Microalgal applications in bioindustry

Abstract

Microalgae are microscopic plants inhabiting the world’s oceans and other aquatic environments. They are critical for the health of the planet, being responsible for at least half of the global primary productivity. Like other photosynthetic (autotrophs) organisms, microalgae capture solar radiation and convert it to chemical energy as biomass, forming the basis of aquatic food webs, fixing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen as part of the process. Other microalgae (heterotrophs) can utilise organic compounds for growth. As single-celled packages of bioactive molecules that can be cultured to produce high levels of biomass, microalgae are a renewable resource with a wide range of applications in bioindustry. Their use is established in the human nutraceutical industry with ‘super foods’ such as Spirulina from the cyanobacterium (blue green alga) Arthrospira platensis (Figure 1). Intense interest surrounds the development of microalgae as a source of biofuels, and in the mitigation of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHG). Other bioactive compounds, as well as genes from microalgae, offer new opportunities for bioindustry.