Review of Advances in Algae as an Energy Source

Deema Darwish () and Bassam Abu-Hijleh ()
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Deema Darwish: British University in Dubai
Bassam Abu-Hijleh: British University in Dubai

Circular Economy and Sustainability, 2025, vol. 5, issue 5, 4703-4729

Abstract: Abstract Algae biofuels are central to hard-to-electrify sectors like aviation's decarbonization, but scalability and cost remain challenges. This review addresses them by summarizing post-2020 advances in genetic engineering, biorefinery integration, and market trends driven by policy. Unlike other research, we introduce a first-of-its-kind Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) comparison (Figure 19), which locates algae biofuels' niche in high-value applications (e.g., sustainable aviation fuel) even at higher costs than solar/wind. We also highlight underappreciated synergies, such as algae-cement symbiosis (Figure 8) and bioplastics (Figure 13), that can reduce the production costs by 40%. By the synthesis of technical, economic, and regulatory intelligence, this work establishes a roadmap for scalable, policy-supported algae bioenergy systems.

Keywords: Algae; Bioenergy; Technological advances; Challenges; Future developments; Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF); Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE); Biorefinery integration; Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s43615-025-00607-2

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