Fermenting ethanol from algae lipids is more sustainable than production of ethanol from corn and can be blended with conventional gasoline to decrease carbon emissions from automobiles since it burns more cleanly. This also cuts down on the carbon emission from the production of corn and reduces the need for pesticides that are typically applied to crops. Algae additionally has no nutritional value to us and decreases biofuel’s competition with food sources such as corn. Algae can also act as a direct carbon capture tool as carbon dioxide speeds algae growth and actually benefits them. Placing algae farms next to power plants or in smokestacks is a way to recycle our waste back into the economy. Lastly, aglae, a form of bioenergy, is carbon nearly neutral. Since they are photosynthetic, when algae are burned, it practically releases the same amount of carbon dioxide that it had taken in during photosynthesis in its lifetime, helping us balance our carbon emissions further.   

 

Disadvantages: expensive; still requires fossil fuels to refine oils, build algae farm facilities, and transport; open air algae farms can easily be contaminated and/or disturbed by predators of algae