Joshi Jnanada Shrikant, Langwald Sarah Vanessa, Ehrmann Andrea, Sabantina Lilia
Faculty of Engineering Sciences and Mathematics, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and Arts, 33619 Bielefeld, Germany.
Department of Apparel Engineering and Textile Processing, Berlin University of Applied Sciences-HTW Berlin, 12459 Berlin, Germany.
Polymers (Basel). 2024 Feb 23;16(5):610. doi: 10.3390/polym16050610.
Algae-based biopolymers can be used in diverse energy-related applications, such as separators and polymer electrolytes in batteries and fuel cells and also as microalgal biofuel, which is regarded as a highly renewable energy source. For these purposes, different physical, thermochemical, and biochemical properties are necessary, which are discussed within this review, such as porosity, high temperature resistance, or good mechanical properties for batteries and high energy density and abundance of the base materials in case of biofuel, along with the environmental aspects of using algae-based biopolymers in these applications. On the other hand, bacterial biopolymers are also often used in batteries as bacterial cellulose separators or as biopolymer network binders, besides their potential use as polymer electrolytes. In addition, they are also regarded as potential sustainable biofuel producers and converters. This review aims at comparing biopolymers from both aforementioned sources for energy conversion and storage. Challenges regarding the production of algal biopolymers include low scalability and low cost-effectiveness, and for bacterial polymers, slow growth rates and non-optimal fermentation processes often cause challenges. On the other hand, environmental benefits in comparison with conventional polymers and the better biodegradability are large advantages of these biopolymers, which suggest further research to make their production more economical.
基于藻类的生物聚合物可用于各种与能源相关的应用，例如电池和燃料电池中的隔膜和聚合物电解质，以及作为微藻生物燃料，微藻生物燃料被视为一种高度可再生的能源。出于这些目的，需要不同的物理、热化学和生化特性，本综述将对这些特性进行讨论，例如电池所需的孔隙率、耐高温性或良好的机械性能，以及生物燃料所需的高能量密度和丰富的基础材料，同时还将探讨在这些应用中使用基于藻类的生物聚合物的环境方面。另一方面，细菌生物聚合物除了有作为聚合物电解质的潜在用途外，还经常在电池中用作细菌纤维素隔膜或生物聚合物网络粘合剂。此外，它们也被视为潜在的可持续生物燃料生产者和转化者。本综述旨在比较上述两种来源的生物聚合物在能量转换和存储方面的情况。藻类生物聚合物生产面临的挑战包括可扩展性低和成本效益低，而对于细菌聚合物，生长速度慢和发酵过程不理想常常带来挑战。另一方面，与传统聚合物相比，这些生物聚合物具有环境效益和更好的生物降解性，这表明需要进一步研究以使其生产更经济。
