Biodiesel production from microalgae and other applications

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.