René Wijffels 和 Maria Barbosa 在一篇Perspective (《科学》的评论文栏目)中预测，藻类可能在未来的10-15年中成为燃料给料的一个重要的来源。 产自藻类燃油的可被转化成为生物燃料的潜力轻易地超过了农作物的潜力，而且它们不会像农作物那样占用可耕田。 在某些情况下，该生物体是以脂质或甘油三酸酯的形式来储藏化学能源的。 然而，微藻类需要在更大规模且更低成本的情况下来生产生物燃料才能成为一种主要的工业生产方法。 文章的作者描述了人们朝着这一目标所取得的最近的进展；他们对最近的，特别是在系统生物学、基因工程及生物精炼等方面的进展会如何促进这一事业进行了讨论。
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Article #9: "An Outlook on Microalgal Biofuels," by R.H. Wijffels; M.J. Barbosa at Wageningen University in Wageningen, Netherlands.
Science 13 August 2010:
Vol. 329. no. 5993, pp. 796 - 799
DOI: 10.1126/science.1189003
Perspective
An Outlook on Microalgal Biofuels
René H. Wijffels1 and Maria J. Barbosa2
Microalgae are considered one of the most promising feedstocks for biofuels. The productivity of these photosynthetic microorganisms in converting carbon dioxide into carbon-rich lipids, only a step or two away from biodiesel, greatly exceeds that of agricultural oleaginous crops, without competing for arable land. Worldwide, research and demonstration programs are being carried out to develop the technology needed to expand algal lipid production from a craft to a major industrial process. Although microalgae are not yet produced at large scale for bulk applications, recent advances―particularly in the methods of systems biology, genetic engineering, and biorefining―present opportunities to develop this process in a sustainable and economical way within the next 10 to 15 years.
