Tulisan ini sebenernya abstraksi yang kami buat dalam rangka lomba paper renewable energy confrence 2010 yang dibuat juni lalu. Ditengah kehebohan persiapan Pimnas, Praktek Laut, Alhamdulillah kami masih sempat membuat 1,5 halaman abstraksi ini.
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Renews 2010 –Renewable Energy Conference, Berlin, Germany.
12 -13 October 2010

BIG ENERGY FROM SMALL THING (BOTRYOCOCCUS BRAUNII)
Rianda Gita Fetrisia1, Nela Indah Ermawati2


1Department of Aquatic Product Technology, Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia

2Department of Fisheries Resource and Utilization, Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia


ABSTRACT: Energy is the next bu rning issue in the upcoming year when every country requires a huge amount to sustain their economical progress. As the world is rapidly motorized by engines it requires a huge amount of oil to pump it and the oil price is continuously increasing for last few years. Due the intense consumption of natural energy resources and a statement of OPEC to increased the oil price can intensively affect the economy of a developing country. Now all are looking for an efficient alternative energy source like solar, hydropower, nuclear, tidal, geothermal, wind, and biomass, which can completely replace this black gold dependency.
It has widely studied that Biomass produces by plants can be a good alternatives but the major and most important issue is that we need land to grow the food which feeds the stomach of peoples, we cant grow the energy crop on these lands. This is an important political and social issue in front of scientific community. Researchers looks at the Pandora box of nature and found the solutions for the condition. Microalgae, which are one of the most abundant organisms in the world, got final attention because of its highest capacity to produce biofuel in per acre as compared to other power crops. These tiny organisms does not require big lands or farmhouses, they can be grow in open ponds, plastic bags, glass vessels or Bioreactors. The oil extracted by these microalgae proven to be utilizes to ignite the engines of road vehicles and jets.

Botryococcus braunii is a green colonial microalgae found worldwide in freshwater and brackish lakes, reservoirs and ponds. This algae gained a great interest in scientific and commercial world because if its ability to synthesize and accumulate huge amount of various lipids. These lipids are speculated as solutions for the increasing oil-price as these lipids can be converted in to the Biodiesel, Jet-fuel, Gasoline and other important chemicals. It evidenced by the analysis of crude petroleum and earth sediments that Botryococcus is the major biological partner to form the crude petroleum million years ago. These algae produce various types of hydrocarbons out of which botryococcnes are the most important as it produced in highest quantity and have many properties similar to the various contents of crude oil. So, intensive research are being undergone to maximize the hydrocarbon contents in these algae by altering the genetic and environmental conditions, also to isolate the strain which can produce maximum amount of hydrocarbons.

Botryococcus braunii, is an unusually rich renewable source of hydrocarbons and other chemicals. Hydrocarbons can constitute up to 75% of the dry mass of B. braunii. This review details the various facets of biotechnology of B. braunii, including its microbiology and physiology; production of hydrocarbons and other compounds by the alga; methods of culture; downstream recovery and processing of algal hydrocarbons; and cloning of the algal genes into other microorganisms. B. braunii converts simple inorganic compounds and sunlight to potential hydrocarbon fuels and feedstocks for the chemical industry. Microorganisms such as B. braunii can, in the long run, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and because of this B. braunii continues to attract much attention.

Keywords: renewable energy, alga hydrocarbon, microalgae, Botryococcus braunii
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Setelah selesai dibuat, selesai dikirim, kami selalu kepikiran..sebenernya kami bikin paper atau artikel biasa yaa.. judulnya meni ga trlalu formal gitu.. hahaha :D