A review on bio-fuel production from microalgal biomass by using pyrolysis method

Due to the depletion of fossil fuels and their environmental issues, it is necessary to find energy resources which are renewable. Algal biomass becomes promising feedstock for bio-fuel production. They are considered as sustainable, renewable and effective biomass and bio-fuels obtained from them are more environment-friendly than fossil fuels. The aim of this work is to provide a state of the art review on pyrolysis of microalgae for generation of bio-fuels. Initially, some general aspects of biomass such as microalgae characteristics, different thermochemical processes and advantages of microalgae pyrolysis to produce bio-fuels are discussed. Then, different pyrolysis methods are explained and parameters affecting the process are addressed. Bio-fuels including gaseous, solid and liquid products have been characterized in a separate section. Finally, the technical challenges associated with microalgal pyrolysis commercialization are discussed in the last section of this article.