Synergy of biofuel production with waste remediation along with value-added co-products recovery through microalgae cultivation: A review of membrane-integrated green approach

Development of advanced biofuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel from renewable resources is critical for the earth's sustainable management and to slow down the global climate change by partial replacement of gasoline and diesel in the transport sector. Being a diverse group of aquatic micro-organisms, algae are the most prominent resources on the planet, distributed in an aquatic system, a potential source of bioenergy, biomass and secondary metabolites. Microalgae-based biofuel production is widely accepted as non-food fuel sources and better choice for achieving goals of incorporation of a clean fuel source into the transportation sector. The present review article provides a comprehensive literature survey as well as a novel approach on the application of microalgae for their simultaneous cultivation and bioremediation of high nutrient containing wastewater. In addition to that, merits and demerits of different existing conventional techniques for microalgae culture reactors, harvesting of algal biomass, oil recovery, use of different catalysts for transesterification reactions and other by-products recovery have been discussed and compared with the membrane-based system to find out the best optimal conditions for higher biomass as well as lipid yield. This article also deals with the use of a tailor-made membrane in an appropriate module that can be used in upstream and downstream processes during algal-based biofuels production. Such membrane-integrated system has the potential of low-cost and eco-friendly separation, purification and concentration enrichment of biodiesel as well as other valuable algal by-products which can bring the high degree of process intensification for scale-up at the industrial stage. [Display omitted] •Synergy of phycoremediation and biofuels production reviewed•Conventional cultivation, harvesting and extraction technologies evaluated•Challenges and prospects of membrane-based systems for algal biorefinery assessed•Membrane can act as sustainable technology in harvesting of algal biomass.•Membrane-based algal biorefinery explored as economical approach