Wastewater

Engineering

Ecology

Biotechnology

Bacteria

Biology

Botany

Heterotroph

Biochemical engineering

Genetics

Environmental engineering

Mixotroph

Biofuel

Biomass (ecology)

Environmental science

Photosynthesis

Phototroph

Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers

As the world's natural fuel sources continue to deplete, the search for alternative fuel sources intensifies. A promising fuel source alternative is biofuels from microalgae, due to it being a renewable source, its wide availability, and also its high production rate. This paper reviews recent developments in microalgae culture medium, cultivation systems and growth modes. The importance of identifying the type of medium suitable for microalgae cultivation is highlighted along with descriptions and comparison of the medium types that include freshwater, saltwater and wastewater. The different cultivation systems such as open system, closed system, dark system and offshore cultivation used for cultivating microalgae are discussed, along with a study on the impact of large scale cultivation using these systems. Besides that, various growth modes for microalgae cultivation like phototrophic, heterotrophic, mixotrophic, photoheterotophic modes are reviewed.

Effects of water culture medium, cultivation systems and growth modes for microalgae cultivation: A review