Recent Advances in Biofuel Production from Microalgae Biomass
A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A4: Bio-Energy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2025 | Viewed by 5505
Special Issue Editor
Interests: microalgal biomass; biogas production; biofuels; bioenergy; waste management; environmental engineering; microbial fuel cells; bioremediation
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The use of fossil fuels for energy production leads to increased pollution levels, including the amount of greenhouse gases emitted, and has global economic consequences. An alternative way to cover the increasing energy demand is to use renewable sources, including biomass. However, the production of bioenergy must be sustainable and environmentally friendly, not competing with food production, both in terms of land (low ILUC) and the components necessary for cultivation, i.e., water and nutrients. Conventional biomass use, the method of obtaining such feedstocks, and their availability raise concerns; therefore, a great deal of attention is focused on algal biomass. The distinguishing properties of microalgae are their growth rate, their potential for the fixation of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, and their ability to accumulate valuable biocomponents. Microalgal biomass is a kind of green magazine where solar energy has been stored in the form of various chemical compounds. An appropriate conversion method makes it possible to produce heat, electricity, or liquid and gaseous biofuels, including bioethanol, biodiesel, green diesel, biomethane, biohydrogen, syngas, and bio-oil, from the biomass or components present in the microalgae cells. Microalgal biomass is not only a renewable energy substrate but also a biocatalyst for hydrogen production via biophotolysis and electrofermentation in microbial electrolysis cells. Biofuels from microalgae have the potential to promote energy diversification in the future and, due to the high level of carbon dioxide sequestration in biomass, to decarbonize transport. Biofuel production can be combined with bioremediation ('phycoremediation') processes favouring the microalgae-mediated removal of different environmental pollutants with lower cultivation costs. The commercialization of these technologies requires intensified research for efficient and low-cost biomass production conducted on a larger scale, optimization of environmental and technical cultivation conditions, efficient and low-cost harvesting, and refined conversion methods. There is a need for economic analyses of microalgal biofuel production to indicate the current level of competitiveness compared to other conventional energy carriers. Sustainable production of microalgal biomass, integrated energy conversion technologies in biorefineries, and appropriate regulations are key areas for the development of commercial microalgal biofuel production.
Prof. Małgorzata Hawrot-Paw
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- microalgae
- microalgal biomass culture
- microalgal biomass conversion
- advanced biofuel
- bioethanol
- biodiesel
- syngas
- biohydrogen
- biomethane
- bioenergy
- biophotovoltaic (BPV)
- biorefinery
- biomass management
- energy efficiency
- microbial electrolysis cells (MECs)
- energy storage
- anaerobic digestion
- transport decarbonization
- biophotolysis
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