Harvesting and Processing of Microalgae Biomass Fractions for Biodiesel Production (a Review)

There has been a recent resurgent interest in microalgae as an oil producer for biofuel applications. An adequate supply of nutrients and carbon dioxide enables algae to successfully transform light energy of the sun into energy rich chemical compounds through photosynthesis. A strain with high lipids, successfully grown and harvested, could provide oil for most of our process by volume, which would then provide the most profitable output. Significant advances have also been made in upstream processing to generate cellular biomass and oil. However, the process of extracting and purifying of oil from algae continues to prove a significant challenge in producing both microalgae bioproducts and biofuel, as the oil extraction from algae is relatively energy-intensive and expensive. The aim of this review is to focus on different harvesting and extraction processes of algae for biodiesel production reported within the last decade.