Chapter 7 - Biodiesel production from microbial lipids using oleaginous yeasts

Abstract

The energy industry is changing from the absolute dominance of fossil-fuel-based energy systems to the integration of low-carbon and multi-energy systems. Microbial lipids produced by oleaginous microorganisms have attracted much attention in the past few decades because of their dual roles as alternative feedstocks for biodiesel production and high-value polyunsaturated acids (PUFAs). However, the commercial production of microbial lipids is not yet economically feasible due to the high production and extraction costs. This review gives an overview of the feasibility and challenges that exist in realizing the commercial production of microbial lipids. The aspects covered here include oleaginous microorganisms, lipid accumulation and degradation mechanisms, oleaginous cell factory development, biorefinery feedstocks and technologies, process optimization, and value-added PUFAs.