New Insights into Microalgal Biorefinery for Bioenergy Production
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Science and Technology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2024) | Viewed by 2556
Special Issue Editors
Interests: CO2 capture; wastewater treatment; microalgal biofuels; process modelling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: algal biotechnology; microalgae; cyanobacteria; seaweeds; bioactive compounds; algal process optimization; algal extraction; wastewater treatment; applications of algae biomass
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms known for their high contents in different compounds such as lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, pigments, vitamins, and antioxidants, among others. Despite the significant advantages and market applications of microalgal bioproducts (biofuels, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, human food, and animal feed), the utilization of individual components may not be technically and economically feasible. Therefore, microalgal biorefineries have been proposed as an excellent opportunity to take advantage of the wealthy composition of microalgal biomass and sustainably supply the market needs with this wide diversity of compounds. Biorefining entails using different technologies to convert biomass into products that can integrate other markets with different values and sizes.
In chemical biorefineries, biomass is converted into non-energetic products, and the residue is used to produce bioenergy. On the other hand, in energy biorefineries, biomass lipids can be used to produce energetic products such as biofuels, while the residues are applied to extract biobased products. These biorefineries may become of high relevance in the near future since microalgal biofuel can be a great alternative source of sustainable fuel. Another advantage is the possibility of integrating wastewater bioremediation and CO2 capture with bioenergy production. However, for multiproduct microalgal biorefineries to be a cost-effective approach at an industrial scale, research should focus on several aspects: (i) increasing process efficiencies in all steps involved in biorefinery; (ii) enhancing the product’s value; (iii) mitigating negative impacts on the environment; and (iv) reducing capital and operational costs.
This Special Issue aims to explore research perspectives and scientific approaches in the field of microalgal biorefinery for bioenergy production. The main research topics include microalgal cultivation systems and harvesting techniques, bioproduct extraction and recovery, wastewater bioremediation, CO2 capture, and production of microalgal biofuels.
Dr. José Carlos Magalhães Pires
Dr. Helena Amaro
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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