Microalgal co-cultivation -recent methods, trends in omic-studies, applications, and future challenges.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Microbiology
• Biotechnology
• Sustainable Engineering

Background:

• Growing human populations increase demand for resources, leading to environmental issues like greenhouse gas emissions.
• Microalgae are promising for CO2 fixation and bioproduct generation, but monocultures face contamination challenges.
• Co-cultivation systems offer a robust solution to contamination, improving microalgae-based applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the advantages and disadvantages of microalgae co-cultivation systems.
• To explore diverse applications, cultivation methods, and omic studies of microalgae co-cultures.
• To discuss the economic viability, challenges, and future prospects of microalgal co-cultivation.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of research on microalgae co-cultivation over the past few decades.
• Analysis of microalgae-bacteria, microalgae-fungi, and microalgae-microalgae/algae co-culture systems.
• Inclusion of omic studies to understand microbial interaction mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Co-cultivation systems mitigate contamination issues common in microalgae monocultures, leading to improved productivity and biomass quality.
• Diverse applications of microalgae co-cultures include bioproduct production, wastewater treatment, and greenhouse gas reduction.
• Omic studies provide insights into the complex interactions within microbial communities in co-culture systems.

Conclusions:

• Microalgae co-cultivation presents a sustainable strategy for bioproduct development and environmental remediation.
• Further research and development are needed to scale and commercialize microalgae co-cultivation technologies.
• Economic viability and addressing future challenges are crucial for the widespread adoption of these systems.