Algae fuel, algal biofuel, or algal oil is an alternative to liquid fossil fuels that uses algae as its source of energy-rich oils. Also, algae fuels are an alternative to commonly known biofuel sources, such as corn and sugarcane. When made from seaweed (macroalgae) it can be known as seaweed fuel or seaweed oil.
A conical flask of "green" jet fuel made from algae
Photobioreactor from glass tubes
Design of a race-way open pond commonly used for algal culture
Algae being harvested and dried from an ATS system
Algae are any of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic, eukaryotic organisms. The name is an informal term for a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular microalgae, such as Chlorella, Prototheca and the diatoms, to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelp, a large brown alga which may grow up to 50 metres (160 ft) in length. Most are aquatic and lack many of the distinct cell and tissue types, such as stomata, xylem and phloem that are found in land plants. The largest and most complex marine algae are called seaweeds, while the most complex freshwater forms are the Charophyta, a division of green algae which includes, for example, Spirogyra and stoneworts. Algae that are carried by water are plankton, specifically phytoplankton.
Image: NSW seabed 1
Image: Водоросли пресноводного водоема 2
False-color scanning electron micrograph of the unicellular coccolithophore Gephyrocapsa oceanica
The kelp forest exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium: A three-dimensional, multicellular thallus
