Systematic approach for biodiesel production from black carbon-grown microalgae and biochar application for methane enhancement

One of humans' most significant challenges is the available green energy resources shortage. Black carbon (BC) is a pyrogenic residue resulting from the incomplete combustion of organics and is liberated from wildfires at high rates. Subsequent introduction to aqueous environments via atmospheric deposition or overland flow results in the formation of a dissolved fraction called dissolved black carbon (DBC). Introducing the DBC is suggested to enhance microalgal growth via sunlight absorption and interaction with other pollutants to direct future research toward assuring cleaner, more economical, and environmentally friendly biodiesel production from microalgal biomass. At the same time, a massive amount of waste is rapidly increasing as the population and economies are growing worldwide. Organic waste production has increased worldwide, which contains various types of biocomponents. Over the years, several variations of anaerobic digestion have been developed to explore the capacity and the potential of utilizing biowaste to produce biofuel gases. The research also introduces a novel approach of a two-step conversion process using microalgal biomass pyrolysis followed by biochar-based anaerobic co-digestion to enhance energy recovery. Such research would help to identify a suitable substrate and an environmentally friendly, efficient, and cost-effective method that can be implemented on a large scale.