Pretreatment of algal biomass using fungal crude enzymes

The effect of the algal microbiome on industrial production of microalgae

“…Traditional mechanical or chemical pretreatment methods that are used to harvest algal biomass and disrupt algal cells require a large energy input and are costintensive (Prajapati et al, 2015). To this end, algaeassociated microbes offer several new alternatives for microalgae harvest and cell wall disruption.…”

Pre-treatment techniques used for anaerobic digestion of algae

“…Breaking down lignin, disrupting the crystalline structure of cellulose and increasing its surface can be attained by pre-treatment methods, so that micro-organisms can more easily access the cellulose [24]. Both components, cellulose and lignin are present in algae structures; macro-algae have a similar structure to lignocellulosic materials, whereas most of the micro-algae species cell wall is composed of cellulose, hemicellulose/xylan and chitin structured in multiple layers [25,26]. Although performing pre-treatment makes the process more complicated and expensive, it can improve the process efficiency and reduce the whole cost so that a positive energy balance can be obtained compared with non-pre-treated biomass [27].…”

Prospects for methane production and nutrient recycling from lipid extracted residues and whole Nannochloropsis salina using anaerobic digestion

“…Indeed, Biomethane Potential (or BMP) testing of thirty one different microalgal species demonstrated methane yields ranging from 30% to 60% (42% for Nannochloropsis) of the theoretically predicted values, [11,[22][23][24] reflecting a compelling need for improvement. Previous studies have indicated thermal [25], microwave [26], alkaline [27], acid [28], enzymatic [29,30], or thermo-alkaline [31] pretreatment strategies offer promising options for overcoming algal biomass recalcitrance. However, these efforts have been limited to batch processing of whole microalgae and have not involved treatment of the LEA.…”