Thesis ; Online: Genetic engineering of microalgae for enhanced lipid production
2021
Abstract: The global demand for food, feed and fossil-based chemicals is increasing due to the continuously growing world population. Excessive and unsustainable consumption is causing anthropogenic effects resulting in high carbon emission, pollution and ... ...
Abstract | The global demand for food, feed and fossil-based chemicals is increasing due to the continuously growing world population. Excessive and unsustainable consumption is causing anthropogenic effects resulting in high carbon emission, pollution and depletion of natural resources. Currently, the main renewable feedstocks used as alternative to petrochemical processes are derived from agricultural crops. Higher plants are a great source of oils which can be used in food, feed, paint, lighting and fuel industries. However, cultivation of crops requires vast areas of arable land, fresh water and minerals. Additionally, depletion of petrochemical resources increases the demand for plant-based fuels, creating a direct competition with food and feed production. Therefore, novel renewable and sustainable alternatives are necessary to reduce the current environmental impact of traditional industrial processes.Microalgae are considered as a promising alternative for the production of commodities. They are capable of converting sunlight, water, CO2 and nutrients into biomass and products which attract interest from pharmaceutical, cosmetic, biofuel, food and feed industries. Furthermore, microalgae can reach significantly higher biomass concentrations and product yields per hectare compared to higher plants, they do not require arable lands and some species can be grown on wastewater or seawater.Several microalgal species can accumulate large amounts of fatty acids when cultivated under stress conditions. At a cellular level, lipids such as triacylglycerols (TAGs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can serve either as structural components or storage compounds. Therefore, microalgae are a source of valuable oils that can be used directly as nutritional products or as raw material for biofuel production.Although microalgae have the potential to become a feedstock for lipid production some limitations and challenges remain. In order to achieve an economically feasible process, improvement, optimization and redesign of ... |
---|---|
Keywords | Life Science |
Subject code | 571 |
Language | English |
Publisher | Wageningen University |
Publishing country | nl |
Document type | Thesis ; Online |
Database | BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection) |
Full text online
More links
Kategorien
Inter-library loan at ZB MED
Your chosen title can be delivered directly to ZB MED Cologne location if you are registered as a user at ZB MED Cologne.