Techniques for harvesting, cell disruption and lipid extraction of microalgae for biofuel production

Microalgal biofuels are one of the best alternatives to replace the nonrenewable fossil fuels. Microalgae offer various advantages, the most beneficial being their high growth rate and ability to grow on waste waters. Many microalgal species have been assessed and studied for biofuel production, and have shown varying amounts of lipid contents. Harvesting the microalgae and extracting the stored lipids is a major hurdle for biofuel production technology, due to their tough cell walls. This review focuses on techniques for harvesting, cell disruption and lipid extraction of microalgae used for biofuel production.