Seyed Hashem Mousavi-Avval - Department of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
Shahin rafiee - Department of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
mohammad sharifi - Department of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
soleiman hosseinpour - Department of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

Air pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems all over the world. Continuously increasing use of fossil fuels will intensify local air pollution and accelerate the global warming problems caused by CO2 emission. Moreover, energy is essential and vital for development, and the global economy. The use of fossil fuels as energy is now widely accepted as unsustainable due to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the environment, and also alleviating the depletion of fossil fuel reserves. Moreover, it is understood that the petroleum reserves are to be depleted in less than 50 years at the present rate of consumption. Among many possible sources currently has developed as feedstock for biodiesel production in many countries, biodiesel fuel derived from microalgae oil has attracted attention as a promising substitute for conventional diesel fuels. This paper reviews potential of microalgae as a source of biodiesel production, different production technologies, algae cultivation systems, growing conditions and economical aspects of biodiesel production from microalgae

Biodiesel; Microalgae; Photobioreactor; Conversion process; Fuel characteristics