MICROALGAE AS RAW MATERIAL FOR BIODIESEL PRODUCTION: PERSPECTIVES AND CHALLENGES OF THE THIRD GENERATION CHAIN

ABSTRACT Currently, concern about the burning of fossil fuels and the consequences for the planet has increased and become the agenda of discussions at global levels. In this sense, biofuels are an important alternative, and this article seeks to review the literature on the use of microalgae as raw material for the manufacture of biodiesel, the transesterification process as a conversion method, the technologies used to optimize this process, the characteristics of biodiesel that are required by Brazilian legislation, and the challenges for production. Brazil has a very large potential for the production of these biofuels but their production on a large scale still requires further studies so that it can be part of the country’s energy matrix, including in the agro-industrial sector.