Comparison of CO2 absorption via terrestrial plants and microalgae: A review

Abstract

Currently, global warming and climate change continue to increase along with CO2 gas emissions. This has an impact on the survival of organisms, including humans. Therefore, efforts to reduce CO2 emissions have been conducted by various methods, such as chemical, physical and biological methods, one of the most efficient methods to absorb CO2 gas is to use microalgae. Microalgae are photosynthetic organisms capable of absorbing CO2. Microalgae can also be converted into valuable products such as biofuels, biofertilizers, food, feed, medicines, and cosmetics through an integrated biorefinery concept. In the future, CO2 mitigation using microalgae will be massively studied, considering the many benefits obtained from the utilization of microalgae to reduce CO2 emissions in the world. Through the concept of biorefinery, microalgae can be processed into various derivative products that are useful for humans in the food, feed, health, industrial, medicine, and cosmetic sectors. This review will compare the effectiveness of CO2 absorption through terrestrial plants, microalgae, and microalgae-bacterial consortia to the possibility of its application and challenges.