Abstract
In view of paucity of experimental data on the valorization of microalgae, this article explores the feasibility of cascaded biorefinery approach to obtain a spectrum of products having significant yield comparable to their dedicated individual extractions thereby develop a proof-of-concept for techno-economically sustainable biofuel production. Chemical-free biomass harvest was carried out by utilizing fast self-flocculation capability of A. maxima. We obtained 16.3 wt% yield of phycocyanin. Lipid and other pigments from the phycocyanin extracted biomass yielded 4.43 wt% and 3.0 wt%, respectively. Finally, bioethanol is derived through a process of continuous fermentation from the resulting carbohydrate rich residual biomass. Also, we show volumetric ethanol productivity in the continuous process to be 4.09 gL−1 h−1. The developed biorefinery shows a minimal waste generation and complete valorization of feedstock befitting a circular bioeconomy. The complexity index of the biorefinery was determined to be 39 with one feedstock, two platform molecules, nine products and eight processes.
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