Give an example of application of microorganisms in improving the life of human.

Explain its principles and suggest how you can improve the existing application.

Microorganisms such as microalgae are a promising feedstock for biodiesel

production because their growth rate and oil content are higher than those of
conventional energy crops such as soybean, palm, jatropha, corn, canola,
etc. (Lang et al., 2001; Chisti, 2007). Biodiesel being recognized as a green
and alternative renewable fuel has attracted great interest from researchers,
governments, local and international traders. Some of the advantages of
using biodiesel are it is a non-toxic fuel, biodegradable, and lower emission
of greenhouse gases when burned in diesel engine. Normally, biodiesel is
produced through transesterification reaction, in which vegetable oil reacts
with short chain alcohol (e.g. methanol) in the presence of catalyst (e.g.
sodium hydroxide). Edible oils such as soybean, sunflower, rapeseed and
palm oil are the common feedstock for biodiesel production. However,
continuous growth of the biodiesel industries in the last ten years has raised
a tragic social issue: the food versus fuel dispute. It is strongly believed that
further expansion of biodiesel industries in the global market will result to
more undernourished people suffering from hunger and malnutrition.
Currently, microalgae has been identified as a superior feed-stock for
biodiesel production, mainly due to their fast growth rate that is 100 times
faster than terrestrial plant, and able to double their biomass in less than one
day under favorable culture conditions. Apart from that, certain microalgae
strains are able to accumulate sufficient amount of lipid that can be
expected to overcome the terrestrial crops. For example, microalgae with
30% of lipid content have the potential to produce 54 tons of oil/ha/year,
whereas palm oil and jatropha are only able to produce 3.62 and 4.13 tons of
oil/ha/year, respectively. Thus, cultivating microalgae for biodiesel production
requires only a minimum land area and uphold an important key for a more
sustainable land utilization. Apart from that, an added advantage of
cultivating microalgae is the ability of the microorganism to act as a carbon
sink assimilating CO2 from atmosphere and flue gases through
photosynthesis, a golden opportunity for carbon credit program (Lam et al.,
2012).
The study about microalgae being utilized as a source for biodiesel can
further be improved by doing further research on this subject. Primarily, by
supporting the local research groups who allot their time and effort in

exploring and discovering the said topic, we become one step closer to
improving the subject thus, improving our lives.

Source:
1. Potential of using organic fertilizer to cultivate Chlorella vulgaris for
biodiesel production (Man Kee Lam, Keat Teong Lee; 2012)
2. Lipid production by Chlorella vulgaris after a shift from nutrient-rich to
nitrogen starvation conditions (Ghulam Mujtaba, Wookjin Choi, Choul-Gyun
Lee, Kisay Lee; 2012)