Microalgal biofuels: Challenges and prospective in the framework of circular bioeconomy

Microalgae are a promising bioresource, facilitating carbon dioxide sequestration and wastewater bioremediation whilst synthesizing lipids and carbohydrates that could be processed into biofuels such as biodiesel, biochar, biogas, and biohydrogen. Microalgae has the potential to play a major role wi...

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Main Authors: Sajani Piyatilleke, Bavatharny Thevarajah, P.H.V. Nimarshana, Thilini U. Ariyadasa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Energy Nexus
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277242712400069X
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author Sajani Piyatilleke
Bavatharny Thevarajah
P.H.V. Nimarshana
Thilini U. Ariyadasa
author_facet Sajani Piyatilleke
Bavatharny Thevarajah
P.H.V. Nimarshana
Thilini U. Ariyadasa
author_sort Sajani Piyatilleke
collection DOAJ
description Microalgae are a promising bioresource, facilitating carbon dioxide sequestration and wastewater bioremediation whilst synthesizing lipids and carbohydrates that could be processed into biofuels such as biodiesel, biochar, biogas, and biohydrogen. Microalgae has the potential to play a major role within a sustainable bioeconomy, through zero-waste, carbon-neutral production of multiple biofuels by valorizing the entire biomass. Despite the multitude of advantages in deriving biofuels from microalgae, techno-economic challenges, such as chemical requirements for cultivation, energy requirements of harvesting, and tradeoffs between efficiency-energy-cost of downstream processing methods act as a barrier to scale-up and economically viable operation under the framework of a circular bioeconomy. Thus, this review aims to discuss the potential of microalgae-derived biofuels in achieving a circular bioeconomy through perspectives of possible integration with wastewater bioremediation as well as multiproduct biorefining operations. Furthermore, the review will detail the encompassing techno-economic and sustainability challenges toward large-scale implementation of microalgal biofuels within the framework of a circular bioeconomy, while assessing the potential solutions and perspectives.
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issn 2772-4271
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher Elsevier
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series Energy Nexus
spelling doaj-art-9d77d263d0fb49fd937cd6247c29a0ab2025-08-20T01:49:31ZengElsevierEnergy Nexus2772-42712025-03-011710033810.1016/j.nexus.2024.100338Microalgal biofuels: Challenges and prospective in the framework of circular bioeconomySajani Piyatilleke0Bavatharny Thevarajah1P.H.V. Nimarshana2Thilini U. Ariyadasa3Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa 10400, Sri LankaDepartment of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa 10400, Sri LankaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa 10400, Sri LankaDepartment of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa 10400, Sri Lanka; Corresponding author.Microalgae are a promising bioresource, facilitating carbon dioxide sequestration and wastewater bioremediation whilst synthesizing lipids and carbohydrates that could be processed into biofuels such as biodiesel, biochar, biogas, and biohydrogen. Microalgae has the potential to play a major role within a sustainable bioeconomy, through zero-waste, carbon-neutral production of multiple biofuels by valorizing the entire biomass. Despite the multitude of advantages in deriving biofuels from microalgae, techno-economic challenges, such as chemical requirements for cultivation, energy requirements of harvesting, and tradeoffs between efficiency-energy-cost of downstream processing methods act as a barrier to scale-up and economically viable operation under the framework of a circular bioeconomy. Thus, this review aims to discuss the potential of microalgae-derived biofuels in achieving a circular bioeconomy through perspectives of possible integration with wastewater bioremediation as well as multiproduct biorefining operations. Furthermore, the review will detail the encompassing techno-economic and sustainability challenges toward large-scale implementation of microalgal biofuels within the framework of a circular bioeconomy, while assessing the potential solutions and perspectives.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277242712400069XBioremediationBiorefineryWastewaterCircular bioeconomySustainabilityBioenergy
spellingShingle Sajani Piyatilleke
Bavatharny Thevarajah
P.H.V. Nimarshana
Thilini U. Ariyadasa
Microalgal biofuels: Challenges and prospective in the framework of circular bioeconomy
Energy Nexus
Bioremediation
Biorefinery
Wastewater
Circular bioeconomy
Sustainability
Bioenergy
title Microalgal biofuels: Challenges and prospective in the framework of circular bioeconomy
title_full Microalgal biofuels: Challenges and prospective in the framework of circular bioeconomy
title_fullStr Microalgal biofuels: Challenges and prospective in the framework of circular bioeconomy
title_full_unstemmed Microalgal biofuels: Challenges and prospective in the framework of circular bioeconomy
title_short Microalgal biofuels: Challenges and prospective in the framework of circular bioeconomy
title_sort microalgal biofuels challenges and prospective in the framework of circular bioeconomy
topic Bioremediation
Biorefinery
Wastewater
Circular bioeconomy
Sustainability
Bioenergy
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277242712400069X
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AT phvnimarshana microalgalbiofuelschallengesandprospectiveintheframeworkofcircularbioeconomy
AT thiliniuariyadasa microalgalbiofuelschallengesandprospectiveintheframeworkofcircularbioeconomy