In general, biological production of methane from algae or cyanobacteria is a two — step process. The first step is biomass production or capturing and conversion of sun light energy into new algal cells. The second step is a transformation of energy stored as biomass into a more applicable form, such as methane gas, through the ADP. Methane is easily stored, transported, and used for the production of heat or electricity. Methane can also be used as a motor fuel. The efficiency of methane production from sunlight energy relies on the performance of these coupled steps.

5.1 Algal Biomass Improvement

The performance of the biomass production step can be described by productivity per acre but the algal methane potential is controlled by algal biochemical composi­tion. In this section, we review factors that control and limit algal productivity and methane potential. We also describe methods used for the improvement of methane production from algae.