Abstract
Microalgae are increasingly viewed as renewable biological resources for a wide range of chemical compounds that can be used as or transformed into biomaterials through biorefining to foster the bioeconomy of the future. Besides the well-established biofuel potential of microalgae, key microalgal bioactive compounds, such as lipids, proteins, polysaccharides, pigments, vitamins, and polyphenols, possess a wide range of biomedical and nutritional attributes. Hence, microalgae can find value-added applications in the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, personal care, animal food, and agricultural industries. Microalgal biomass can be processed into biomaterials for use in dyes, paints, bioplastics, biopolymers, and nanoparticles, or as hydrochar and biochar in solid fuel cells and soil amendments. Equally important is the use of microalgae in environmental applications, where they can serve in heavy metal bioremediation, wastewater treatment, and carbon sequestration thanks to their nutrient uptake and adsorptive properties. The present article provides a comprehensive review of microalgae specifically focused on biomaterial production and environmental applications in an effort to assess their current status and spur further deployment into the commercial arena.
Highlights
Microalgae are a diverse group of organisms that thrive in various habitats, including rivers, lakes, oceans, and soils
The present review focuses on the promising role that algae biorefineries can play in the sustainable bioeconomy of the future and outlines the cellular functions, health benefits, and industrial applications of microalgae as a renewable feedstock for the production of biomaterials, and as a remediation agent in environmental applications
The UN-adapted Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) include the development of a bioeconomy whose building blocks for materials, chemicals, and energy are derived from renewable biological resources rather than from fossil resources, like oil and coal [12]
Summary
Microalgae are a diverse group of organisms that thrive in various habitats, including rivers, lakes, oceans, and soils Thanks to their photosynthetic efficiency, they enjoy high growth rates and can be potentially cultivated in sustainable ways [1]. They have certain requirements for growth, such as light, nutrients, and appropriate pH, and are capable of obtaining energy from photosynthesis and organic carbon, when growing under photoautotrophic and heterotrophic or mixotrophic conditions, respectively [2]. The cultivation and downstream processing of microalgae present challenges for the algae biorefineries of the future, such as reducing the media cost, diminishing contamination risks, developing more efficient techniques for fast and high-yield extraction of active compounds, and achieving high selectivity for the products of interest. The present review focuses on the promising role that algae biorefineries can play in the sustainable bioeconomy of the future and outlines the cellular functions, health benefits, and industrial applications of microalgae as a renewable feedstock for the production of biomaterials, and as a remediation agent in environmental applications
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