Potential Use of Agricultural Runoff for Biodiesel Production

Abstract

Algae is currently being researched as an alternative biofuel. In our experiment, we simulated pollutants in water and observed how those pollutants affected algae growth. To do this, we set up photobioreactors in vitro and added the simulated pollutants in increasing concentrations. The results were measured in three different ways, a dry weight sample, chlorophyll content and cell density. Our hypothesis was largely supported by the data we collected, observing that algae proliferated in the presence of certain chemical pollutants.