Strategies for enhancing microalgal carbon sequestration: a review on strain development, culture system optimization, parameter control, and metabolic engineering

Jinju Ma; Yulin Cui; Fengjie Sun; Runlong Zhou; Fuguo Liu; Kai Cao; Bingkui Zhu; Hao Zhang; Chunxiao Meng; Guofu Chen; Zhengquan Gao

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132868

Strategies for enhancing microalgal carbon sequestration: a review on strain development, culture system optimization, parameter control, and metabolic engineering

Bioresour Technol. 2025 Jun 22:435:132868. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132868. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jinju Ma¹, Yulin Cui², Fengjie Sun³, Runlong Zhou², Fuguo Liu⁴, Kai Cao², Bingkui Zhu², Hao Zhang², Chunxiao Meng², Guofu Chen⁵, Zhengquan Gao⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai 264209, China; School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China; School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003 Shandong, China.
² School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003 Shandong, China.
³ Department of Biological Sciences, School of Science and Technology, Georgia Gwinnett College, 1000 University Center Lane, Lawrenceville, GA 30043, USA.
⁴ Jia Sixie College of Agriculture, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Weifang 262700, China.
⁵ School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai 264209, China. Electronic address: chenguofu@hitwh.edu.cn.
⁶ School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003 Shandong, China. Electronic address: gaozhengquan@bzmc.edu.cn.

PMID: 40555329
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132868

Abstract

The microalgae-mediated carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology demonstrates significant advantages and application potential compared to traditional carbon sequestration technologies by coupling CO₂ sequestration with biomass valorization. Theoretical calculations show that large-scale microalgae cultivation on 13 million acres of land can achieve an annual CO₂ fixation capacity of approximately 50 million tons while simultaneously producing over 3 million tons of biomass. However, the practical application of microalgae currently faces two major obstacles: the relatively low efficiency of photosynthetic CO₂ fixation and the high cost of microalgal cultivation processes. This review summarizes the research progress on strategies to improve the carbon sequestration efficiency of microalgae. Studies indicate that after optimization, the CO₂ fixation rate of microalgae has reached 0.07-1.5 g L^-1 d^-1, highlighting its considerable carbon sink potential. Additionally, techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment reveal microalgal cultivation as the main cost component and fossil fuel-based power emissions as the primary global warming contributors. Finally, current challenges in microalgal carbon sequestration are discussed, and future efficiency-enhancing directions are proposed from multiple perspectives. This review aims to provide valuable references for improving carbon sequestration and biomass production.

Keywords: Biomass; Carbon capture and utilization; Carbon sequestration efficiency; Metabolic engineering; Microalgae; Photobioreactors.

Publication types

Review