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Review
. 2018 Mar 5;17(1):36.
doi: 10.1186/s12934-018-0879-x.

The promising future of microalgae: current status, challenges, and optimization of a sustainable and renewable industry for biofuels, feed, and other products

Muhammad Imran Khan  1 , Jin Hyuk Shin  1 , Jong Deog Kim  2   3
Affiliations
Review

The promising future of microalgae: current status, challenges, and optimization of a sustainable and renewable industry for biofuels, feed, and other products

Muhammad Imran Khan et al. Microb Cell Fact. .

Abstract

Microalgae have recently attracted considerable interest worldwide, due to their extensive application potential in the renewable energy, biopharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries. Microalgae are renewable, sustainable, and economical sources of biofuels, bioactive medicinal products, and food ingredients. Several microalgae species have been investigated for their potential as value-added products with remarkable pharmacological and biological qualities. As biofuels, they are a perfect substitute to liquid fossil fuels with respect to cost, renewability, and environmental concerns. Microalgae have a significant ability to convert atmospheric CO2 to useful products such as carbohydrates, lipids, and other bioactive metabolites. Although microalgae are feasible sources for bioenergy and biopharmaceuticals in general, some limitations and challenges remain, which must be overcome to upgrade the technology from pilot-phase to industrial level. The most challenging and crucial issues are enhancing microalgae growth rate and product synthesis, dewatering algae culture for biomass production, pretreating biomass, and optimizing the fermentation process in case of algal bioethanol production. The present review describes the advantages of microalgae for the production of biofuels and various bioactive compounds and discusses culturing parameters.

Keywords: Bioactive compounds; Biofuels; Carbon dioxide mitigation; Culture parameters; Microalgae; Pretreatment; Viable biomass.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Microalgae convert atmospheric CO2 to carbohydrates, lipids, and other valuable bioproducts by using light. Microalgae biomass is a rich source for biofuels and bioactive compounds
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Different species of carbohydrate-rich microalgae that compose feasible feedstock for bioethanol production
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Pretreatment of microalgae biomass for biofuels production. Different types of biofuels can be produced depending on the raw materials used (carbohydrates and lipids) and the pretreatment prior to fermentation
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Some value-added compounds produced by microalgae. a Astaxanthin, a strong antioxidant produced by the microalga Haematococcus pluvialis. b β-Sitosterol, produced by various genera of micro algae. Different species of Glaucocystophyte produce β-sitosterol. c Microcolin-A, an immunosuppressive agent produced by the microalga Lyngbya majuscule. d Docosahexaenoic acid DHA produced by the engineered strain of diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. e Structure of vitamin E (tocopherols), the microalga Haslea ostrearia naturaly produce vitamin E. f Chemical structure of okadaic acid, an anti-fungal agent produced by some species of dinoflagellates. g Chemical structure of microcystin-LR, produced by the blooming Microcystis aeruginosa
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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