Algal engineering for bioremediation, bioenergy production, and biomedical applications

Algae have received substantial consideration as a potential feedstock for extensive applications in the environmental sector, biofuel production, and biomedical engineering. Rapid climate changes, shrinking natural resources, and food crises are on the rise globally. The release of untreated industrial wastewaters containing vast amounts of carbon, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) causes severe pollution and environmental damage. Hence, the recovery of such nutrients is required through a suitable sustainable process. Microalgae-based technologies have gained significant attention compared to other techniques due to their sustainable and cost-effective treatment strategies for removing wastewater nutrients. Algal biomass could potentially be used for bioenergy production and high-value bioproducts. High operational costs and low yield are the main limitations for developing microalgae-based biorefineries. Therefore, most researchers focus on an integrated approach for the cultivation of a suitable algal strain and its downstream processing. Algal biomass production for use as a biofuel is not feasible from a techno-economic perspective. A biorefinery concept could be a more suitable approach for bio-oil extraction, and the remaining biomass could be used for several biomedical applications. This chapter offers an overview of algae and their use in bioremediation, bioenergy production, and biomedical applications. Recent challenges and prospects in the algae-based sector, which has become quite promising at present, have also been discussed.