Constraints to large scale algae biomass production and utilization

Abstract

Microalgae offer great promise in the production of food supplements for humans, animal feed, oil extraction and its trans-esterification to produce biodiesel, electricity production upon combustion directly or by transforming the algae to methane anaerobically, CO2 fixation ability, or fuel production via pyrolysis, gasification or anaerobic digestion. However, the development of algal biomass production technology is faced with numerous problems. In this review, we present an overview about the constraints militating against microalgae biomass production and utilisation. These challenges span the entire length of the algal production chain, from algal biology to algal cultivation to biomass harvesting to extraction of lipids and finally to the conversion of the algal oil to fuels. This perspective provides a brief overview of the potential technical and economic barriers that need to be overcome before production of microalgal-derived products can become a large-scale business.