Algal biomass conversion to bioethanol – a step-by-step assessment
The continuous growth in global population and the ongoing development of countries such as China and India have contributed to a rapid increase in worldwide energy demand. Fossil fuels such as oil and gas are finite resources, and their current rate of consumption cannot be sustained. This, coupled...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley-VCH Verlag
2014
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36354/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36354/1/Algal%20biomass%20conversion%20to%20bioethanol.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848848308707000320 |
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| author | Harun, Mohd Razif Yip, Jason W. S. Thiruvenkadam, Selvakumar Wan Ab. Karim Ghani, Wan Azlina Cherrington, Tamara Danquah, Michael Kobina |
| author_facet | Harun, Mohd Razif Yip, Jason W. S. Thiruvenkadam, Selvakumar Wan Ab. Karim Ghani, Wan Azlina Cherrington, Tamara Danquah, Michael Kobina |
| author_sort | Harun, Mohd Razif |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The continuous growth in global population and the ongoing development of countries such as China and India have contributed to a rapid increase in worldwide energy demand. Fossil fuels such as oil and gas are finite resources, and their current rate of consumption cannot be sustained. This, coupled with fossil fuels' role as pollutants and their contribution to global warming, has led to increased interest in alternative sources of energy production. Bioethanol, presently produced from energy crops, is one such promising alternative future energy source and much research is underway in optimizing its production. The economic and temporal constraints that crop feedstocks pose are the main downfalls in terms of the commercial viability of bioethanol production. As an alternative to crop feedstocks, significant research efforts have been put into utilizing algal biomass as a feedstock for bioethanol production. Whilst the overall process can vary, the conversion of biomass to bioethanol usually contains the following steps: (i) pretreatment of feedstock; (ii) hydrolysis; and (iii) fermentation of bioethanol. This paper reviews different technologies utilized in the pretreatment and fermentation steps, and critically assesses their applicability to bioethanol production from algal biomass. Two different established fermentation routes, single-stage fermentation and two-stage gasification/fermentation processes, are discussed. The viability of algal biomass as an alternative feedstock has been assessed adequately, and further research optimisation must be guided toward the development of cost-effective scalable methods to produce high bioethanol yield under optimum economy. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T09:32:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-36354 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T09:32:26Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Wiley-VCH Verlag |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-363542015-09-10T04:33:08Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36354/ Algal biomass conversion to bioethanol – a step-by-step assessment Harun, Mohd Razif Yip, Jason W. S. Thiruvenkadam, Selvakumar Wan Ab. Karim Ghani, Wan Azlina Cherrington, Tamara Danquah, Michael Kobina The continuous growth in global population and the ongoing development of countries such as China and India have contributed to a rapid increase in worldwide energy demand. Fossil fuels such as oil and gas are finite resources, and their current rate of consumption cannot be sustained. This, coupled with fossil fuels' role as pollutants and their contribution to global warming, has led to increased interest in alternative sources of energy production. Bioethanol, presently produced from energy crops, is one such promising alternative future energy source and much research is underway in optimizing its production. The economic and temporal constraints that crop feedstocks pose are the main downfalls in terms of the commercial viability of bioethanol production. As an alternative to crop feedstocks, significant research efforts have been put into utilizing algal biomass as a feedstock for bioethanol production. Whilst the overall process can vary, the conversion of biomass to bioethanol usually contains the following steps: (i) pretreatment of feedstock; (ii) hydrolysis; and (iii) fermentation of bioethanol. This paper reviews different technologies utilized in the pretreatment and fermentation steps, and critically assesses their applicability to bioethanol production from algal biomass. Two different established fermentation routes, single-stage fermentation and two-stage gasification/fermentation processes, are discussed. The viability of algal biomass as an alternative feedstock has been assessed adequately, and further research optimisation must be guided toward the development of cost-effective scalable methods to produce high bioethanol yield under optimum economy. Wiley-VCH Verlag 2014-01 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36354/1/Algal%20biomass%20conversion%20to%20bioethanol.pdf Harun, Mohd Razif and Yip, Jason W. S. and Thiruvenkadam, Selvakumar and Wan Ab. Karim Ghani, Wan Azlina and Cherrington, Tamara and Danquah, Michael Kobina (2014) Algal biomass conversion to bioethanol – a step-by-step assessment. Biotechnology Journal, 9 (1). pp. 73-86. ISSN 1860-6768; ESSN: 1860-7314 10.1002/biot.201200353 |
| spellingShingle | Harun, Mohd Razif Yip, Jason W. S. Thiruvenkadam, Selvakumar Wan Ab. Karim Ghani, Wan Azlina Cherrington, Tamara Danquah, Michael Kobina Algal biomass conversion to bioethanol – a step-by-step assessment |
| title | Algal biomass conversion to bioethanol – a step-by-step assessment |
| title_full | Algal biomass conversion to bioethanol – a step-by-step assessment |
| title_fullStr | Algal biomass conversion to bioethanol – a step-by-step assessment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Algal biomass conversion to bioethanol – a step-by-step assessment |
| title_short | Algal biomass conversion to bioethanol – a step-by-step assessment |
| title_sort | algal biomass conversion to bioethanol – a step-by-step assessment |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36354/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36354/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36354/1/Algal%20biomass%20conversion%20to%20bioethanol.pdf |