Microalgal Biotechnology: Innovations and Applications

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbial Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 1248

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Researcher at Sustainable Energy Research & Development Center (NPDEAS), Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brazil
2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS), Florida A&M University, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
Interests: microalgal biotechnology; microalgae-based processes; microalgae cultivation; biomass production; biofuels; renewable energy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to a special issue titled "Microalgal Biotechnology: Innovations and Applications”. This special issue aims to highlight the latest research and technological advancements in the field of microalgal biotechnology. Microalgae are promising biological resources due to their ability to produce a wide range of valuable products of commercial interest, including biofuels/bioenergy, biofertilizers, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals, as well as their applications in environmental sustainability, such as wastewater treatment and CO2 sequestration.

The goal of this special issue is to provide a comprehensive overview of current trends and future directions in microalgal biotechnology. We encourage submissions that address various aspects of the field, including innovative cultivation techniques, genetic and metabolic engineering, optimization of biomass production, and advances in bioreactor design. We are also interested in studies that focus on the extraction and utilization of high-value compounds from microalgae, new methods for harvesting and processing microalgal biomass, as well as biofuel production, renewable energy integration strategies in microalgae-based processes, and economic and environmental approaches.

By bringing together cutting-edge research and expert reviews, this special issue aims to serve as a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners working to unlock the full potential of microalgae in biotechnology. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Ihana A. Severo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microalgae biotechnology
  • microalgae cultivation
  • genetic engineering
  • metabolic engineering
  • biofuels
  • biofertilizers
  • pharmaceuticals
  • nutraceuticals
  • wastewater treatment
  • CO2 sequestration
  • bioreactor design
  • biomass production
  • downstream processing techniques
  • life cycle assessments
  • techno-economic analysis

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 1691 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Recovery of Food-Grade Euglena gracilis Biomass Through Synergistic pH-Modified Chitosan Flocculation and Green Light Stimulation
by Jiangyu Zhu, Lan Yang, Li Ding, Zhengfei Yang, Yongqi Yin, Minato Wakisaka, Shahram Ashouri, Mohammadhadi Jazini and Weiming Fang
Microorganisms 2025, 13(2), 303; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13020303 - 30 Jan 2025
Viewed by 741
Abstract
The efficient and cost-effective harvesting of food-grade Euglena gracilis remains a critical challenge in microalgal food production. This study presents an innovative, food-safe approach integrating pH preconditioning, chitosan biopolymer flocculation, and green light irradiation to leverage E. gracilis’ natural phototactic behavior. Response surface [...] Read more.
The efficient and cost-effective harvesting of food-grade Euglena gracilis remains a critical challenge in microalgal food production. This study presents an innovative, food-safe approach integrating pH preconditioning, chitosan biopolymer flocculation, and green light irradiation to leverage E. gracilis’ natural phototactic behavior. Response surface methodology optimized the parameters (pH 6.49, 46.10 mg·L−1 chitosan, and 60 min green light), achieving 93.07% biomass recovery, closely matching the predicted 92.21%. The synergistic effects of pH-modified chitosan flocculation and phototaxis significantly enhanced the harvesting efficiency compared to conventional methods. Notably, harvested cells maintained substantial photosynthetic capability, as evidenced by chlorophyll fluorescence analysis, ensuring the preservation of nutritional quality. Economic analysis revealed exceptional harvesting cost-effectiveness at 2.35 USD per kg of dry weight biomass harvested. The method’s use of food-grade chitosan and non-invasive light stimulation ensures product safety while minimizing the environmental impact. This sustainable and economical approach offers a promising solution for industrial-scale production of food-grade E. gracilis while demonstrating potential applicability to other phototactic microalgae species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microalgal Biotechnology: Innovations and Applications)
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