The urge of algal biomass-based fuels for environmental sustainability against a steady tide of biofuel conflict analysis: Is third-generation algal biorefinery a boon?

• Published in: Fuel (Guildford) Vol. 317; p. 123494
• Main Authors: Thanigaivel, Sundaram, Vickram, Sundaram, Dey, Nibedita, Gulothungan, Govindarajan, Subbaiya, Ramasamy, Govarthanan, Muthusamy, Karmegam, Natchimuthu, Kim, Woong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2022; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Algae; Algae harvesting; Aquatic microorganisms; Bioconversion; Biodiesel fuels; Biofuel; Biofuels; Biomass; Biorefineries; Carbon dioxide; Carbon dioxide emissions; Crude oil; Crude oil prices; Dewatering; Emissions; Feed systems; Lipids; Microalgae; Nuclear fuels; Pyrolysis; Refining; Renewable fuels; Sustainability; Sustainability science; Sustainable development; Transesterification; Pyrolysis; Bioconversion; Microalgae; Biofuel; Transesterification
• ISSN: 0016-2361; 1873-7153
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fuel.2022.123494

[Display omitted] •Biofuels play crucial roles in fuel market and maintaining global energy security in near future.•Microalgae, the largest and renewable feedstocks for biofuel generation retain environmental sustainability.•Third generation microalgae produce large quantities of biomass and oil useful to make biodiesel.•A greater biomass yield of 2 g/L d-1 during wastewater treatment can be achieved.•Phycoremediation paves way for wastewater treatment and algal biomass production. To meet the rising demand for biofuel, food, and feed, as well as pharmaceuticals, microalgal-based biorefinery systems provide various advantages. Because of the worldwide energy crises, the future of microalgal biorefinery is attentively receiving prominence. Despite being renewable and carbon–neutral, microalgal-based technology produces net CO2 emissions. Due to poor market pricing for renewable fuels, current biomass conversion techniques are neither profitable nor long-term viable. The microalgal strain chosen is critical to the experiment's success. A comprehensive approach that considers all three aspects of environmental sustainability is required to successfully address these challenges. The process should never be jeopardized in any way that threatens its long-term viability. The issue of sustainability must therefore be addressed from the outset of every biorefinery project. It is necessary to investigate genetically altered microalgal strains with improved lipid content, light usage efficiency, pigment accumulation, and other features during the design phase of an algal-based biorefinery, among other things. This is due to the recent drop in crude oil prices, as well as the significant capital and investment costs associated with algae cultivation. Dewatering, harvesting, and lipid recovery must all be researched and developed at a low cost. To solve the problem of decreasing biomass productivities at bigger production scales, a new generation of photobioreactor designs, lighting strategies, and nutrient feed systems are required. To be successful, proponents of large-scale microalgae-based biorefineries must integrate social and sustainability sciences into their commercial plans. The current review explores the potential application of algal biomass for the production of biofuels and bio-based products. The variety of processes and pathways through which bioconversion of algal biomass can be performed are described in this review.