ABSTRACT
The increasing demand for food, energy and valuable bio-based products has necessitated the development of commodity end-products from unconventional, renewable and sustainable resources. Microalgae represent an attractive alternative for the production of food, energy, biomaterials and fine chemicals due to their environmentally friendly characteristics. Nonetheless, the commercial cultivation of microalgae for various end-products is currently restricted by high capital and operating cost. As such, the cultivation of microalgae in various wastewaters does not only improve the economics of this technology in terms of performance efficiency and production cost but also allows for the simultaneous treatment of the waste stream and the production of valuable biocommodities, such as biofuels, pigments, biofertilizers, proteins and other value-added biochemicals. This chapter focuses on the sustainable production and downstream processing options of various bio-based products produced from wastewater grown microalgae. This chapter also aims to provide an in-depth analysis and discussion of current trends on the dual potential of microalgae for wastewater treatment and its biotechnological application as novel sources of bioproducts.
