Cultivation of Algae and Its Biorefinery Approach

Abstract

During the past decades, algae have attracted worldwide attention as a sustainable bioresource to produce various biochemicals and biofuels. However, the prohibitive cost of algal biomass production and processing casts doubt on the industrial applications of algae. Hence, many efforts have been made to enhance the viability of these species. One serious challenge is maximizing algal biomass production. Since algal growth is strain-specific, the optimization of cultivation conditions (pH, illumination, temperature, and nutrients) can significantly tackle the problem of algal biomass production. Another way of reducing the production costs and enhancing the viability of algal biotechnology is the fractionation of all major components, known as a multi-product biorefinery. Various upstream and downstream processes are involved in an algae biorefinery. Therefore, having detailed knowledge about these bioprocesses and how to optimize them is a milestone for the commercialization of algae. Consequently, this chapter aims to provide an overview of algae cultivation methods and parameters affecting algae growth as well as different microalgae cultivation systems. Besides, it describes the bioprocesses involved in an algae biorefinery and their bioproducts.