ABSTRACT
In response to mounting concerns about global climate change and the need to produce carbon-neutral transportation fuels, there has been renewed and increasing interest in utilizing microalgae for the generation of drop-in biodiesel and jet biofuel (U.S. DOE 2010). In order to develop an economically viable microalgae biofuels production process, it is imperative to identify strains that exhibit high annual biomass productivities (average >30 g/m2 · day) in outdoor culture systems (U.S. DOE 2012). Significant campaigns have been initiated by industry, academia, and other research organizations to find promising new microalgae strains by either prospecting or genetic engineering, which might be suitable for large-scale, economic, biofuel production.
