CHAPTER 9: Recent Advances in Closed Photobioreactors and Open Cultivation of Microalgae

Cultivating algae as a sustainable source of biomass for biofuel and biochemical production sets a new trend in the energy industries. Algae, as a third-generation feedstock, have the potential to create a solution to the current energy crisis in a cleaner and greener way. At present, algal biofuels are more expensive than fossil fuels; therefore, to make algal biofuels techno-economically feasible, focused research and development in the area of algae culturing is required. This chapter gives an insight into the different strategies that can be used for the mass production of algae. A comparison of these methods and their pros and cons are also provided. This can help algal researchers to select the best method as per their requirements.