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1
Zhu, Lian Dong, Erkki Hiltunen, and Josu Takala. "Microalgal Biofuels Beat the First and Second Generation Biofuels." Applied Mechanics and Materials 197 (September 2012): 760–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.197.760.
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Recently biofuels derived from biomass have received increased concerns in an attempt to search for sustainable development. The first and second generation biofuels are unsustainable since the growth of these food or non-food crops for biofuel generation will compete for limited arable farmlands, thus increasing the risks on food availability. Microalgal biofuels, known as the third generation biofuels, have the potential for sustainable production in an economically effective manner. The advantages of microalgae as a biofuel feedstock are many, for instance, high photosynthesis efficiency, high oil content and noncompetition with food crop production on farmlands. Microalgae can be employed for the production of biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas, biohydrogen, among others. The integrated biorefinery approach has huge potential to greatly improve the economics of biofuel production from microalgae. However, the production of microalgal biofuels is still at pre-commercial stages since it is expensive to produce substantial amount of biofuels at a large scale. Despite this, microalgae are still the most promising and best feedstock available for the biofuels. Biotechnology advances including genetic and metabolic engineering, well-funded R&D researches and policy support can make microalgal biofuels have a bright future.
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Bhatt, Neha Chamoli, Amit Panwar, Tara Singh Bisht, and Sushma Tamta. "Coupling of Algal Biofuel Production with Wastewater." Scientific World Journal 2014 (2014): 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/210504.
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Microalgae have gained enormous consideration from scientific community worldwide emerging as a viable feedstock for a renewable energy source virtually being carbon neutral, high lipid content, and comparatively more advantageous to other sources of biofuels. Although microalgae are seen as a valuable source in majority part of the world for production of biofuels and bioproducts, still they are unable to accomplish sustainable large-scale algal biofuel production. Wastewater has organic and inorganic supplements required for algal growth. The coupling of microalgae with wastewater is an effective way of waste remediation and a cost-effective microalgal biofuel production. In this review article, we will primarily discuss the possibilities and current scenario regarding coupling of microalgal cultivation with biofuel production emphasizing recent progress in this area.
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Assadad, Luthfi, Bagus Sediadi Bandol Utomo, and Rodiah Nurbaya Sari. "The use of microalgae as the raw material of bioethanol." Squalen Bulletin of Marine and Fisheries Postharvest and Biotechnology 5, no. 2 (August 1, 2010): 51. http://dx.doi.org/10.15578/squalen.v5i2.47.
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Biofuel is one of alternative fossil fuel, in which the raw materials come from biological resources.One of the raw materials for biofuel production is microalgae. Microalgae grows rapidly, does notcompete with food for humans, and needs small areas to cultivate. Utilization of microalgae forbiofuel research nowadays is focusing on biodiesel production, but actually microalgae can beused to produce other biofuels such as bioethanol. The carbohydrate content of the microalgaecan be converted into glucose and fermented into alcohol. Carbohydrate content of the microalgaeis about 5.0–67.9%, which could produce bioethanol up to 38%. A harmony between bioethanoland biodiesel production from microalgae is needed for the optimum utilization of microalgae.Bioethanol production from microalgae can be done using de-oiled microalgae.
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Ortiz-Marquez, Juan Cesar Federico, Mauro Do Nascimento, Maria de los Angeles Dublan, and Leonardo Curatti. "Association with an Ammonium-Excreting Bacterium Allows Diazotrophic Culture of Oil-Rich Eukaryotic Microalgae." Applied and Environmental Microbiology 78, no. 7 (January 20, 2012): 2345–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.06260-11.
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ABSTRACTConcerns regarding the depletion of the world's reserves of oil and global climate change have promoted an intensification of research and development toward the production of biofuels and other alternative sources of energy during the last years. There is currently much interest in developing the technology for third-generation biofuels from microalgal biomass mainly because of its potential for high yields and reduced land use changes in comparison with biofuels derived from plant feedstocks. Regardless of the nature of the feedstock, the use of fertilizers, especially nitrogen, entails a potential economic and environmental drawback for the sustainability of biofuel production. In this work, we have studied the possibility of nitrogen biofertilization by diazotrophic bacteria applied to cultured microalgae as a promising feedstock for next-generation biofuels. We have obtained anAzotobacter vinelandiimutant strain that accumulates several times more ammonium in culture medium than wild-type cells. The ammonium excreted by the mutant cells is bioavailable to promote the growth of nondiazotrophic microalgae. Moreover, this synthetic symbiosis was able to produce an oil-rich microalgal biomass using both carbon and nitrogen from the air. This work provides a proof of concept that artificial symbiosis may be considered an alternative strategy for the low-N-intensive cultivation of microalgae for the sustainable production of next-generation biofuels and other bioproducts.
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Jimenez Escobedo, Manuel, and Augusto Castillo Calderón. "Microalgal biomass with high potential for the biofuels production." Scientia Agropecuaria 12, no. 2 (June 1, 2021): 265–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.17268/sci.agropecu.2021.030.
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The study of biofuels continues in constant development, for five decades. This article summarizes the analysis of several recent scientific publications, related to third generation biofuels using microalgae. An overview of biofuels and their classification, the theoretical bases of microalgae, techniques for their cultivation, harvesting and pretreatment of their biomass are presented. Promising technologies for obtaining biofuels of great potential worldwide demand are also briefly described, considering the technical characteristics of the process, depending on the microalgae species that have the highest yields and productivity for each type of biofuel:Biodiesel (extraction of lipids, transesterification and purification), ethanol (hydrolysis of sugars, fermentation and purification) and biogas (anaerobic digestion).Most studies are focused on the production of lipids, being Chlorella vulgaris, Nanochloropsis sp. and Botryococcus braunii(A) the most used microalgae to obtain biodiesel. However, there are few studies focused on the production of microalgal biomass toproduce bioethanol, thus, the microalgae Porphyridium cruentumand Spirogira sp. they could be used to produce bioethanol, with the advantage of not containing lignin. Biogas is produced by anaerobic biodigestion of microalgal biomass residues in biorefineries, but its commercial production is very limited due to high production costs and because there are other economically very competitive biomasses. The need to produce biofuels using microalgal biomass is reaching a greater boom, the transcendental proposal being the launching of a biorefinery, mainly focused on the optimal production of microalgal biomass as the main key to the entire process.
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Jayaseelan, Merrylin, Mohamed Usman, Adishkumar Somanathan, Sivashanmugam Palani, Gunasekaran Muniappan, and Rajesh Banu Jeyakumar. "Microalgal Production of Biofuels Integrated with Wastewater Treatment." Sustainability 13, no. 16 (August 6, 2021): 8797. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13168797.
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Human civilization will need to reduce its impacts on air and water quality and reduce its use of fossil fuels in order to advance towards a more sustainable future. Using microalgae to treat wastewater as well as simultaneously produce biofuels is one of the approaches for a sustainable future. The manufacture of biofuels from microalgae is one of the next-generation biofuel solutions that has recently received a lot of interest, as it can remove nutrients from the wastewater whilst capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The resulting biomass are employed to generate biofuels, which can run fuel cell vehicles of zero emission, power combustion engines and power plants. By cultivating microalgae in wastewater, eutrophication can be prevented, thereby enhancing the quality of the effluent. Thus, by combining wastewater treatment and biofuel production, the cost of the biofuels, as well as the environmental hazards, can be minimized, as there is a supply of free and already available nutrients and water. In this article, the steps involved to generate the various biofuels through microalgae are detailed.
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Siti Zulaiha. "Genetic engineering of microalgae lipid biosynthesis for sustainable biodiesel production." World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews 11, no. 3 (September 30, 2021): 072–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2021.11.3.0397.
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Biofuel is one of the most promising alternative energy sources for reducing human reliance on fossil fuels. Microalgae has recently emerged as the most promising biofuel source. However, biofuels from microalgae are still not feasible to replace fossil fuels because of their high production costs, therefore, it is necessary to pick microalgae species with high growth rates and lipid content. Overexpression of lipid biosynthesis enzymes and inhibition of competitive metabolic pathways are two genetic engineering strategies that can be developed to assess microalgae lipid production. Malate and multienzyme enzymes (GPAT, LPAAT and DGAT) can be overexpressed in microalgae to boost lipid production. The strategy of blocking competitive metabolic pathways can be carried out through suppression of starch metabolism and lipid catabolism. The strategy of blocking competitive metabolic pathways has been carried out in several microalgae and is effective for enhancing lipid biosynthesis. Several mutations that block both the starch metabolic and lipid catabolic pathways can result in increased levels of microalgal lipid accumulation.
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Blinová, Lenka, Alica Bartošová, and Kristína Gerulová. "Cultivation Of Microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris) For Biodiesel Production." Research Papers Faculty of Materials Science and Technology Slovak University of Technology 23, no. 36 (June 1, 2015): 87–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/rput-2015-0010.
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Abstract Production of biofuel from renewable sources is considered to be one of the most sustainable alternatives to petroleum sourced fuels. Biofuels are also viable means of environmental and economic sustainability. Biofuels are divided into four generations, depending on the type of biomass used for biofuels production. At present, microalgae are presented as an ideal third generation biofuel feedstock because of their rapid growth rate. They also do not compete with food or feed crops, and can be produced on non-arable land. Cultivation conditions (temperature, pH, light, nutrient quantity and quality, salinity, aerating) are the major factors that influence photosynthesis activity and behaviour of the microalgae growth rate. In this paper, we present an overview about the effect of cultivation conditions on microalgae growth.
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Lourenço, S. O. "EDITORIAL." Revista de Engenharia Térmica 8, no. 1 (June 30, 2009): 02. http://dx.doi.org/10.5380/reterm.v8i1.61858.
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The search for energy sources that alleviate the dependency on fossil fuels is one the greatest challenges of humankind. The environmental damages that result of many decades of gas emissions from burning oil, natural gas, and mineral coal are evident, revealed by the high levels of atmospheric CO2 and by the ocean acidification, for instance. Two fundamental routes will help to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels: the development of machines and engines with more efficient consumption of fuel and the production of renewable sources of energy, such as biofuels.Brazil is probably the country with the highest potential to produce biofuels. The Brazilian success in the production of ethanol since the 1970’s is a world landmark. The recent growth of biodiesel production in Brazil from different sources (e.g., soybeans, bovine fat) is encouraging. New matrixes to produce biodiesel have been tested all over the world. Microalgae represent a world hope to generate advanced biofuels, allying a (potential) huge scale and very high productivity.In theory, microalgae can triplicate their biomass in 24 hours, depending on the species. This high growth rate combined to high accumulation of triglycerides allow the estimates that some microalgae could generate dozens of thousands of liters of biodiesel / ha per year. Microalgae do not follow seasonal crop harvest regimes (they can be harvested on daily basis), they make biofixation of CO2, occupy small physical areas, and can be cultivated in salty or brackish waters, avoiding the competition with scarce water resources for human consumption of irrigation. Fertile lands are unnecessary, since the cultivation includes ponds or photobioreactors, which are independent of the soil characteristics. There is no conflict with land use for agriculture, deforestation of pristine biomes is avoided, and there is the possibility to generate valuable co-products in parallel to biofuel production.Despite these stimulating arguments, no company produces biofuel from microalgae at commercial scale. Several hurdles still have to be overcome, such as the cost and the efficiency of the separation of the cells from the liquid medium, the accumulation of more triglycerides by the microalgae, the reduction of costs of the systems for mixing the cultivation and dissolution of CO2, and the scarce availability of water in key regions, among others. All technical problems put together and the high intensity of manpower result in high costs of production of biofuels from microalgae. Probably it is not possible yet to produce 1 liter of microalgae biodiesel for less than US$ 9.00, a value that makes the incorporation of microalgae to the world matrix of biofuel to be economically impossible, using the current technology.Due to the Brazilian tradition on biofuels, there is a tremendous international expectation on the participation of Brazil in the production of biofuels from microalgae. Several Brazilian groups have been working on the challenge of creating solutions to make feasible the cultivation of microalgae to generate biofuels. In the previous issue of Engenharia Térmica, two good examples of the Brazilian effort to develop microalgae production can be evaluated by the readers. Ribeiro et al. offered a mathematical analysis of the growth of Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a fast-growing marine microalga, in a closed system for cultivation - a photobioreactor. Torrens et al. evaluated the properties of different kinds of biodiesel generated from microalgae and their theoretical gas emissions in engines, based on the characteristics of their fatty acid composition. These initiatives are important and very welcome. Hopefully, these promising results will stimulate the development of the field in the country, attract more researchers to the subject, and inspire the cooperation amongmultidisciplinary Brazilian teams.
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Blinová, Lenka, Alica Bartošová, and Maroš Sirotiak. "Unconventional Type of Biomass Suitable for the Production of Biofuels." Advanced Materials Research 860-863 (December 2013): 514–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.860-863.514.
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Production of biofuel from renewable sources is considered to be one of the most sustainable alternatives to petroleum sourced fuels. Biofuels are also viable means for environmental and economic sustainability. Biofuels are divided into four generations. At present microalgae are presented as an ideal third generation biofuel feedstock because of their rapid growth rate and they also do not compete with food or feed crops, and can be produced on non-arable land. Microalgae have broad bioenergy potential because they can be used to produce liquid transportation and heating fuels (bioethanol, biodiesel). In this paper we present an overview about biofuels generation, especially about using duckweed for bioethanol production.
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Medipally, Srikanth Reddy, Fatimah Md Yusoff, Sanjoy Banerjee, and M. Shariff. "Microalgae as Sustainable Renewable Energy Feedstock for Biofuel Production." BioMed Research International 2015 (2015): 1–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/519513.
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The world energy crisis and increased greenhouse gas emissions have driven the search for alternative and environmentally friendly renewable energy sources. According to life cycle analysis, microalgae biofuel is identified as one of the major renewable energy sources for sustainable development, with potential to replace the fossil-based fuels. Microalgae biofuel was devoid of the major drawbacks associated with oil crops and lignocelluloses-based biofuels. Algae-based biofuels are technically and economically viable and cost competitive, require no additional lands, require minimal water use, and mitigate atmospheric CO2. However, commercial production of microalgae biodiesel is still not feasible due to the low biomass concentration and costly downstream processes. The viability of microalgae biodiesel production can be achieved by designing advanced photobioreactors, developing low cost technologies for biomass harvesting, drying, and oil extraction. Commercial production can also be accomplished by improving the genetic engineering strategies to control environmental stress conditions and by engineering metabolic pathways for high lipid production. In addition, new emerging technologies such as algal-bacterial interactions for enhancement of microalgae growth and lipid production are also explored. This review focuses mainly on the problems encountered in the commercial production of microalgae biofuels and the possible techniques to overcome these difficulties.
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Rajagopal, Rajinikanth, Seyyed Ebrahim Mousavi, Bernard Goyette, and Suman Adhikary. "Coupling of Microalgae Cultivation with Anaerobic Digestion of Poultry Wastes: Toward Sustainable Value Added Bioproducts." Bioengineering 8, no. 5 (May 4, 2021): 57. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering8050057.
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Third generation biofuels and high-value bioproducts produced from microalgal biomass have been considered promising long-term sustainable alternatives for energy and/or food production, potentially decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Microalgae as a source of biofuels have been widely studied for bioethanol/biodiesel/biogas production. However, critical research is needed in order to increase the efficiency of microalgae production from high-N agri-waste, not only for biofuels but also for bio-based products, and thus enhance its commercial viability. The growth in the poultry industry has led to increased chicken manure (CM), which are rich in ammonia, phosphate, potassium, and other trace elements. These constituents could be used as nutrients for growing microalgae. In this research, a two-stage (liquid–solid) anaerobic digester treating CM at 20 ± 1 °C was performed, and liquid digestate (leachate) obtained after the digestion process was used as a substrate to grow the microalgal strain Chlorella vulgaris CPCC 90. Considering the high-N content (NH3-N: 5314 mg/L; TKN: 6197 mg/L) in liquid digestate, different dilutions were made, using distilled water to obtain viz. 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 90%, and 100% of the digestate concentrations for the microalgae cultivation. Preliminary results showed that Chlorella vulgaris CPCC 90 was able to grow and utilize nutrients from a 10% diluted CM digestate. Future research is underway to enhance microalgal growth at higher digestate concentrations and to optimize the use of microalgae/microalgae-bacteria consortia for better adaptation to high-N content wastes. An AD-microalgae coupling scenario has been proposed for the circulation bioeconomy framework.
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Chen, Minghao, Yixuan Chen, and Qingtao Zhang. "A Review of Energy Consumption in the Acquisition of Bio-Feedstock for Microalgae Biofuel Production." Sustainability 13, no. 16 (August 9, 2021): 8873. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13168873.
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Microalgae biofuel is expected to be an ideal alternative to fossil fuels to mitigate the effects of climate change and the energy crisis. However, the production process of microalgae biofuel is sometimes considered to be energy intensive and uneconomical, which limits its large-scale production. Several cultivation systems are used to acquire feedstock for microalgal biofuels production. The energy consumption of different cultivation systems is different, and the concentration of culture medium (microalgae cells contained in the unit volume of medium) and other properties of microalgae vary with the culture methods, which affects the energy consumption of subsequent processes. This review compared the energy consumption of different cultivation systems, including the open pond system, four types of closed photobioreactor (PBR) systems, and the hybrid cultivation system, and the energy consumption of the subsequent harvesting process. The biomass concentration and areal biomass production of every cultivation system were also analyzed. The results show that the flat-panel PBRs and the column PBRs are both preferred for large-scale biofuel production for high biomass productivity.
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Merlo, Simone, Xavier Gabarrell Durany, Angela Pedroso Tonon, and Sergio Rossi. "Marine Microalgae Contribution to Sustainable Development." Water 13, no. 10 (May 14, 2021): 1373. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w13101373.
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The burning of fossil fuels is an unsustainable activity, which is leading to an increase in greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions and related global warming. Among sustainable energy sources, microalgae represent a promising alternative to fossil fuel and contribute to the achievement of important Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, the potential contribution of marine microalgae to sustainable development is large as, among other benefits, they represent a carbon negative energy source and may be applied in many coastal areas around the world. Despite this, significant economic and technological improvements are needed in order to make microalgae biofuels viable on a large scale. This review aims to explore how and to what extent third-generation biofuels (marine microalgae, but also the latest advances in freshwater microalgae) can benefit the realization of these SDGs. From this study we concluded that the production of large-scale marine microalgae biofuels is not yet feasible from the economic perspective at a large scale. However, the cultivation of microalgae in seawater holds great potential for increasing the small to medium viability of this biofuel source. The possibilities for improvement along with the contributions to sustainable development lay the groundwork for continuing to study and apply the potential of sustainable production of microalgae bioenergy.
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Flynn, K. J., A. Mitra, H. C. Greenwell, and J. Sui. "Monster potential meets potential monster: pros and cons of deploying genetically modified microalgae for biofuels production." Interface Focus 3, no. 1 (February 6, 2013): 20120037. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2012.0037.
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Biofuels production from microalgae attracts much attention but remains an unproven technology. We explore routes to enhance production through modifications to a range of generic microalgal physiological characteristics. Our analysis shows that biofuels production may be enhanced ca fivefold through genetic modification (GM) of factors affecting growth rate, respiration, photoacclimation, photosynthesis efficiency and the minimum cell quotas for nitrogen and phosphorous (N : C and P : C). However, simulations indicate that the ideal GM microalgae for commercial deployment could, on escape to the environment, become a harmful algal bloom species par excellence, with attendant risks to ecosystems and livelihoods. In large measure, this is because an organism able to produce carbohydrate and/or lipid at high rates, providing stock metabolites for biofuels production, will also be able to attain a stoichiometric composition that will be far from optimal as food for the support of zooplankton growth. This composition could suppress or even halt the grazing activity that would otherwise control the microalgal growth in nature. In consequence, we recommend that the genetic manipulation of microalgae, with inherent consequences on a scale comparable to geoengineering, should be considered under strict international regulation.
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Takahashi, Toshiyuki. "Potential of an Automated- and Image-Based Cell Counter to Accelerate Microalgal Research and Applications." Energies 13, no. 22 (November 18, 2020): 6019. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en13226019.
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Efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have resulted in enhancement of the position of microalgae in feedstocks for food, feed, healthcare, and biofuels. However, stabile microalgal biorefineries require a sustainable and reliable management system of microalgae, which are sensitive to environmental changes. To expand microalgal applicability, assessment and maintenance of microalgal quality are crucial. Compared with conventional methods, including hemocytometry and turbidity, an automated- and image-based cell counter contributes to the establishment of routine management of microalgae with reduced work burden. This review presents the principle of an automated cell counter and highlights the functional capacities of the device for microalgal management. The method utilizing fluorescence function to evaluate the chlorophyll integrity of microalgae may lay the groundwork for making a large variety of microalgal biorefineries, creating an important step toward achieving SDGs.
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Culaba, Alvin B., Aristotle T. Ubando, Phoebe Mae L. Ching, Wei-Hsin Chen, and Jo-Shu Chang. "Biofuel from Microalgae: Sustainable Pathways." Sustainability 12, no. 19 (September 28, 2020): 8009. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12198009.
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As the demand for biofuels increases globally, microalgae offer a viable biomass feedstock to produce biofuel. With abundant sources of biomass in rural communities, these materials could be converted to biodiesel. Efforts are being done in order to pursue commercialization. However, its main usage is for other applications such as pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and aquaculture, which has a high return of investment. In the last 5 decades of algal research, cultivation to genetically engineered algae have been pursued in order to push algal biofuel commercialization. This will be beneficial to society, especially if coupled with a good government policy of algal biofuels and other by-products. Algal technology is a disruptive but complementary technology that will provide sustainability with regard to the world’s current issues. Commercialization of algal fuel is still a bottleneck and a challenge. Having a large production is technical feasible, but it is not economical as of now. Efforts for the cultivation and production of bio-oil are still ongoing and will continue to develop over time. The life cycle assessment methodology allows for a sustainable evaluation of the production of microalgae biomass to biodiesel.
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Fernández F.G., A., J. M. Fernández-Sevilla, and E. Molina Grima. "Challenges in microalgae biofuels." New Biotechnology 25 (September 2009): S268. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nbt.2009.06.599.
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Aswie, Viqhi, Lailatul Qadariyah, and Mahfud Mahfud. "Pyrolysis of Microalgae Chlorella sp. using Activated Carbon as Catalyst for Biofuel Production." Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis 16, no. 1 (March 25, 2021): 205–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.16.1.10316.205-213.
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Microalgae, as a potential raw material for biofuel, has several advantages compared to other biomass. One effective way to convert microalgae into biofuel is by thermal cracking or pyrolysis, and using a catalyst or not. So far, studies on the use of microalgae, that are converted into biofuels, is still use highly concentrated catalysts in packed bed reactors, which is not economical. Therefore, the aim of this study is to convert Chlorella sp. into biofuels with conventional pyrolysis without and using an activated carbon catalyst using packed bed reactor with bubble column. The reaction temperature is 400–600 °C, pyrolysis time is 1–4 hours, and the active carbon catalyst concentration is 0–2%. The 200 grams of Chlorella sp. and the catalyst was mixed in a fixed bed reactor under vacuum (−3 mm H20) condition. Next, we set the reaction temperature. When the temperature was reached, the pyrolysis was begun. After certain time was reached, the pyrolysis produced a liquid oil product. Oil products are measured for density and viscosity. The results showed that the conventional pyrolysis succeeded in converting microalgae Chlorella sp. into liquid biofuels. The highest yield of total liquid oil is obtained 50.2 % (heavy fraction yield, 43.75% and light fraction yield, 6.44%) at the highest conditions which was obtained with 1% activated carbon at a temperature and pyrolysis time of 3 hours. Physical properties of liquid biofuel are density of 0.88 kg/m3 and viscosity of 5.79 cSt. This physical properties are within the range of the national biodiesel standard SNI 7182-2012. The packed bed reactor completed with bubble column is the best choice for converting biofuel from microalgae, because it gives different fractions, so that it is easier to process further to the commercial biofuel stage. Copyright © 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
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Li, Tianrui, Jiangjun Hu, and Liandong Zhu. "Self-Flocculation as an Efficient Method to Harvest Microalgae: A Mini-Review." Water 13, no. 18 (September 18, 2021): 2585. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w13182585.
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The development of clean and renewable biofuels has been of wide concern on the topic of energy and environmental issues. As a kind of biomass energy with great application prospects, microalgae have many advantages and are used in the fields of environmental protection and biofuels as well as food or feed production for humans and animals. However, the high cost of microalgae harvesting is the main bottleneck of industrial production on a large scale. Self-flocculation is a cost-efficient and promising method for harvesting microalgal biomass. This article briefly describes the current commonly used technology for microalgae harvesting, focusing on the research progress of self-flocculation. This article explores the relative mechanisms and influencing factors of self-flocculation and discusses a proposal for the integration of algae cultivation and harvesting as well as the co-cultivation of algae and bacteria in an effort to provide a reference for microalgae harvesting with high efficiency and low cost.
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Lopes da Silva, Teresa, Patrícia Moniz, Carla Silva, and Alberto Reis. "The Dark Side of Microalgae Biotechnology: A Heterotrophic Biorefinery Platform Directed to ω-3 Rich Lipid Production." Microorganisms 7, no. 12 (December 10, 2019): 670. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7120670.
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Microbial oils have been considered a renewable feedstock for bioenergy not competing with food crops for arable land, freshwater and biodiverse natural landscapes. Microalgal oils may also have other purposes (niche markets) besides biofuels production such as pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic and food industries. The polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) obtained from oleaginous microalgae show benefits over other PUFAs sources such as fish oils, being odorless, and non-dependent on fish stocks. Heterotrophic microalgae can use low-cost substrates such as organic wastes/residues containing carbon, simultaneously producing PUFAs together with other lipids that can be further converted into bioenergy, for combined heat and power (CHP), or liquid biofuels, to be integrated in the transportation system. This review analyses the different strategies that have been recently used to cultivate and further process heterotrophic microalgae for lipids, with emphasis on omega-3 rich compounds. It also highlights the importance of studying an integrated process approach based on the use of low-cost substrates associated to the microalgal biomass biorefinery, identifying the best sustainability methodology to be applied to the whole integrated system.
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Zhu, Lian Dong, Marja Naaranoja, and Erkki Hiltunen. "Environmental Sustainability of Microalgae Production as a Biofuel Source." Advanced Materials Research 378-379 (October 2011): 433–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.378-379.433.
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The issues of energy shortage, global warming and climate change have led to an increased interest in new energy sector, such as microalgae-based biofuels. There are many advantages to produce microalgae as a biofuel feedstock, for instance, high photosynthesis efficiency and uncompetition with traditional agriculture on farmlands. Benefiting from current culturing technologies, such as open ponds and photobioreactors, commercial microalgae farming (e.g., Earthrise) is booming. In this regard, identifying the main environmental benefits associated with microalgae production is pretty important to support this promising industry. Although there are many researches on microalgae production, published information available on the sustainably environmental benefits is fragmented. The aims of this paper are to investigate and analyze environmental benefits related with microalgae biomass production for biofuel usage from sustainability perspective, systematically and explicitly, including water resource, land, nutrient, greenhouse gases and genetic modification dimensions.
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Musa, Ayoko, Ward, Rösch, Brown, and Rainey. "Factors Affecting Microalgae Production for Biofuels and the Potentials of Chemometric Methods in Assessing and Optimizing Productivity." Cells 8, no. 8 (August 7, 2019): 851. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cells8080851.
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Microalgae are swift replicating photosynthetic microorganisms with several applications for food, chemicals, medicine and fuel. Microalgae have been identified to be suitable for biofuels production, due to their high lipid contents. Microalgae-based biofuels have the potential to meet the increasing energy demands and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the present state of technology does not economically support sustainable large-scale production. The biofuel production process comprises the upstream and downstream processing phases, with several uncertainties involved. This review examines the various production and processing stages, and considers the use of chemometric methods in identifying and understanding relationships from measured study parameters via statistical methods, across microalgae production stages. This approach enables collection of relevant information for system performance assessment. The principal benefit of such analysis is the identification of the key contributing factors, useful for decision makers to improve system design, operation and process economics. Chemometrics proffers options for time saving in data analysis, as well as efficient process optimization, which could be relevant for the continuous growth of the microalgae industry.
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Silva, Teresa Lopes da, Patrícia Moniz, Carla Silva, and Alberto Reis. "The Role of Heterotrophic Microalgae in Waste Conversion to Biofuels and Bioproducts." Processes 9, no. 7 (June 23, 2021): 1090. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pr9071090.
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In the last few decades, microalgae have attracted attention from the scientific community worldwide, being considered a promising feedstock for renewable energy production, as well as for a wide range of high value-added products such as pigments and poly-unsaturated fatty acids for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, and cosmetic markets. Despite the investments in microalgae biotechnology to date, the major obstacle to its wide commercialization is the high cost of microalgal biomass production and expensive product extraction steps. One way to reduce the microalgae production costs is the use of low-cost feedstock for microalgae production. Some wastes contain organic and inorganic components that may serve as nutrients for algal growth, decreasing the culture media cost and, thus, the overall process costs. Most of the research studies on microalgae waste treatment use autotrophic and mixotrophic microalgae growth. Research on heterotrophic microalgae to treat wastes is still scarce, although this cultivation mode shows several benefits over the others, such as higher organic carbon load tolerance, intracellular products production, and stability in production all year round, regardless of the location and climate. In this review article, the use of heterotrophic microalgae to simultaneously treat wastes and produce high value-added bioproducts and biofuels will be discussed, critically analyzing the most recent research done in this area so far and envisioning the use of this approach to a commercial scale in the near future.
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Fon Sing, Sophie, Andreas Isdepsky, Michael A. Borowitzka, and Navid Reza Moheimani. "Production of biofuels from microalgae." Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 18, no. 1 (April 26, 2011): 47–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11027-011-9294-x.
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Hallenbeck, P. C., M. Grogger, M. Mraz, and D. Veverka. "Solar biofuels production with microalgae." Applied Energy 179 (October 2016): 136–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.06.024.
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Kshirsagar, Charudatta M., and R. Anand. "An Overview of Biodiesel Extraction from the Third Generation Biomass Feedstock: Prospects and Challenges." Applied Mechanics and Materials 592-594 (July 2014): 1881–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.592-594.1881.
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Despite of the fact that the first and the second generation biomass feedstock are attractive options for the biofuel production, these production schemes are considered unsustainable. As the demand for renewable energy grows exponentially, the practicability of the production of these energy carriers becomes tentative and limited since large arable croplands in tropical and tempe-rate regions are required for their cultivation. Moreover, the conversion processes (i.e. thermo-chemical and bio-chemical) associated with the second generation biomass feedstock are far more complex and sophisticated because of the recalcitrant nature of cellulosic biomass. The biofuels, thus, derived are not cost-competitive with existing petroleum derived fuels. In future, the integra-tion of various biochemical and bioprocessing technologies will be supporting the establishment of biomass energy programs. This paper is an attempt to review the potential of microalgal biodiesel in comparison to the first and the second generation biomass feedstock and its global prospects. Keywords : microalgae biomass, pretreatment, biofuels, clean energy
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Hao, Zong Di, Ping Huai Liu, Xun Yang, Jie Shi, and Sen Zhang. "Screening Method for Lipid-Content Microalgae Based on Sulfo-Phospho-Vanillin Reaction." Advanced Materials Research 610-613 (December 2012): 3532–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.610-613.3532.
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Studies that address the use of microalgae as biofuels often require the frequent measurement of total lipid content. Traditional methods for the quantification of lipid are time-consuming or involve the use of expensive analytical equipment that is not available in many labs. Here we investigated microalgal culture as the starting material and simple, colorimetric method for quantitative measurement of neutral lipids in microalgae with a relatively high correlation coefficient (R2=0.9038) between gravimetric and spectrophotometric quantification. Linear responses for triolein, vegetable oil and microalgal oil in a concentration range between 0.1 and 1 mg/l were observed. Using this method, Monoraphidium pusillum were screened out of several microalgal strains with the highest lipid content (25.52% dry weight). The color reaction for quantitation of microalgal lipids has significant advantages over traditional methods for screening of high lipid-content strains. Our data implied that the sensitivity and versatility enable this method a useful tool in screening of lipid-content microalgae.
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Rumin, Judith, Elodie Nicolau, Raimundo Gonçalves de Oliveira Junior, Claudio Fuentes-Grünewald, and Laurent Picot. "Analysis of Scientific Research Driving Microalgae Market Opportunities in Europe." Marine Drugs 18, no. 5 (May 18, 2020): 264. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/md18050264.
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A bibliographic database of scientific papers published by authors affiliated to research institutions worldwide, especially focused in Europe and in the European Atlantic Area, and containing the keywords “microalga(e)” or “phytoplankton” was built. A corpus of 79,020 publications was obtained and analyzed using the Orbit Intellixir software to characterize the research trends related to microalgae markets, markets opportunities and technologies that could have important impacts on markets evolution. Six major markets opportunities, the production of biofuels, bioplastics, biofertilizers, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, and two fast-evolving technological domains driving markets evolution, microalgae harvesting and extraction technologies and production of genetically modified (GM-)microalgae, were highlighted. We here present an advanced analysis of these research domains to give an updated overview of scientific concepts driving microalgae markets.
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Chou, Ai Hui, Liang Chen, Xin Ru Zhang, Ze Yi Jiang, and Fang He. "Effective Viscosity of Chlorella Sp. USTB-01 Suspension for Biofuel Production." Applied Mechanics and Materials 291-294 (February 2013): 316–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.291-294.316.
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Rheological properties of microalgae suspensions affect the mixing and mass transport in photobioreactor systems and the design of downstream biomass processing technologies，and directly impact the energy demand and system performance of algae biofuel production. The purpose of this paper is to obtain the rheological properties as a function of volume fraction. The volume fractions of microalgae suspensions φ were derived according to the size distribution of the microalgae cells and cell number concentrations per cubic meter liquid. We found that at low concentrations, microalgae suspensions display a Newtonian fluid behavior. At high concentrations, microalgae suspensions behave as a shear thinning non-Newtonian fluid. The results are of potential scientific relevance and also useful in relation to the design of algae bioprocessing for the large scale production of economic biofuels.
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Reijnders, Lucas. "Do biofuels from microalgae beat biofuels from terrestrial plants?" Trends in Biotechnology 26, no. 7 (July 2008): 349–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2008.04.001.
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Moshood, Taofeeq D., Gusman Nawanir, and Fatimah Mahmud. "Microalgae biofuels production: A systematic review on socioeconomic prospects of microalgae biofuels and policy implications." Environmental Challenges 5 (December 2021): 100207. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2021.100207.
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Zhu, Zhi, Jihong Jiang, and Yun Fa. "Overcoming the Biological Contamination in Microalgae and Cyanobacteria Mass Cultivations for Photosynthetic Biofuel Production." Molecules 25, no. 22 (November 10, 2020): 5220. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules25225220.
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Microalgae and cyanobacteria have shown significant potential for the development of the next biofuels innovation because of their own characteristics as photosynthetic microorganisms. However, it is confronted with a lot of severe challenges on the economic scaling-up of the microalgae- and cyanobacteria-based biofuels production. One of these major challenges is the lack of a reliable preventing and controlling culture system of biological contamination, which can attack the cell growth or product accumulation causing crashing effects. To increase the commercial viability of microalgae- and cyanobacteria-based biofuels production, overcoming the biological contaminations should be at the top of the priority list. Here, we highlight the importance of two categories of biological contaminations and their controlling strategies in the mass cultivations of microalgae and cyanobacteria, and outline the directions that should be exploited in the future.
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Zuorro, Antonio, Janet B. García-Martínez, and Andrés F. Barajas-Solano. "The Application of Catalytic Processes on the Production of Algae-Based Biofuels: A Review." Catalysts 11, no. 1 (December 28, 2020): 22. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/catal11010022.
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Over the last decades, microalgal biomass has gained a significant role in the development of different high-end (nutraceuticals, colorants, food supplements, and pharmaceuticals) and low-end products (biodiesel, bioethanol, and biogas) due to its rapid growth and high carbon-fixing efficiency. Therefore, microalgae are considered a useful and sustainable resource to attain energy security while reducing our current reliance on fossil fuels. From the technologies available for obtaining biofuels using microalgae biomass, thermochemical processes (pyrolysis, Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL), gasification) have proven to be processed with higher viability, because they use all biomass. However, due to the complex structure of the biomass (lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins), the obtained biofuels from direct thermochemical conversion have large amounts of heteroatoms (oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur). As a solution, catalyst-based processes have emerged as a sustainable solution for the increase in biocrude production. This paper’s objective is to present a comprehensive review of recent developments on the catalyst-mediated conversion of algal biomass. Special attention will be given to operating conditions, strains evaluated, and challenges for the optimal yield of algal-based biofuels through pyrolysis and HTL.
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Stonik, Valentin, and Inna Stonik. "Sterol and Sphingoid Glycoconjugates from Microalgae." Marine Drugs 16, no. 12 (December 17, 2018): 514. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/md16120514.
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Microalgae are well known as primary producers in the hydrosphere. As sources of natural products, microalgae are attracting major attention due to the potential of their practical applications as valuable food constituents, raw material for biofuels, drug candidates, and components of drug delivery systems. This paper presents a short review of a low-molecular-weight steroid and sphingolipid glycoconjugates, with an analysis of the literature on their structures, functions, and bioactivities. The discussed data on sterols and the corresponding glycoconjugates not only demonstrate their structural diversity and properties, but also allow for a better understanding of steroid biogenesis in some echinoderms, mollusks, and other invertebrates which receive these substances from food and possibly from their microalgal symbionts. In another part of this review, the structures and biological functions of sphingolipid glycoconjugates are discussed. Their role in limiting microalgal blooms as a result of viral infections is emphasized.
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VLASKIN, MIKHAIL S., ANATOLY V. GRIGORENKO, NADEZHDA I. CHERNOVA, SOPHIA V. KISELEVA, IRINA A. LIPATOVA, OLEG S. POPEL, and LEONID A. DOMBROVSKY. "The hydrothermal liquefaction as a promising procedure for microalgae-to-biofuel conversion: A general review and some thermophysical problems to be solved." High Temperatures-High Pressures 48, no. 4 (2020): 309–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.32908/hthp.v48.716.
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At present, microalgae are industrially produced mainly for the extraction of high-value products for food additives. At the same time, the microalgae possess also environmental advantages as it can be used for wastewater treatment, mitigation of industrial CO2 emissions as well as for oxygen production and atmospheric CO2 capturing. Due to increasing the environmental problems, it is reasonable to expand the “green” applications of microalgae and increase significantly their output. From this point of view, the problem of utilization of the microalgal biomass becomes more important and one of the most reliable ways to do it is a conversion of the biomass to a biofuel. It is expected that such a conversion can be implemented into the existing infrastructure for traditional hydrocarbons. In the case of microalgae, the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) with the production of bio-oil as a target product has attracted more attention in recent years because the bio-oil can be used in the existing refinery industry. The paper is also concerned with the use of microalgae to solve the environmental issues on the basis of HTL as a convenient and efficient method for the biomass-to-biofuel conversion. The known advantages of the HTL are the possible use of fresh microalgae just after harvesting, the processing of the whole biomass and high thermodynamic efficiency. In the paper it is shown that the latter is achieved due to the high HTL pressure that keeps the high-temperature potential of aqueous media after hydrothermal treatment and so creates the opportunity of more efficient heat recovery. The fundamental aspects of the process thermodynamics are discovered in the paper. It is shown that one of the main advantages of the process is provided by a combination of thermodynamic parameters. The problem of solar radiative transfer in photobioreactors with suspended microalgae and the desired thermophysical properties of the refined biofuels are also briefly discussed in the paper.
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Radakovits, Randor, Robert E. Jinkerson, Al Darzins, and Matthew C. Posewitz. "Genetic Engineering of Algae for Enhanced Biofuel Production." Eukaryotic Cell 9, no. 4 (February 5, 2010): 486–501. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/ec.00364-09.
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ABSTRACT There are currently intensive global research efforts aimed at increasing and modifying the accumulation of lipids, alcohols, hydrocarbons, polysaccharides, and other energy storage compounds in photosynthetic organisms, yeast, and bacteria through genetic engineering. Many improvements have been realized, including increased lipid and carbohydrate production, improved H2 yields, and the diversion of central metabolic intermediates into fungible biofuels. Photosynthetic microorganisms are attracting considerable interest within these efforts due to their relatively high photosynthetic conversion efficiencies, diverse metabolic capabilities, superior growth rates, and ability to store or secrete energy-rich hydrocarbons. Relative to cyanobacteria, eukaryotic microalgae possess several unique metabolic attributes of relevance to biofuel production, including the accumulation of significant quantities of triacylglycerol; the synthesis of storage starch (amylopectin and amylose), which is similar to that found in higher plants; and the ability to efficiently couple photosynthetic electron transport to H2 production. Although the application of genetic engineering to improve energy production phenotypes in eukaryotic microalgae is in its infancy, significant advances in the development of genetic manipulation tools have recently been achieved with microalgal model systems and are being used to manipulate central carbon metabolism in these organisms. It is likely that many of these advances can be extended to industrially relevant organisms. This review is focused on potential avenues of genetic engineering that may be undertaken in order to improve microalgae as a biofuel platform for the production of biohydrogen, starch-derived alcohols, diesel fuel surrogates, and/or alkanes.
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Francis, OI, CE Richard, OU Chihurumnnaya, and TA Margrett. "Microalgae as a source of biofuels." International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences 8, no. 3 (October 20, 2014): 1348. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ijbcs.v8i3.47.
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Benemann, John. "Microalgae for Biofuels and Animal Feeds." Energies 6, no. 11 (November 11, 2013): 5869–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en6115869.
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Malcata, F. Xavier. "Microalgae and biofuels: A promising partnership?" Trends in Biotechnology 29, no. 11 (November 2011): 542–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2011.05.005.
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Oltra, Christian. "Stakeholder perceptions of biofuels from microalgae." Energy Policy 39, no. 3 (March 2011): 1774–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2011.01.009.
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Naik, Aishwarya N., Mrinalini Singh, and Yasrib Qurishi. "Algal biofuel: A promising perspective." Annals of Plant Sciences 7, no. 5 (April 30, 2018): 2262. http://dx.doi.org/10.21746/aps.2018.7.5.10.
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The depleting energy resources and rising environmental issues have led to significant research in the field of producing fuel using alternative means. Biofuel can serve as better means to cope up with the depleting fossil and petroleum fuels. The novel properties of algae have set them as the best among all other biomasses and as a better alternative to the energy crisis. Algal biofuels are grouped under “Third generation biofuels” which has gained significant attention recently. Combustion of fossil and petroleum fuel releases sulphur dioxide in the air causing air pollution and acid rain. Most of the research on algal biofuel is done using microalgae which have high oil content along with faster growth rate. The potential of algae for producing biofuel can be improved by obtaining more efficient methods and by overcoming its certain limitations. The present review highlights the advantages, various types and production of algal biofuel.
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Ribeiro, Lauro André, and Patrícia Pereira da Silva. "Technoeconomic Assessment on Innovative Biofuel Technologies: The Case of Microalgae." ISRN Renewable Energy 2012 (August 13, 2012): 1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.5402/2012/173753.
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Innovative technologies and sources of energy must be developed to replace fossil fuels and contribute to the reductions of emissions of greenhouse gases associated with their use. In this perspective, algal biofuels are generating substantial awareness in many countries. As of today, it has been shown that it is scientifically and technically possible to derive the desired energy products from algae in the laboratory. The question lies, however, in whether it is a technology that merits the support and development to overcome existing scalability challenges and make it economically feasible. In this context, the overall purpose of this study is to provide an integrated assessment of the potential of microalgae as a source to produce biofuels, while confronting it with competing emerging biofuel technologies. It is intended to provide a comprehensive state of technology summary for producing fuels from algal feedstocks and to draw some insights upon the feasibility and technoeconomic challenges associated with scaling up of processes.
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Ubando, Aristotle T., Charles B. Felix, Ivan Henderson V. Gue, Andres Philip Mayol, Nieves A. Toledo, Soledad S. Garibay, Caridad N. Jimenez, Jose Bienvenido M. Biona, and Alvin B. Culaba. "Priority Evaluation of Life Cycle Impact Factors for Algal Biofuel Production in the Philippines Using Analytic Hierarchy Process." Applied Mechanics and Materials 842 (June 2016): 355–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.842.355.
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Algal biofuel is considered as an advanced generation bioenergy fuel which addresses the concerns of the preceding generations of biofuels on crop land competition and water consumption. Microalgae are considered as the only biomass feedstock capable of displacing fossil-fuel based on very high-oil yield per land area and other benefits. The production of biofuels in the Philippines is mandated by its Biofuel Act of 2006 which aims to introduce low-carbon fuels to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the dependence on oil imports. The Philippines’ biodiesel production uses solely coconut as biomass feedstock to produce coconut methyl ester (CME). With the mandate to increase the biodiesel blend to 5% by 2015, this adds pressure to the production of CME while battling for the fluctuating price of coconut. Due to the archipelagic geography and tropical climate of the country, abundance of thriving endemic species of microalgae can be found in the country. Hence, algal biofuel presents a viable option to alternatively produce biodiesel in the Philippines. Thus, policies in sustainable production of algal biofuel based on its environmental impact and natural resource consumption must initially be developed and drafted. A life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach was recommended to evaluate the sustainability of algal biofuel production in the country leading to policy development. Prior finalizing the impact assessment of an LCA study, prioritization of impact factors must initially be established and evaluated based on the programs and goals of the government and other stakeholders. LCA studies on algal biofuels were previously conducted overseas. However, the impact assessment of such studies is not applicable for the Philippines. Furthermore, there has been limited LCA study on algal biofuel production in the Philippines. Hence, this study proposes to establish a multi-criteria decision structure of the life-cycle impact factors of algal biofuels specifically for the Philippines and quantifying its priority levels using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). AHP is a multi-criteria decision analysis which quantifies the prioritization weights of the considered impact factors via pairwise comparison method. Survey shall be conducted to various government agencies, the industry, and other research institutions to establish an initial impact assessment of algal biofuels in the country. The initial results revealed priority are given to global warming potential, eco-toxicity, and photochemical ozone depletion, respectively. The results of this work shall aid the policy and decision makers of the country to develop and draft environmental policies and strategic plans for the proliferation of algal biofuels in the Philippines.
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Tourlouki, Konstantina, Vasiliki Tsavatopoulou, Dimitris Alexandropoulos, Ioannis D. Manariotis, and Simone Mazzucato. "A Novel Microalgae Harvesting Method Using Laser Micromachined Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers." Photonics 7, no. 2 (June 15, 2020): 42. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/photonics7020042.
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Microalgae are an ideal source for next-generation biofuels due to their high photosynthetic rate. However, a key process limitation in microalgal biofuel production is harvesting of biomass and extraction of lipids in a cost-effective manner. The harvesting of the algal biomass amounts to approximately 20 to 30% of the total cost of the cultivation; hence, developing an efficient and universal harvesting method will make the commercialization of microalgal bio-cultures sustainable. In this study, we developed, demonstrated, and evaluated a novel harvesting method based on Glass Reinforced Fiber Polymer (GFRP) panels, suitable for industrial-scale installations. The proposed method was based on previous observations of preferential micro-algae development on glass surfaces, as well as in the assumption that the microalgae cells would prefer to attach to and grow on substrates with a similar size as them. At first, we developed a laser micromachining protocol for removing the resin and revealing the glass fibers of the GFRP, available for algal adhesion, thus acting as a microalgae biomass harvesting center. Surface micromachining was realized using a ns pulsed ultraviolet laser emitting at 355 nm. This laser ensured high machining quality of the GFRP, because of its selective material ablation, precise energy deposition, and narrow heat affected zone. A specially built open pond system was used for the cultivation of the microalgae species Scenedesmus rubescens, which was suitable for biofuel production. The cultivation was used for the experimental evaluation of the proposed harvesting method. The cultivation duration was set to 16 days in order for the culture to operate at the exponential growth phase. The biomass maximum recovery due to microalgae attachment on the GFRP surface was 13.54 g/m2, a yield comparable to other studies in the literature. Furthermore, the GFRP surfaces could be upscaled to industrial dimensions and positioned in any geometry dictated by the photobioreactor design. In this study, the glass fiber reinforced polymer used was suitable for the adhesion of Scenedesmus rubescens due to its fiber thickness. Other microalgae species could be cultivated, adhere, and harvested using GFRP of different fiber sizes and/or with a modified laser treatment. These very encouraging results validated GFRPs’ harvesting capabilities as an attachment substrate for microalgae. Additional studies with more algae species will further strengthen the method.
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Pal, Preeti, Kit Wayne Chew, Hong-Wei Yen, Jun Wei Lim, Man Kee Lam, and Pau Loke Show. "Cultivation of Oily Microalgae for the Production of Third-Generation Biofuels." Sustainability 11, no. 19 (September 30, 2019): 5424. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11195424.
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Biofuel production by oleaginous microalgae is a promising alternative to the conventional fossil fuels. Many microalgae species have been investigated and deemed as potential renewable sources for the production of biofuel, biogas, food supplements and other products. Oleaginous microalgae, named for their ability to produce oil, are reported to store 30–70% of lipid content due to its metabolic properties under nutrient starvation conditions. This review presents the assortment of the research studies focused on biofuel production from oleaginous microalgae. The new methods and technologies developed for oleaginous microalgae cultivation to improve their biomass content and lipid accumulation capacity were reviewed. The production of renewable, carbon neutral, bio-based or microalgae-based transport fuels are necessary for environmental protection and economic sustainability. Microalgae are a significant source of renewable biodiesel because of their ability to produce oils in the presence of sunlight more efficiently than that of crop oils. This review will provide the background to understanding the bottlenecks and the need for improvement in the cultivation or harvesting process for oleaginous microalgae.
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González Delgado, Ángel Darío, and Viatcheslav Kafarov. "Microalgae based biorefinery: Issues to consider." CT&F - Ciencia, Tecnología y Futuro 4, no. 4 (December 1, 2011): 05–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.29047/01225383.225.
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Biorefining is sustainable biomass processing to obtain energy, biofuels and high value products through processes and equipment for biomass transformation. The biorefinery concept has been identified as the most promising way to create a biomass-based industry. Microalgae are classified as promising candidates in biorefinery processes because they are particularly important for obtaining multiple products. This review article describes the biorefinery concept taking into account its different interpretations and comparing it with the traditional biomass transformation processes. It describes the general characteristics of microalgae, and their potential to be used as a raw material in the biorefinery process. The review focuses on the state of the art of products obtained from microalgae for the biofuel industry, mainly for biodiesel production, and the different methods to extract oil for biodiesel production as well as other products. Based on this information, several aspects are suggested to be taken into account for the development of a topology for a microalgae-based biorefinery.
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Nishimura, T., M. G. Rampi, L. S. Martins, R. B. Vieira, J. V. C. Vargas, and A. B. Mariano. "THE EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE IN TETRADESMUS OBLIQUUS." Revista de Engenharia Térmica 19, no. 2 (December 21, 2020): 03. http://dx.doi.org/10.5380/reterm.v19i2.78607.
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The ever growing demand of energy generation and distribution has been one of the concerns of governments and the focus of research institutions. Likewise, how to supply the energy demands necessary for the development of nations having the lowest environmental impact possible has also been studied. Biofuels have been pointed out as an alternative for that energy challenge, since their use reduce the carbon footprint of industries and vehicles. Biofuels can be obtained from microalgae with the advantage of not competing for space with corn, sugar cane or other crops for food industry. Even though attractive, the biofuel production from microalgae presents some challenges, as for example the separation process required to obtain microalgae biomass. The culture is very diluted and the dewatering must be efficient, low cost and cause no damage to the cell. With the intent to address this issue, the herein paper presents a study of an alternative way to increase flocculation efficiency according to the temperature of the culture with the potential to improve the filtration efficiency in a continuous process. An increasing in the flocculation temperature from 20°C to 60°C increased the flocculation efficiency from 97.79% to 98.64%, using ferric chloride as a flocculant agent.
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Pierobon, S. C., X. Cheng, P. J. Graham, B. Nguyen, E. G. Karakolis, and D. Sinton. "Emerging microalgae technology: a review." Sustainable Energy & Fuels 2, no. 1 (2018): 13–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c7se00236j.
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Greenwell, H. C., L. M. L. Laurens, R. J. Shields, R. W. Lovitt, and K. J. Flynn. "Placing microalgae on the biofuels priority list: a review of the technological challenges." Journal of The Royal Society Interface 7, no. 46 (December 23, 2009): 703–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2009.0322.
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Microalgae provide various potential advantages for biofuel production when compared with ‘traditional’ crops. Specifically, large-scale microalgal culture need not compete for arable land, while in theory their productivity is greater. In consequence, there has been resurgence in interest and a proliferation of algae fuel projects. However, while on a theoretical basis, microalgae may produce between 10- and 100-fold more oil per acre, such capacities have not been validated on a commercial scale. We critically review current designs of algal culture facilities, including photobioreactors and open ponds, with regards to photosynthetic productivity and associated biomass and oil production and include an analysis of alternative approaches using models, balancing space needs, productivity and biomass concentrations, together with nutrient requirements. In the light of the current interest in synthetic genomics and genetic modifications, we also evaluate the options for potential metabolic engineering of the lipid biosynthesis pathways of microalgae. We conclude that although significant literature exists on microalgal growth and biochemistry, significantly more work needs to be undertaken to understand and potentially manipulate algal lipid metabolism. Furthermore, with regards to chemical upgrading of algal lipids and biomass, we describe alternative fuel synthesis routes, and discuss and evaluate the application of catalysts traditionally used for plant oils. Simulations that incorporate financial elements, along with fluid dynamics and algae growth models, are likely to be increasingly useful for predicting reactor design efficiency and life cycle analysis to determine the viability of the various options for large-scale culture. The greatest potential for cost reduction and increased yields most probably lies within closed or hybrid closed–open production systems.