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Fermentation
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Algae—The Medium of Bioenergy Conversion: 2nd Edition
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Algae—The Medium of Bioenergy Conversion: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Industrial Fermentation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2025 | Viewed by 9475

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Prashant Praveen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Rotorua Lakes Council, Rotorua, New Zealand
Interests: adsorption; chromatography; wastewater treatment; biological wastewater treatment; water and wastewater treatment; environment; biotechnology; water treatment; wastewater engineering; water quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sheetal Parakh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
NUS Environmental Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
Interests: microalgae; photobioreactor; biofilms; microbial proteins; photosynthetic aeration; wastewater treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Algal biomass is considered a promising feedstock in the production of sustainable bioenergy. Depending on the downstream processing technologies, algal biomass can be harnessed in the production of biodiesel, oil, syngas or hydrogen. Algal biomass can also yield a variety of biofuels and bioproducts when processed using biorefinery. Considering the potential of algae in carbon sequestration, bioenergy from algae often has the dual advantages of energy security and climate change mitigation. Additional benefits can also be realized by integrating algal bioenergy production with waste remediation.

Fermentation invites you to submit original scientific papers in the form of reviews, original research or short communications for this Special Issue. The following topics will be considered:

  • Improvements in algal biomass production (e.g., process and reactor design).
  • Innovative downstream processing concepts (e.g., harvesting, biomass disruption, and the extraction of metabolites).
  • Algae-based waste remediation for bioenergy production.
  • Valorization of algae biomass for bioenergy production.
  • Life-cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of algae-based bioenergy or biorefinery.

Dr. Prashant Praveen
Guest Editor

Dr. Sheetal Parakh
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fermentation is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • algae
  • bioenergy
  • biomass valorization
  • biofuels
  • algal biorefinery
  • life cycle assessment
  • photobioreactors
  • techno-economic analysis
  • thermo-chemical conversion
  • waste remediation

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Review

32 pages, 5818 KiB  
Review
Cell Walls of Lipid-Rich Microalgae: A Comprehensive Review on Characterisation, Ultrastructure, and Enzymatic Disruption
by Sneha Shivakumar, Nicholas Serlini, Sara M. Esteves, Svitlana Miros and Ronald Halim
Fermentation 2024, 10(12), 608; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10120608 - 28 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1592
Abstract
Certain microalgae species have gained traction in the biofuel and food/feed sectors due to their ability to accumulate large amounts of intracellular lipids. However, the extraction of lipids from microalgae is hindered by the presence of complex and recalcitrant cell walls that act [...] Read more.
Certain microalgae species have gained traction in the biofuel and food/feed sectors due to their ability to accumulate large amounts of intracellular lipids. However, the extraction of lipids from microalgae is hindered by the presence of complex and recalcitrant cell walls that act as a barrier to mass transfer. This paper examines the intricate details of microalgae cell walls of species belonging to three genera—Nannochloropsis, Scenedesmus, and Schizochytrium—known for their high total lipid contents and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid contents, thus having dual potential for both biofuel and food/feed application. An overview of the techniques used to analyse the cell walls, followed by a detailed description of the cell wall architecture of the three genera and the growth conditions that affect the ultrastructure and composition of their cell walls, is presented. Since cell wall disruption is a crucial step in recovering intracellular products from microalgae biomass, different cell-disruption technologies are also reviewed, focusing specifically on approaches that can be applied directly to wet biomass without the need for biomass drying, thus exerting a low-energy footprint. Enzymatic treatment is operated under mild conditions and offers a promising wet route for targeted recovery of intracellular products from microalgae with minimal side reactions and risk of product degradation. The high cost of enzymes can be mitigated by reducing enzyme requirements through the adoption of a minimal design approach that uses the cell wall composition as the basis to direct enzyme choice and dosage. Different enzyme-recycling and immobilisation strategies to reduce enzyme requirements and improve commercial scalability are also reviewed. Finally, the paper provides a summary of the current state-of-the-art in direct biological approaches using algicidal bacteria and fungi to achieve cell disruption. Overall, the paper provides a roadmap for a more efficient cell disruption of microalgae. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Algae—The Medium of Bioenergy Conversion: 2nd Edition)
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21 pages, 2548 KiB  
Review
The Macroalga Kappaphycus alvarezii as a Potential Raw Material for Fermentation Processes within the Biorefinery Concept: Challenges and Perspectives
by Adam Tabacof, Verônica Calado and Nei Pereira, Jr.
Fermentation 2024, 10(6), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10060283 - 28 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1946
Abstract
Seaweed is a fast-growing biomass source that is currently studied as feedstock for sustainable industrial production in a wide variety of markets. Being composed mostly of polysaccharides, macroalgae can be integrated in biorefineries for obtaining bioproducts via fermentation. Kappaphycus alvarezii has been introduced [...] Read more.
Seaweed is a fast-growing biomass source that is currently studied as feedstock for sustainable industrial production in a wide variety of markets. Being composed mostly of polysaccharides, macroalgae can be integrated in biorefineries for obtaining bioproducts via fermentation. Kappaphycus alvarezii has been introduced experimentally to Brazil’s south coastline in 1995 and is now cultivated on a large scale to keep up with the high carrageenan demand in various industrial sectors. In this review article, an introduction is given on renewable biomass and environmental issues, focusing especially on third-generation biomass and its promising features and use advantages. Later on, the processing of K. alvarezii for the use of its saccharide portion for fermentative processes is approached. The current state of research conducted alongside challenges and hurdles in K. alvarezii hydrolysate fermentation processes provides insight into future studies needed to make new fermentation processes viable. Next, some fermentation products are discussed, and the metabolism of galactose in microorganisms is also presented to bring to light other possible fermentation products that are not yet, but can be, obtained from K. alvarezii. Finally, a simple and comprehensive scheme for K. alvarezii fermentation biorefinery is presented to demonstrate a generic example for a possible configuration for obtaining valuable bio-products. In the literature, production of ethanol and lactic acid were already reported from K. alvarezii. This review aims to help envision new industrial processes that can be developed for this most valuable macroalga. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Algae—The Medium of Bioenergy Conversion: 2nd Edition)
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23 pages, 5050 KiB  
Review
Microalgal Biodiesel: A Challenging Route toward a Sustainable Aviation Fuel
by Vikas Sharma, Abul Kalam Hossain, Ganesh Duraisamy and Gareth Griffiths
Fermentation 2023, 9(10), 907; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9100907 - 16 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5116
Abstract
By 2050, aviation-related carbon emissions are expected to quadruple to over 3000 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, so finding sustainable alternative solutions to minimise pollution is a key scientific challenge. Aviation gasoline and kerosene are currently used to power most jet engines. While [...] Read more.
By 2050, aviation-related carbon emissions are expected to quadruple to over 3000 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, so finding sustainable alternative solutions to minimise pollution is a key scientific challenge. Aviation gasoline and kerosene are currently used to power most jet engines. While battery-powered planes and planes that could utilise a cleaner fuel, such as hydrogen, are possible, the time scale required to improve and implement these technologies is distant, with air fleet turnover taking some 30 years. Existing jet engines could be modified to run on biodiesel, and considering the close similarity in fuel density to kerosene, could be a less disruptive approach to the industry. The sheer volume of biodiesel required remains a challenge, and certainly, using plant-derived oils grown on arable land is not acceptable, as it competes with food production. However, high-lipid-yielding microalgae (where productivity is an order of magnitude greater than oilseeds), grown on marginal land, such as desert or semi-desert areas of the world, could be possible. Indeed, to replace 30% of fossil fuel with algal-derived biodiesel would require 11,345 km2 of land. Biodiesel preparation is well understood, but what is lacking is proven technology aimed at optimising microalgal production of oil at a much larger scale. Here, a synergic review of the current state-of-the-art in algal production, that includes strain selection, possible production sites, culturing costs, and harvesting to identify the bottlenecks in meeting the ASTM specifications for the aviation industry, is presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Algae—The Medium of Bioenergy Conversion: 2nd Edition)
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