Document Type : Review
Authors
1
Laboratory of Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences of Tetouan, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, 93000 Tetouan, Morocco
2
Department of human sciences option of agricultural extension, National School of Agriculture of Meknes, 50000 Meknes, Morocco
3
Food Science Department, College of Agriculture, University of Basrah, 61004 Basrah, Iraq; College of Medicine, University of Warith Al-Anbiyaa, 56001 Karbala, Iraq
4
Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Imaging Sciences, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy
Abstract
Due to their extensive application potential in biopharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and renewable energy, microalgae have recently drawn considerable attention worldwide. Biofuels, bioactive medicinal products, and food ingredients are made from microalgae, a renewable, sustainable, and economic resource. A number of microalgae species have shown remarkable pharmacological and biological properties that have made them useful as value-added products. The cost, renewable nature, and environmental concerns of biofuels make them a perfect substitute for liquid fossil fuels. As well as carbohydrates, lipids, and other bioactive metabolites, microalgae convert atmospheric CO2 into useful products. There are some limitations and challenges to overcome before microalgae can be upgraded from pilot stage to industrial scale, though they are feasible sources of bioenergy and biopharmaceuticals in general. Enhancing microalgae growth rate and product synthesis is the most challenging and crucial issue, as is dewatering algae cultures, pretreating biomass, and optimizing fermentation processes. Various bioactive compounds as well as microalgae advantages for biofuel production are discussed in this review.
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