Process integration opportunities applied to microalgae biomass production

Abstract

Microalgae-assisted, carbon-neutral, green approaches for biofuel production have become more demanding in recent years. Energy transition policies from fossil fuel to renewable energy and global concern for minimization of greenhouse gas emissions are key drivers for using biomass as a feedstock for biofuel production, along with the significant applications as dietary supplements with high protein content and nutritive value, bioactive secondary metabolites, and other value-added products. However, the high cost of microalgae and microalgae-derived products are governed by several challenging issues such as higher recovery cost, lower lipid fraction of dried microalgae biomass, and other complexities of mass cultivation in open and closed growth systems. In this context, the present paper focuses on low-cost technologies to cultivate microalgae by utilizing wastewater from different sources such as industrial water, produced water, pharmaceutical water, and food industry water. Integrating microalgae cultivation with wastewater treatment is a key strategy to recover nutrients from waste. Further, microalgae-assisted anaerobic digestion or co-digestion to produce biofuel is also addressed. In brief, the present study provides comprehensive detail concerning integral approaches for bioremediation with low-cost microalgae biomass production as a sustainable and renewable feedstock for biofuel production with current pilot-scale harvesting challenges and future perspectives. © 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston. All rights reserved.