Production of biodiesel from microalgae through biological carbon capture: a review

Abstract

Gradual increase in concentration of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the atmosphere due to the various anthropogenic interventions leading to significant alteration in the global carbon cycle has been a subject of worldwide attention and matter of potential research over the last few decades. In these alarming scenario microalgae seems to be an attractive medium for capturing the excess CO 2 present in the atmosphere generated from different sources such as power plants, automobiles, volcanic eruption, decomposition of organic matters and forest fires. This captured CO 2 through microalgae could be used as potential carbon source to produce lipids for the generation of biofuel for replacing petroleum-derived transport fuel without affecting the supply of food and crops. This comprehensive review strives to provide a systematic account of recent developments in the field of biological carbon capture through microalgae for its utilization towards the generation of biodiesel highlighting the significance of certain key parameters such as selection of efficient strain, microalgal metabolism, cultivation systems (open and closed) and biomass production along with the national and international biodiesel specifications and properties. The potential use of photobioreactors for biodiesel production under the influence of various factors viz., light intensity, pH, time, temperature, CO 2 concentration and flow rate has been discussed. The review also provides an economic overview and future outlook on biodiesel production from microalgae.

Utilization of Nannochloropsis oceanica alga for biodiesel production and the de-lipidated biomass for improving Red tilapia aquaculture

“…The complete utilization of algal biomass may comprise the association of different technologies (Behera et al, 2015). Algal lipids can be plucking out for production of biofuel and the residual solids, which are mostly proteins and carbohydrates are appropriate for larvae feeding (Mondal et al, 2017).…”

Integrated biorefinery fromArthrospira platensisbiomass as feedstock for bioethanol and lactic acid production

“…It has also been reported that extracted microalgae such as Chlorococcum sp. improve the yield of yeast biomass by providing a sugar source for the yeast growth (Harun et al, 2010;Mondal et al, 2017).…”

pH effects on the lipid and fatty acids accumulation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

“…Climate change and depletion of natural resources are two of the most threatening topics that concern the worldwide population nowadays; these were initially generated due to the rapidly increment in human population and the demanding lifestyle of the modern world. Dependence on the use of fossil fuels and their growing emissions requires the development of substitute energy sources; biodiesel production is considered the most prominent alternative to replace petroleum‐derived transport fuel . Biodiesel is a mixture of fatty acid alkyl esters obtained by transesterification of vegetable oils; the commonest are palm, soy, cotton, and sunflower, animal fats, and residues from food preparation have also been used.…”

“…It has been estimated that more than 50,000 species exist, but only around of 30,000 have been studied . Most of the microalgal species produce TAG along with other lipid types including phospholipids, glycolipids and sulfolipids; the main biological functions of these lipids are energy storage and cell signaling . The microalgal biodiversity is massive and each one has specific conditions for an optimum growth with respect to pH, nutrients requirement, temperature, oxygen, salinity, stirring speed, and time/light intensity.…”