Microalgae and Clean Technologies: A Review

• Published in: Clean : soil, air, water Vol. 47; no. 11
• Main Authors: Souza, Maiara Priscilla, Hoeltz, Michele, Brittes Benitez, Lisianne, Machado, Ênio Leandro, de Souza Schneider, Rosana de Cassia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.11.2019
• Subjects: Algae; Alternative energy sources; bibliometric mapping; Bibliometrics; biomass; Clean technology; Cultivation; Dewatering; Drying; Emissions trading; Environmental management; Greenhouse effect; Greenhouse gases; Life cycle; Life cycle analysis; Life cycle assessment; Life cycles; Mapping; Microalgae; Phytoplankton; Renewable energy; Renewable resources; Resource management; Sustainability
• ISSN: 1863-0650; 1863-0669
• DOI: 10.1002/clen.201800380

The search for clean technologies needs to be continued to offer alternatives for achieving sustainable energy production and a sustainable economy. This concern is particularly related to the demands of both producing enough renewable energy to meet future needs and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Microalgae are recognized for several benefits they offer, and in recent years, the use of life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the benefits resulting from microalgae cultivation, harvesting/dewatering, biomass drying, extraction, and byproduct development has stimulated research in this area. Considering the importance of microalgae and clean technologies and the increasing number of publications on these subjects, this review aims to perform bibliometric mapping of such studies from 2008 to 2018. Web of Science and Scopus databases are used to identify leading trends. Visualization of similarities viewer (VOSviewer) software is applied to analyze the interactions among keywords. The results of this study indicate an association of microalgae and clean technologies and demonstrate that LCA is one of the most common tools used for such analyses. Bibliometric mapping provides relevant data to reinforce this association and understand the main bottlenecks that must be overcome in this field for future progress to be made. Bibliometric mapping is a great option for obtaining an overview on existing studies and to visualize the main topics in this area. The parameters of cultivation, harvest/dewatering, biomass drying, and extraction must be evaluated to develop clean technologies with microalgae. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool to increase the development of clean technologies with these microorganisms.