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Biofuels from Microalgae
Author(s) -
Li Yanqun,
Horsman Mark,
Wu Nan,
Lan Christopher Q.,
DuboisCalero Nathalie
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
biotechnology progress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.572
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6033
pISSN - 8756-7938
DOI - 10.1021/bp070371k
Subject(s) - biofuel , biodiesel , environmental science , biomass (ecology) , bioenergy , biochemical engineering , pulp and paper industry , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , biology , ecology , engineering , biochemistry , catalysis
Microalgae are a diverse group of prokaryotic and eukaryotic photosynthetic microorganisms that grow rapidly due to their simple structure. They can potentially be employed for the production of biofuels in an economically effective and environmentally sustainable manner. Microalgae have been investigated for the production of a number of different biofuels including biodiesel, bio‐oil, bio‐syngas, and bio‐hydrogen. The production of these biofuels can be coupled with flue gas CO 2 mitigation, wastewater treatment, and the production of high‐value chemicals. Microalgal farming can also be carried out with seawater using marine microalgal species as the producers. Developments in microalgal cultivation and downstream processing (e.g., harvesting, drying, and thermochemical processing) are expected to further enhance the cost‐effectiveness of the biofuel from microalgae strategy.