Chapter 2: Recent Advances and Challenges in Establishing Commercial Scale Multi-product Microalgal Biorefineries

Commercialization of multi-product microalgal biorefineries has received increasing attention due to technological advances in the cultivation and processing of microalgae, and the derivable benefits of high microalgal photosynthetic efficiencies compared to plants. Constraints to the holistic sustainability (i.e. economic, environmental, and social) of the biorefinery systems, including high economic costs and uncertainties in their environmental and social impacts, hamper industrial uptake. Studies have demonstrated potential viability enhancement strategies for the biorefineries (e.g. utilizing industrial wastewater as cultivation water and nutrient source) but their sustainability is yet to be established. Computer-aided modelling and optimization tools have shown promise for analysing and enhancing the sustainability strategies but have been minimally explored to achieve sustainable biorefinery developments, attributable to their selective applications. Consolidation of the computer-aided assessments and the diverse stakeholder (researchers, government, industries) efforts/interests towards sustainability, as well as consideration of social acceptance of various microalgal products, are imperative to accelerating the commercial viability of the microalgal biorefineries.