title: Novel approaches to microalgal and cyanobacterial cultivation for bioenergy and biofuel production.
abstract: Growing demand for energy and food by the global population mandates finding water-efficient renewable resources. Microalgae/cyanobacteria have shown demonstrated capacity to contribute to global energy and food security. Yet, despite proven process technology and established net energy-effectiveness and cost-effectiveness through co-product generation, microalgal biofuels are not a reality. This review outlines novel biofilm cultivation strategies that are water-smart, the opportunity for direct energy conversion via anaerobic digestion of N2-fixing cyanobacterial biomass and integrative strategies for microalgal biodiesel and/or biocrude production via supercritical methanol-direct transesterification and hydrothermal liquefaction, respectively. Additionally, fermentation of cyanobacterial biofilms could supply bioethanol to feed wet transesterification to biodiesel conversion for on-site use in remote locations.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia. Electronic address: kirsten.heimann@jcu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heimann
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms; D056804:Biofuels / Q000382:microbiology; D018533:Biomass; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D005285:Fermentation; D058086:Microalgae / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels