Advances on technology of high density and high lipid microalgae culture

Microalgae has become one of the most potential raw materials for production of biodiesel due to its short growth cycle and low soil demand for its growth. However, production of biodiesel from microalgae has currently not been commercialized all over the world. The reason is mainly high production cost resulting from low cell density and lipid content of microalgae. The recent advances on technology of micro-algal high-density culture and high-lipid (triglycerides) production was reviewed on the paper, discussed the effects of culture methods, culture systems and photobioreactor styles on yield and cost of micro-algal biomass and lipid.Finally, the intensified microalgal culture modes using solar energy, CO2 integrated with sugar wastes were introduced. The integrated technology will improve the yield of microalgal lipid, and reduce the cost of microalgal biodiesel production, and make the process to be more competitive.