Recent Advances in Biofuel Production from Microalgae Biomass
A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A4: Bio-Energy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 1221
Special Issue Editor
Interests: microalgal biomass; biogas production; biofuels; bioenergy; waste management; environmental engineering; microbial fuel cells; bioremediation
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The use of fossil fuels for energy production leads to increased pollution levels, including the amount of greenhouse gases emitted, and has global economic consequences. An alternative way to cover the increasing energy demand is to use renewable sources, including biomass. However, the production of bioenergy must be sustainable and environmentally friendly, not competing with food production, both in terms of land (low ILUC) and the components necessary for cultivation, i.e., water and nutrients. Conventional biomass use, the method of obtaining such feedstocks, and their availability raise concerns; therefore, a great deal of attention is focused on algal biomass. The distinguishing properties of microalgae are their growth rate, their potential for the fixation of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, and their ability to accumulate valuable biocomponents. Microalgal biomass is a kind of green magazine where solar energy has been stored in the form of various chemical compounds. An appropriate conversion method makes it possible to produce heat, electricity, or liquid and gaseous biofuels, including bioethanol, biodiesel, green diesel, biomethane, biohydrogen, syngas, and bio-oil, from the biomass or components present in the microalgae cells. Microalgal biomass is not only a renewable energy substrate but also a biocatalyst for hydrogen production via biophotolysis and electrofermentation in microbial electrolysis cells. Biofuels from microalgae have the potential to promote energy diversification in the future and, due to the high level of carbon dioxide sequestration in biomass, to decarbonize transport. Biofuel production can be combined with bioremediation ('phycoremediation') processes favouring the microalgae-mediated removal of different environmental pollutants with lower cultivation costs. The commercialization of these technologies requires intensified research for efficient and low-cost biomass production conducted on a larger scale, optimization of environmental and technical cultivation conditions, efficient and low-cost harvesting, and refined conversion methods. There is a need for economic analyses of microalgal biofuel production to indicate the current level of competitiveness compared to other conventional energy carriers. Sustainable production of microalgal biomass, integrated energy conversion technologies in biorefineries, and appropriate regulations are key areas for the development of commercial microalgal biofuel production.
Prof. Małgorzata Hawrot-Paw
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. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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
- microalgal biomass culture
- microalgal biomass conversion
- advanced biofuel
- bioethanol
- biodiesel
- syngas
- biohydrogen
- biomethane
- bioenergy
- biophotovoltaic (BPV)
- biorefinery
- biomass management
- energy efficiency
- microbial electrolysis cells (MECs)
- energy storage
- anaerobic digestion
- transport decarbonization
- biophotolysis
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: Analysis of multi-biofuel production during mixotrophic cultivation of the green microalgae Tetraselmis subscordiformis
Authors: Marcin Dębowski; Magda Dudek; Joanna Kazimierowicz; Piera Quattrocelli; Paulina Rusanowska; Łukasz Barczak; Anna Nowicka; Marcin Zieliński
Affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-720, Olsztyn, Poland
Abstract: Research to date has mainly focussed on the properties and efficiency of the production of selected, individual types of biofuels from microalgae biomass. There are not enough studies investigating the efficiency of the production of all energy sources synthesised by these microorganisms in a single technological cycle. The aim of the research was to determine the possibilities and efficiency of the production of hydrogen, bio-oil and methane in the continuous cycle of processing T. subcordiformis microalgae biomass. It is possible to produce these three energy carriers, but it is not the most valuable protocol from the point of view of energy gain. It has been found that the least justified process is the production of bio-oil, as its energy value is only 1.3 kWh/MgTS. The most valuable single process for processing microalgae biomass is methane fermentation. The highest specific gross energy gain was found after applying a protocol combining biomass production, hydrogen biosynthesis and subsequent methane production from T. subcordiformis biomass. With this variant, a total value of 1891.4 kWh/MgTS was achieved. The direct methane fermentation of T. subcordiformis biomass enabled the production of 1769.8 kWh/MgTS.