Advancement and challenges in harvesting techniques for recovery of microalgae biomass

Abstract

Microalgae have been known for their potential in the development and production of sustainable biofuel and the mitigation of CO2 generation. The process of biofuel production from microalgae involves various technologies, from cultivation systems to harvesting of microalgal biomass and oil extraction. The harvesting of microalgae biomass has been the bottleneck of the whole system. This review presents recent advances in harvesting technology and efficiency in terms of biomass recovery and processing further downstream. The different harvesting techniques and their challenges are compared and discussed. This review focuses on recent technologies and provides information on further development of commercially viable technology for the production of microalgae-derived biofuel.