Microalgae Biorefinery Approach: results and perspectives for Dunaliella tertiolecta Butcher 1959

Algal biotechnology has made major advances in the last decades, and several microalgae are currently cultivated for the production of omega-3 fatty acids, fertilizers, plastics, recombinant proteins, pigments, and biofuels. To make industrial production of microalgae competitive, the "biorefinery" approach could be considered. A biorefinery is a facility that integrates biomass conversion processes and equipment to produce fuel, power, and value-added chemicals (e.g. nutraceutical) from biomass. The planktonic species Dunaliella tertiolecta Butcher 1959 (Chlorophyceae) have already several commercial applications (e.g. aquaculture, ?-carotene production). In this paper we present both a potentially novel application of this planktonic species as a competitive source of phytosterols (new interesting bioactive compounds) and perspectives concerning the use of D. tertiolecta in a biorefinery.