Culture of microalgae in hatcheries

Raceway pond used to cultivate microalgae.[1] The water is kept in constant motion with a powered paddle wheel.

Microalgae or microscopic algae grow in either marine or freshwater systems. They are primary producers in the oceans that convert water and carbon dioxide to biomass and oxygen in the presence of sunlight.[2]

The oldest documented use of microalgae was 2000 years ago, when the Chinese used the cyanobacteria Nostoc as a food source during a famine.[3] Another type of microalgae, the cyanobacteria Arthrospira (Spirulina), was a common food source among populations in Chad and Aztecs in Mexico as far back as the 16th century.[4]

Today cultured microalgae is used as direct feed for humans and land-based farm animals, and as feed for cultured aquatic species such as molluscs and the early larval stages of fish and crustaceans.[5] It is a potential candidate for biofuel production.[6] Microalgae can grow 20 or 30 times faster than traditional food crops, and has no need to compete for arable land.[6][7] Since microalgal production is central to so many commercial applications, there is a need for production techniques which increase productivity and are economically profitable.

  1. ^ Khawam, George; Waller, Peter; Gao, Song; Edmundson, Scott J.; Wigmosta, Mark S.; Ogden, Kimberly (May 2019). "Model of temperature, evaporation, and productivity in elevated experimental algae raceways and comparison with commercial raceways". Algal Research. 39: 101448. Bibcode:2019AlgRe..3901448K. doi:10.1016/j.algal.2019.101448. ISSN 2211-9264. OSTI 1581776. S2CID 92558441.
  2. ^ Yusuf Chisti (2008). "Biodiesel from microalgae beats bioethanol" (PDF). Trends in Biotechnology. 26 (3): 126–131. doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2007.12.002. PMID 18221809. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-05-13. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
  3. ^ Pauline Spolaore; Claire Joannis-Cassan; Elie Duran; Arsène Isambert (2006). "Commercial applications of microalgae" (PDF). Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering. 101 (2): 87–96. doi:10.1263/jbb.101.87. PMID 16569602. S2CID 16896655. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-03. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  4. ^ Whitton, B., and M. Potts. 2000. The ecology of Cyanobacteria: their diversity in time and space p. 506, Kluwer Academic. ISBN 978-0-7923-4735-4.
  5. ^ Barnabé, Gilbert (1994) Aquaculture: biology and ecology of cultured species p. 53, Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-13-482316-4.
  6. ^ a b Greenwell, HC; Laurens, LML; Shields, RJ; Lovitt, RW; Flynn, KJ (2010). "Placing microalgae on the biofuels priority list: a review of the technological challenges". J. R. Soc. Interface. 7 (46): 703–726. doi:10.1098/rsif.2009.0322. PMC 2874236. PMID 20031983.
  7. ^ McDill, Stuart (2009-02-10). "Can algae save the world – again?". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-02-10.