Abstract
Microalgae are swift replicating photosynthetic microorganisms with several applications for food, chemicals, medicine and fuel. Microalgae have been identified to be suitable for biofuels production, due to their high lipid contents. Microalgae-based biofuels have the potential to meet the increasing energy demands and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the present state of technology does not economically support sustainable large-scale production. The biofuel production process comprises the upstream and downstream processing phases, with several uncertainties involved. This review examines the various production and processing stages, and considers the use of chemometric methods in identifying and understanding relationships from measured study parameters via statistical methods, across microalgae production stages. This approach enables collection of relevant information for system performance assessment. The principal benefit of such analysis is the identification of the key contributing factors, useful for decision makers to improve system design, operation and process economics. Chemometrics proffers options for time saving in data analysis, as well as efficient process optimization, which could be relevant for the continuous growth of the microalgae industry.
Highlights
Microalgae are microorganisms that swiftly replicate through photosynthesis, absorbing light in the presence of nutrients and CO2
Cluster A captured the main fatty acids under heterotrophic conditions, under mixotrophic conditions increased protein levels were associated with cluster C, while cluster D was positively associated with lipids, while monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and only one fatty acid were in cluster B
The use of chemometrics through various stages of microalgae production and processing has been illustrated through the cases discussed
Summary
Microalgae are microorganisms that swiftly replicate through photosynthesis, absorbing light in the presence of nutrients and CO2. Increasing generation of electricity from solar and other sources of renewable geothermal energy, the transport sector is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels and will continue to use them well. Microalgae production is currently undergoing significant development both within research and industrial sectors as a third generation biofuel feedstock. This is due to its higher photosynthetic efficiency in biomass production, faster growth rate, non-competition with food crops for arable land use and high lipid yield, making a more sustainable feedstock when compared to first and second generation biofuels. When not anaerobically digested to obtain the products mentioned above, it is possible to produce ethanol as another option using the residual biomass from the extraction process through hydrolysis and fermentation, but this is highly dependent on the carbohydrate content of the biomass [38]
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