Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Almería, Almería, Spain.
National Laboratory of Energy and Geology - LNEG, I.P, Lisbon, Portugal.
N Biotechnol. 2021 Mar 25;61:99-107. doi: 10.1016/j.nbt.2020.11.011. Epub 2020 Nov 26.
The bioeconomy is a new and essential paradigm for reducing our dependence on natural resources and responding to the environmental threats that the Earth is currently facing. In this regard, microalgae offer almost unlimited possibilities for developing a modern bioeconomy given their metabolic flexibility and high biomass output rates, even when produced under harsh conditions, such as when treating wastewaters or using flue gases. In this article, the microalgal contribution to important economic activities such as the production of food and feed, cosmetics and health-related compounds is reviewed. Moreover, potential contributions of microalgae to emerging sectors are discussed, as in the production of biomaterials, agriculture-related products, biofuels and provision of services such as wastewater treatment and the clean-up of industrial gases. The different microalgal production technologies have also been analyzed to identify the main bottlenecks affecting microalgal use in different applications. Finally, the major challenges facing microalgal biotechnology in enlarging its contribution to the bioeconomy are evaluated, and future trends discussed.
生物经济是一种新的、必不可少的范式，可以减少我们对自然资源的依赖，并应对地球目前面临的环境威胁。在这方面，微藻提供了几乎无限的可能性来发展现代生物经济，因为它们具有代谢灵活性和高生物质产量，即使在恶劣条件下生产，例如处理废水或使用废气时也是如此。在本文中，综述了微藻对重要经济活动的贡献，如食品和饲料、化妆品和与健康相关的化合物的生产。此外，还讨论了微藻对新兴领域的潜在贡献，如生物材料、与农业相关的产品、生物燃料的生产以及提供废水处理和工业气体净化等服务。还分析了不同的微藻生产技术，以确定影响微藻在不同应用中的使用的主要瓶颈。最后，评估了微藻生物技术在扩大其对生物经济的贡献方面面临的主要挑战，并讨论了未来的趋势。
