Bio-Based Circular Economy and Polygeneration in Microalgal Production from Food Wastes: A Concise Review

Abstract

The production of biofuels from microalgae has gained considerable attention due to the rapid diminution of fossil fuels. Despite major advantages, microalgal biofuels deployment still faces obstacles associated with the cost of biomass production and waste disposal. The production could become more cost-effective and feasible if the wastes in the production processes are recycled/reused and the biofuels produced are co-produced with high-value co-products. The aim of this review is to discuss and analyze the importance of recycling/reusing wastes and co-producing high-value products to be implemented with biofuels from microalgal-based processes. Recent advances in circular economy/integration and polygeneration, as proper strategies, are discussed. Circular economy and integration entail the reuse of food wastes, waste biomass, and wastewater in microalgal conversion processes for producing biofuels. The main focus of the section of this review on circular economy is food waste reuse for microalgal production. Polygeneration is the production of multiple products, including a biofuel as the main product and multiple co-products to ensure process cost reduction. The results reported in relevant studies have shown that microalgal growth and metabolite accumulation could be favored by mixotrophic cultivation using wastes from the conversion processes or reused food wastes. The co-production of high-value products, including pharmaceuticals, proteins, carbohydrates, pigments, bioplastics, pellets, and biofertilizers may also favor the sustainability of biofuel production from microalgae.

Enhancing the Biological Effects of Bioactive Compounds from Microalgae through Advanced Processing Techniques: Pioneering Ingredients for Next-Generation Food Production

“…Additionally, microalgae can uptake carbon dioxide and other nutrients from their surroundings, which makes them effective in bioremediation and nutrient recycling. They can be used in wastewater treatment plants to remove pollutants and excess nutrients, contributing to environmental sustainability [ 3 , 15 ]. The production costs of microalgae can vary depending on several factors, including the scale of cultivation, the type of microalgal species, cultivation methods, and downstream processing techniques.…”

Exploring the Benefits of Phycocyanin: From Spirulina Cultivation to Its Widespread Applications

“…Recently, several sustainable microalgae biorefinery technologies have been studied to support circular economy. Particularly, in Spirulina cultivation, other metabolites have been explored through different biorefinery routes and used in other industries, such as human food and animal feed (as they contain useful nutrients such as carbohydrates proteins, and vitamins), natural dyes (biopigments), biofuels production (from Spirulina biomass, enriched with lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates), biomaterials (e.g., polymer synthesis as polyhydroxyalkanoates and polyhydroxybutyrates), biofertilizers (residual Spirulina biomass), and wastewater treatment (microalgae as phycoremediation agent) Replacing the chemical nutrient medium with wastewater medium would also help reduce environmental impact and enable sustainable production on a commercial scale [2,23,24,[36][37][38][39][40].…”