Ammonia production from microalgal biosystem: Present scenario, cultivation systems, production technologies, and way forward

Abstract

Recent advancements in renewable energy technologies have increased the demand for ammonia production from a variety of biomasses due to biomass’s abundant availability. Many types of biomass are used to generate biofuels by thermochemical and biochemical methods. These include residues from farming and forests, municipal solid waste, energy crops, food processing residues, industrial organic effluents, and algae. Microalgae, among the biomasses, are a valuable resource for ammonia and hydrogen production because they have a higher biomass production rate than others. It is possible to use steam gasification, pyrolysis, catalytic pyrolysis, and steam catalytic gasification to move nitrogen from algal biomass to NH3. However, intensive investigation is required in new directions to develop a mature and cost-effective technology. This article closely examines the current production of ammonia and the feasibility of utilizing algal biomass for the production of hydrogen and ammonia through various biochemical and thermochemical routes. The study comprehensively addressed the characteristics of ammonia and the current status of its production across multiple countries. The subsequent section discusses the cultivation systems and life cycle assessment of algal biomass production for fuels. Furthermore, the ammonia/hydrogen production methods utilizing algal biomass are also listed and discussed.