The concept for biofuel production on the basis of glycolate fermentation
has several synergistic advantages: (i) the bio-methane
production via glycolate excretion can be much higher compared
to biofermentation of biomass, because metabolic losses can be
strongly reduced. (ii) The energetic costs for harvesting, extraction
and refinement can be decreased to a minimum. (iii) Nutrients are
needed only in minimal amounts, because cells consume them
only for cellular maintenance but not for growth. (iv) The biofilm
technology does not require heavy hardware. The ideal concept
of a photo-bioreactor incorporates a thin biofilm enclosed in a
transparent robust foil.