Commercial applications of microalgae

Surveying techno-economic indicators of microalgae biofuel technologies

“…A set of articles can be found in the literature evidencing the technical feasibility of growing algae for biofuel production [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17], in which the majority of them demonstrate the absence of the major drawbacks associated with current 1st generation biofuels. For example, the most common drawback pointed out of 1st generation biofuels as being the affect on food prices due to massive arable land use.…”

“…These advantages include: (a) capability of producing oil during all year long and with superior efficiency, therefore the oil productivity of microalgae is greater compared to the most efficient crops; (b) producing in brackish water and on not arable land [41]; not affecting food supply or the use of soil for other purposes [2]; (c) possessing a fast growing potential and several species have 20-50% of oil content by weight of dry biomass [2]; (d) Regarding air quality, production of microalgae biomass can fix carbon dioxide [2]; (e) nutrients for its cultivation (nitrogen and phosphorous, mainly) can be obtained from sewage, therefore there is a possibility to assist the municipal wastewater treatment [19,20]; (f) growing algae do not require the use of herbicides or pesticides [42]; (g) algae can also produce valuable co-products, as proteins and biomass after oil extraction, that can be used as animal feed, medicines or fertilizers [3,10], or fermented to produce ethanol or methane [5]; (h) biochemical composition of algal biomass can be modulated by different growth conditions, so the oil yield can be significantly improved [43]; and (i) Capability of performing the photobiological production of "biohydrogen" [22][23][24][25]44].…”

“…As stated before, algae can also produce valuable co-products, such as proteins, natural colorants, and biomass after oil extraction, that can be used as animal feed, medicines or fertilizers [3,10], or fermented to produce ethanol, methane or other biofuels [5]. Although this possibility is widely reported, just a few studies [46,[51][52][53]55,57] looked with attention to this question and made financial calculations on the feasibility of producing biofuel and co-products together.…”

Catalytic Processes for Utilizing Carbohydrates Derived from Algal Biomass

“…conditions, such as nutrient deficiency [9]. Indeed, the importance of algal-derived oil resources has recently been highlighted by applications of the obtained oil as biojet fuel and biodiesel [12][13][14][15][16][17]. However, unlike cellulose, the utilization of carbohydrates present in algal cells after oil extraction has been overlooked.…”

An Overview of Algae Biofuel Production and Potential Environmental Impact

“…87 42 Spirulina (Arthrospira) is another algae often produced for human nutrition due to its high protein content, health benefits, and overall nutritional value. 42 The majority of commercial growth processes of algae use varieties of open ponds. These commercial facilities are located in lower latitudes where temperature, climate, and solar radiance are favorable for algae growth.…”