CO2 bio-mitigation using microalgae

Abstract

Microalgae are a group of unicellular or simple multicellular photosynthetic microorganisms that can fix CO(2) efficiently from different sources, including the atmosphere, industrial exhaust gases, and soluble carbonate salts. Combination of CO(2) fixation, biofuel production, and wastewater treatment may provide a very promising alternative to current CO(2) mitigation strategies.

Hybrid microalgal biofuel, desalination, and solution mining systems: increased industrial waste energy, carbon, and water use efficiencies

“…The CO 2 can be variously sourced from the atmosphere, soluble carbonate salts, industrial exhaust gasses, etc. (Wang et al 2008). While it is commonly stated that CO 2 is often 'free', the CO 2 addition into the process requires energy, and is a material flow that must be intensively managed financially in an industrial-scale microalgae facility (McHenry 2010).…”

“…Moreover, microalgae species can maintain high growth rates in poor quality or contaminated water and salinities higher than seawater (Amin 2009;Beer et al 2009;Hightower 2009), expanding the development possibilities, and enabling new intensive production options (Gross 2007;Hankamer et al 2007;Cantrell et al 2008). In terms of CO 2 addition, some microalgae tolerate high temperatures which allow flue exhaust carbon capture without the need for cooling (Wang et al 2008). Nonetheless, in addition to species characteristics, microalgae production locations must be carefully chosen according to both available co-located industrial resources, natural resources, and environmental conditions (Borowitzka 1992).…”

“…Within the context of low levels of penetration of all three novel technologies, this research distils three R&D requirements that are fundamental to enabling their vertical integration into industrial centres: (1) fundamental engineering, (2) monitoring system innovation, and (3) technology/knowledge transfer. The diversity and complexity of these novel production systems will require precise system monitoring and control (Schneider 2006;Wang et al 2008). Microalgae photobioreactor and open pond cultures, thermal and non-thermal desalination systems, and hydrometallurgical technology operational characteristics and input and output parameter data management will necessitate high-precision real-time data monitoring, communication, processing, and management activities.…”

An informatics-based analysis of developments to date and prospects for the application of microalgae in the biological sequestration of industrial flue gas

“…Although many techniques and mechanism researches of the application of microalgae in the biological sequestration of industrial flue gas, including microalgae species selection (Ho et al 2011;Seth and Wangikar 2015), gas capture (Rahaman et al 2011), cultivation and influencing factors (Cheah et al 2015;Pires et al 2012), bioreactor technology (Kumar et al 2010;Niu and Leung 2010), biomass applications (e.g., lipid production) and residual biomass utilization (e.g., anaerobic digestion) (Farrelly et al 2013;Pires et al 2012;Seth and Wangikar 2015;Sialve et al 2009), and synergistic combination of other biological techniques (e.g., wastewater treatment) (Acien Fernandez et al 2012;Wang et al 2008), have been extensively studied and reviewed during the past few years, most of the studies have only focused on CO 2 fixation and utilization by algal biomass. In addition, studies on biological DeNOx (bio-DeNOx) of NOx by using microalgae were limited, although capture of NOx from the flue gases for microalgal cultivation has received increasing interest.…”

Electrically dewatering microalgae

“…The species used in this study are microalgae. Cultivation of microalgae, a rapidly growing single-celled micro-organism, has also been suggested as a way to address the environmental issues of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) greenhouse gas sequestration, generating renewable fuels, and wastewater remediation [2,3,4]. Alternative energy research is generally viewed as important considering the continuing and increasing per-capita global energy consumption, and the reported diminishing fossil fuel reserves [5,6].…”