary comparison of the characteristics of open-pond systems and photobioreactors is shown in Table 4, based on the data [93; 94].