Mechanism (biology)

Gene

Engineering

Philosophy

Ecology

Biology

Carbon dioxide removal

Biochemistry

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Biochemical engineering

Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere

Global warming

Climate change

Renewable energy

Pyrenoid

Environmental chemistry

Mutant

Epistemology

Environmental science

Carbon fixation

Fossil fuel

Photosynthesis

Chloroplast

Chemistry

Carbon dioxide

Carbon sequestration

RuBisCO

Sustainability

The rising concentration of global atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) has severely affected our planet’s homeostasis. Efforts are being made worldwide to curb carbon dioxide emissions, but there is still no strategy or technology available to date that is widely accepted. Two basic strategies are employed for reducing CO2 emissions, viz. (i) a decrease in fossil fuel use, and increased use of renewable energy sources; and (ii) carbon sequestration by various biological, chemical, or physical methods. This review has explored microalgae’s role in carbon sequestration, the physiological apparatus, with special emphasis on the carbon concentration mechanism (CCM). A CCM is a specialized mechanism of microalgae. In this process, a sub-cellular organelle known as pyrenoid, containing a high concentration of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (Rubisco), helps in the fixation of CO2. One type of carbon concentration mechanism in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and the association of pyrenoid tubules with thylakoids membrane is represented through a typical graphical model. Various environmental factors influencing carbon sequestration in microalgae and associated techno-economic challenges are analyzed critically.

Role of Microalgae in Global CO2 Sequestration: Physiological Mechanism, Recent Development, Challenges, and Future Prospective