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Cyanobacteria cultivation in industrial wastewaters and biodiesel production from their biomass: A review
Author(s) -
Balasubramanian Lavanya,
Subramanian Geetha,
Nazeer Thayiba Thanveer,
Simpson Hannah Shalini,
Rahuman Shifina T.,
Raju Preetha
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
biotechnology and applied biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.468
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1470-8744
pISSN - 0885-4513
DOI - 10.1002/bab.31
Subject(s) - biodiesel , biomass (ecology) , biofuel , environmental science , biodiesel production , petroleum , cyanobacteria , waste management , pulp and paper industry , microbiology and biotechnology , ecology , biology , engineering , paleontology , biochemistry , genetics , bacteria , catalysis
As an alternative fuel biodiesel has become increasingly important due to diminishing petroleum reserves and adverse environmental consequences of exhaust gases from petroleum‐fueled engines. Recently, research interest has focused on the production of biofuel from microalgae. Cyanobacteria appeared to be suitable candidates for cultivation in wastes and wastewaters because they produce biomass in satisfactory quantity and can be harvested relatively easily due to their size and structure. In addition, their biomass composition can be manipulated by several environmental and operational factors to produce biomass with concrete characteristics. Herein, we review the culture of cyanobacteria in wastewaters and also the potential resources that can be transformed into biodiesel successfully for meeting the ever‐increasing demand for biodiesel production.