Photosynthetic bioenergy utilizing CO2: an approach on flue gases utilization for third generation biofuels

TLDR

Cement manufacturing is a major source of CO₂, accounting for 8 % of global emissions in 2010. The study proposes using cement‑industry CO₂ as a feedstock for microalgae cultivation to convert waste gas into biofuels, wastewater treatment, and high‑value products such as pigments, supplements, and fertilizers. The approach couples flue‑gas CO₂ to microalgae cultures, leveraging their high biofixation efficiency and biorefinery potential to produce energy and other products.

Abstract

One of the most important industrial activities related to the greenhouse gases emissions is the cement manufacturing process, which produces large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). Only in 2010, 8% of CO2 global emissions were due to cement industry. In this work, the use of CO2 released by the cement sector is described as potential gas for microalgae culture since their biofixation efficiency is higher than terrestrial plants. Therefore, transformation of polluting gas fluxes into new and valuable products is feasible. In addition, bulk applications such as wastewater treatment and biofuels production can be coupled. Finally, microalgae biomass can be also used for the production of valuable compounds such as pigments, food supplements for both humans and animals, and fertilizers. In this review, flue gas emissions coupled to microalgae cultures are described. In addition, since microalgae can produce energy, the biorefinery concept is also reviewed.