CO2 bioremediation by microalgae in photobioreactors: Impacts of biomass and CO2 concentrations, light, and temperature

Microalgae have the potential to recycle and bioremediate CO2 and also produce chemical energy in the form of biomass. The potential production of renewable energy and high value products (i.e. carotenoid, antioxidants and polyunsaturated fatty acids) makes large scale microalgal cultivation an attractive application. To achieve high productivity all microalgae cultures require CO2 addition. Various microalgae species have shown different capabilities to bioremediate CO2. This review article reports biomass concentrations, biomass productivities, and CO2 fixation rates of several microalgae and cyanobacteria species under different input CO2 concentrations. The effects of important factors such as type of photobioreactor, temperature, and light intensity on CO2 removal are also discussed.