Advanced Technologies And Perspectives On Sustainable Microalgae Production

Dr. Fan holds patents related to microalgae production. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic theme

Microalgae are a particularly interesting source of products that range from currently marketed human nutritionals and food ingredients, to potential sources of biofuels and animal feeds. Rapid advances in technology and commercial development are taking place worldwide. Importantly, algal cultivation does not compete with agriculture for land, water, and in some cases, fertilizer resources. Microalgal Production for Biomass and High-Value Products covers the field from a variety of perspectives with 14 chapters contributed by recognized academic experts and industrial practitioners. The book presents the latest technologies and innovations in algal biomass production, from cultivation in open ponds and photobioreactors, to strain selection, synthetic biology, pest control, harvesting, and processing. It explores novel algal products and addresses key issues, including markets, supply chains, business strategies, legal issues, current products, and future prospects. This book brings together the latest advances of interest to those already working in the field while providing an introduction to those beginning to learn about the promise of microalgae as a sustainable source of both specialty and commodity products. It gives stimulating overviews from many different perspectives that describe how laboratory and applied research are creating advances in commercial microalgae production. It also addresses the still many open questions and challenges in this field.

Microalgae can be future resource for industrial biotechnology In current energy crisis era, microalgae are under tremendous research focus for the production of biodiesel due to their high photosynthetic efficiency, growth rate and high lipid content compared to territorial plants. However, the large-scale production of algal biomass and downstream processing of harvested algae towards bio-fuels are facing several challenges from economic viability perspective. Apart from bio-fuels, the microalgae synthesize number of bio-molecules such as pigments (e.g., chlorophyll, carotenoid), protein (e.g., lectin, phycobiliprotein), and carbohydrates (e.g., agar, carrageenan, alginate, fucodian) which are available in the various forms of microalgal products. Therefore, developing a strategy for large-scale production and use of algal biomass for the co-production of these value-added macromolecules is thus imperative for the improvement of the economics of algal biorefinery. In the above context, this book covers three major areas (i) commercial-scale production of bio-molecules from microalgae, (ii) sustainable approach for industrial-scale operation, and (iii) optimization of downstream processes. Each of these sections is composed of several chapters written by the renowned academicians/industry experts. Furthermore, in this book, a significant weightage is given to the industry experts (around 50%) to enrich the industrial perspectives. We hope that amalgamate of fundamental knowledge from academicians and applied research information from industry experts will be useful for forthcoming implementation of a sustainable integrated microalgal biorefinery. This book highlights following. Explores biomolecules from microalgae and their applications Discusses microalgae cultivations and harvesting Examines downstream processing of biomolecules Explores sustainable integrated approaches for industrial scale operations Examines purification techniques specific for microalgal proteins, Omega 3 fatty Acids, carbohydrates, and pigments

"Microalgae Biotechnology for Food, Health and High Value Products” presents the latest technological innovations in microalgae production, market status of algal biomass-based products, and future prospects for microalgal applications. It provides stimulating overviews from different perspectives of application that demonstrate how rapidly the commercial production of microalgae-based food, health and high value products is advancing. It also addresses a range of open questions and challenges in this field. The book highlights the latest advances of interest to those already working in the field, while providing a comprehensive overview for those readers just beginning to learn about the promise of microalgae as a sustainable source of both specialty and commercial products. It offers a valuable asset for commercial algae producers, algae product developers, scientific researchers and students who are dedicated to the advancement of microalgae biotechnology for applications in health, diet, nutrition, cosmetics, biomaterials etc.

This is the first book to present the idea of using Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing in the microalgae industry for environmental biotechnology. It provides the latest developments on microalgae for use in environmental biotechnology, explains process analysis from an engineering point of view, and discusses the transition to smart manufacturing and how state of the art technologies can be incorporated. It covers applications, technologies, challenges, and future perspectives. • Showcases how Industry 4.0 can be applied in algae industry • Covers new ideas generated from Industry 4.0 for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) • Demonstrates new technologies invented to cater to Industry 4.0 in microalgae • Features worked examples related to biological systems Aimed at chemical engineers, bioengineers, and environmental engineers, this is an essential resource for researchers, academics, and industry professionals in the microalgae biotechnology field.

It has become more evident that many microalgae respond very differently than land plants to diverse stimuli. Therefore, we cannot reduce microalgae biology to what we have learned from land plants biology. However, we are still at the beginning of a comprehensive understanding of microalgae biology. Microalgae have been posited several times as prime candidates for the development of sustainable energy platforms, making thus the in-depth understanding of their biological features an important objective. Thus, the knowledge related to the basics of microalgae biology must be acquired and shared rapidly, fostering the development of potential applications. Microalgae biology has been studied for more than forty years now and more intensely since the 1970’s, when genetics and molecular biology approaches were integrated into the research programs. Recently, studies on the molecular physiology of microalgae have provided evidences on the particularities of these organisms, mainly in model species, such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Of note, cellular responses in microalgae produce very interesting phenotypes, such as high lipid content in nitrogen deprived cells, increased protein content in cells under high CO2 concentrations, the modification of flagella structure and motility in basal body mutant strains, the different ancient proteins that microalgae uses to dissipate the harmful excess of light energy, the hydrogen production in cells under sulfur deprivation, to mention just a few. Moreover, several research groups are using high-throughput and data-driven technologies, including “omics” approaches to investigate microalgae cellular responses at a system-wide level, revealing new features of microalgae biology, highlighting differences between microalgae and land plants. It has been amazing to observe the efforts towards the development and optimization of new technologies required for the proper study of microalgae, including methods that opened new paths to the investigation of important processes such as regulatory mechanisms, signaling crosstalk, chemotactic mechanisms, light responses, chloroplast controlled mechanisms, among others. This is an exciting moment in microalgae research when novel data are been produced and applied by research groups from different areas, such as bioprocesses and biotechnology. Moreover, there has been an increased amount of research groups focused in the study of microalgae as a sustainable source for bioremediation, synthesis of bioproducts and development of bioenergy. Innovative strategies are combining the knowledge of basic sciences on microalgae into their applied processes, resulting in the progression of many applications that hopefully, will achieve the necessary degree of optimization for economically feasible large-scale applications. Advances on the areas of basic microalgae biology and novelties on the essential cellular processes were revealed. Progress in the applied science showed the use of the basic science knowledge into fostering translational research, proposing novel strategies for a sustainable world scenario. In this present e-book, articles presented by research groups from different scientific areas showed, successfully, the increased development of the microalgae research. Herewith, you will find articles ranging from bioprospecting regional microalgae species, through advances in microalgae molecular physiology to the development of techniques for characterization of biomass and the use of biomass into agriculture and bioenergy production. This e-book is an excellent source of knowledge for those working with microalgae basic and applied sciences, and a great opportunity for researchers from both areas to have an overview of the amazing possibilities we have for building an environmentally sustainable future once the knowledge is translated into novel applications.

"The farming and cultivation of algae can provide sustainable solutions for issues like food security-related problems, costly health-related products, sustainable fuels, and more. However, the use of algae is currently restricted to high-value, low-volume markets, mainly due to the high investment and production costs involved. In recent years, algaculture for food and fuel purposes has begun a transition from R&D and pilot-scale operations to commercial-scale systems. This new book, Algal Farming Systems: From Production to Application for a Sustainable Future, presents the latest technological innovations in algae production, market status, and prospects for algal applications. The book provides informative overviews of different perspectives on the commercial production of algae-based food, health, and high-value cosmeceutical products, providing an institutional framework to support and promote the development and commercialization of algal farming. The book has been divided into four parts. Part I discusses phycotechnology and highlights the current trends and future scope of algal technology. Part II presents new information on algal culture conditions and cultivation strategies, including a look at geographic position and local climate as key factors in the implementation of microalgae-based processes. Algal production, marketing strategies, and their commercialization are discussed in Part III. A case study on the microalgae market from Allmicroalgae, a biotechnology company in Portugal, is also presented. In Part IV, chapters extensively cover the industrial applications of algae, focusing mainly on nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and cosmeceutical applications of microalgae and macroalgae. The green synthesis of nanoparticles from algae for various commercial applications is also highlighted in the book. This book consolidates the latest research on algae in the field, together with market potential and policy considerations. It will be of immense benefit to researchers, academicians, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and those interested in the current status and future possibilities of algae commercialization"--