Review of recent advances in improvement strategies for biofuels production from cyanobacteria
Vanessa Albuquerque de Mescouto,
Lucas da Cunha Ferreira,
Rutiléia de Jesus Paiva,
Deborah Terra de Oliveira,
Mozaniel Oliveira Santana,
Geraldo Narciso da Rocha Filho,
Rafael Luque,
Renata Coelho Rodrigues Noronha,
Luís Adriano Santos do Nascimento
Affiliations
Vanessa Albuquerque de Mescouto
Graduate Program in Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Pará, Augusto Corrêa Street, Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil
Lucas da Cunha Ferreira
Graduate Program in Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Pará, Augusto Corrêa Street, Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil
Rutiléia de Jesus Paiva
Graduate Program in Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Pará, Augusto Corrêa Street, Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil
Deborah Terra de Oliveira
Graduate Program in Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Pará, Augusto Corrêa Street, Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil
Mozaniel Oliveira Santana
Laboratório Adolpho Ducke–Coordenação de Botânica, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Av. Perimetral, 1901, Terra Firme, Belém, 66077-830, PA, Brazil
Geraldo Narciso da Rocha Filho
Graduate Program in Chemistry, Universidade Federal do Pará, Augusto Corrêa Street, Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil
Rafael Luque
Universidad ECOTEC, Km 13.5 Samborondón, Samborondón EC0922302, Ecuador
Renata Coelho Rodrigues Noronha
Laboratory of Genetics and Cellular Biology - GENBIOCEL, Center for Advanced Biodiversity Studies, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Augusto Corrêa Street, Guamá, 66075-110, PA, Brazil
Luís Adriano Santos do Nascimento
Graduate Program in Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Pará, Augusto Corrêa Street, Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil; Graduate Program in Chemistry, Universidade Federal do Pará, Augusto Corrêa Street, Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil; Corresponding author. Graduate Program in Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Pará, Augusto Corrêa Street, Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil.
Cyanobacteria, a group of photosynthetic bacteria capable of converting sunlight and carbon dioxide into organic compounds, are being explored as a potential source for the production of biofuels. They have the ability to produce various types of biofuels, such as ethanol, hydrogen, and biodiesel. This study is a systematic review of scientific articles published between 2011 and 2022, focusing on the optimization of cyanobacteria cultivation for biofuel production. The results indicated that the most favorable temperature for the cultivation of cyanobacteria is around 30–40 °C. In addition, there is a relationship between temperature, light, and nutrients to increase the production of lipids of interest for biofuel production. With the advancement of technological tools, researchers can genetically manipulate these bacteria to increase the production of desired molecules, such as lipids or alcohol, by introducing genes that encode enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of these molecules. Once the cyanobacteria have been modified to produce the desired molecules, they can be cultivated in large-scale bioreactors and harvested for further processing. However, despite the great potential of cyanobacteria-based biofuel production, there are still challenges to be overcome. These include improving the efficiency and scalability of the production process, optimizing the composition of the produced biofuels, and reducing production costs. With continuous research and development, biofuels produced using cyanobacteria can play a significant role in meeting a substantial portion of the high energy demand.
