Marine microalgae for production of biofuels and chemicals

• Published in: Current opinion in biotechnology 2018-04, Vol.50, p.111-120
• Main Authors: Maeda, Yoshiaki, Yoshino, Tomoko, Matsunaga, Tadashi, Matsumoto, Mitsufumi, Tanaka, Tsuyoshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic Organisms - genetics; Aquatic Organisms - metabolism; Biofuels; Biotechnology - methods; Gene Editing; Microalgae - genetics; Microalgae - metabolism
• ISSN: 0958-1669; 1879-0429
• DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2017.11.018

[Display omitted] •Production of biofuels and chemicals by marine microalgae are reviewed.•Industrial large-scale microalgae plants are introduced.•Water footprint can be decreased by using seawater for marine microalgae cultivation.•Offshore cultivation systems are developed to use vast ocean as a cultivation field.•Genome editing tools can improve the productivity of marine microalgae. Marine microalgae are recognized as promising feedstocks for biofuels and chemicals owing to their higher growth rates than those of terrestrial crop plants. We aimed to summarize the production of biofuels and chemicals by marine microalgae and to discuss their advantages and potential from the aspect of bioprocess. The present circumstances of the microalgae industry were briefly described and large-scale industrial plants for microalgae production, where some marine microalgae are cultivated, were introduced. The advantages of marine microalgae in terms of water and land usage were also discussed. Finally, novel genome editing tools that could further exploit the potential of marine microalgae were reviewed. The present study provided comprehensive information regarding current biotechnology using marine microalgae.