Microalgae Biomass and Lipids as Feedstock for Biofuels: Sustainable Biotechnology Strategies

Swathi Somaiyan Babu, Rashmi Gondi, Godvin Sharmila Vincent, Godwin Christopher JohnSamuel and Rajesh Banu Jeyakumar ()
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Swathi Somaiyan Babu: Department of Biotechnology, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur 610001, Tamil Nadu, India
Rashmi Gondi: Department of Biotechnology, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur 610001, Tamil Nadu, India
Godvin Sharmila Vincent: Department of Civil Engineering, Rohini College of Engineering and Technology, Kanyakumari 629401, Tamil Nadu, India
Godwin Christopher JohnSamuel: School of Biosciences and Technology, VIT University, Vellore 632014, Tamil Nadu, India
Rajesh Banu Jeyakumar: Department of Biotechnology, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur 610001, Tamil Nadu, India

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 22, 1-31

Abstract: Microalgae exhibit remarkable potential as a feedstock for biofuel production compared with other sources, owing to their high areal productivity, low environmental effect, and negligible influence on food security. However, the primary obstacle to the commercialization of algae-based biofuels is the high economic cost due to the low-yield lipid content in the microalgae biomass. Maximizing biomass and lipid production is crucial to improve the economic viability of microalgae for biofuels. Identifying appropriate algal strains, particularly from indigenous environments, and developing those ‘platform strains’ using mutagenesis and genetic-engineering techniques is preferable. The provided discussion of conventional methods to increase microalgae’s biomass and lipid productivity mostly entailed adjusting environmental (such as temperature, light, and salinity) and nutritional (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) parameters. This review illustrated a comprehensive overview of biotechnological approaches and the recent strategies to enhance the lipid productivity of microalgae. The research also emphasized the need to streamline engineering strategies with the aid of recent advancements in DNA-manipulation techniques to hinder the existing biological intricacies in lipogenesis. This review also discussed the current economic and commercialization of this algal biorefinery along with the drawbacks.

Keywords: anaerobic digestion; biogas; cost; environmental impact; nanomaterial; waste activated sludge (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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