Development of algae biorefinery concepts for biofuels and bioproducts; a perspective on process-compatible products and their impact on cost-reduction

Abstract

Biomass and bioproduct composition critical improvements are a priority for the nascent algae-based bioeconomy.

Microalgae a Superior Source of Folates: Quantification of Folates in Halophile Microalgae by Stable Isotope Dilution Assay

“…This situation is further aggravated by climate change effects, which ultimately lead to a shift and total reduction of agricultural lands (Tilman et al, 2001). Hence, generating nutrient concentrated, edible biomass on non-agricultural landmass is a pivotal role for a food-centered, future biorefinery approach (Laurens et al, 2017;Sheppard et al, 2019). To that end, microalgae potentially yield at least five times more biomass than terrestrial plants on the equivalent land surface and can be cultivated without the need for freshwater (Benedetti et al, 2018).…”

High‐Performance Plasma‐Enabled Biorefining of Microalgae to Value‐Added Products

“…Microalgae have been recognized as the most efficient form of biomass because of a favourable combination of fast growth rate with high photosynthetic efficiency, year‐round production, low freshwater requirement and so forth . It is also a preferred bioresource for the production of biofuels and bioproducts, as reflected by the development of several well‐known (micro)algae biorefinery concepts . The use of plasma‐assisted liquefaction in the presence of H 2 SO 4 or KOH as a homogeneous catalyst is shown to significantly shorten liquefaction time from hours to several minutes under mild conditions.…”

Transcriptomic responses associated with carbon and energy flows under high salinity stress suggest the overflow of acetyl-CoA from glycolysis and NADPH co-factor induces high lipid accumulation and halotolerance inChlorellasp. HS2

“…While high salinity stress strongly influences the viability and biochemical composition of algal crops and thus the economic feasibility of entire algal biorefinery (Kakarla et al, 2018; Laurens et al, 2017; Oh et al, 2019), this study was set out to elucidate transcriptional responses that give rise to the salt tolerance of highly-productive Chlorella sp. HS2.…”

“…Microalgae exhibit a greater biomass yield than most terrestrial crops and can be grown with excess nutrients in wastewater sources, prompting its industrial utilization as a biofeedstock for the production of nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and biofuels (Hu et al, 2008; Quinn & Davis, 2015; Smith, Sturm, Denoyelles, & Billings, 2010; Unkefer et al, 2017; Yun, Cho, Lee, Heo, et al, 2018). However, commercial production of algal biomass is not yet considered to be economically competitive because of high energy inputs associated with biomass harvesting and downstream extraction of desirable biomolecules (Laurens et al, 2017; Stephens et al, 2010; Valizadeh Derakhshan, Nasernejad, Abbaspour-Aghdam, & Hamidi, 2015). Importantly, the productivity and operational stability of algal cultivation platforms are prone to be compromised by unpredictable meteorological conditions and culture contamination (McBride et al, 2014; Wang et al, 2016; Yun et al, 2019; Yun, Cho, Lee, Kim, & Chang, 2018; Yun, Smith, La, & Keun Chang, 2016), which has led to multifactorial efforts to develop robust algal “crops” under changing environments, just as in the case of conventional agriculture.…”