A state-of-the-art review on algae pyrolysis for bioenergy and biochar production

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 346; p. 126258
• Main Authors: Sun, Jiacheng, Norouzi, Omid, Mašek, Ondřej
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2022
• Subjects: algae; biochar; biofuels; Biomass; capacitance; catalysts; Charcoal; coproducts; cost effectiveness; electrochemical capacitors; energy; feedstocks; fertilizers; ion exchange capacity; lignocellulose; Pyrolysis; Soil; soil amendments; wastewater treatment
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126258

•Chemical components and characteristics of microalgae and macroalgae are discussed.•Algal biochar uses in soil, wastewater treatment, and supercapacitors are discussed.•Overview of bio-oil production by conventional and advanced pyrolysis is provided. Algae, as a feedstock with minimum land footprint, is considered a promising biomass for sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials. Unlike lignocellulosic biomass, algae consist mainly of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins. This review focusses on the bio-oil and biochar co-products of algae-pyrolysis and presents the current state-of-the-art in the pyrolysis technologies and key applications of algal biochar. Algal biochar holds potential to be a cost-effective fertilizer, as it has high P, N and other nutrient contents. Beyond soil applications, algae-derived biochar has many other applications, such as wastewater-treatment, due to its porous structure and strong ion-exchange capacity. High specific capacitance and stability also make algal biochar a potential supercapacitor material. Furthermore, algal biochar can be great catalysts (or catalyst supports). This review sheds light on a wide range of algae-pyrolysis related topics, including advanced-pyrolysis techniques and the potential biochar applications in soil amendment, energy storage, catalysts, chemical industries, and wastewater-treatment plants.