Photosynthetic microalgae–based carbon sequestration and generation of biomass in biorefinery approach for renewable biofuels for a cleaner environment

The ecological environment has been greatly affected by industrialization concerning various hazardous impacts on living beings. Climate change is one of the foremost issues that have been observed in recent decades as a concern of the upsurge in greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the global atmosphere. Industrialization has been marked as the central cause for triggering GHGs in the atmospheric environment. Moreover, carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major content of greenhouse gases that have increased risk at an alarming rate. The level of CO2 in the atmosphere must be addressed through efficient carbon sequestration technologies. Numerous technologies for carbon dioxide sequestration have been investigated with chemical and biological methods. Microalgae research emerged as an economical and beneficial approach for suppressing and balancing the amount of carbon dioxide in the environment. Microalgae have been used extensively for maintaining environmental CO2 levels and efficient generation of biomass, which can be used to generate a variety of biofuels and other valuable products. Many countries have started imperative steps towards the scaling up of microalgae. These crucial steps have led the rest of the world to consider the technology for a cleaner and safer environment by influencing them to start investing in carbon sequestration through microalgae cultivation. This review illustrates several approaches and products generated by photosynthetic microalgae in carbon dioxide sequestration. The critical analysis of the current algae research trend and advanced technologies has been also conferred for a sustainable environment. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.