A state of the art review on the co-cultivation of microalgae-fungi in wastewater for biofuel production

The microalgae have a great potential as the fourth generation biofuel feedstock to deal with energy crisis, but the cost of production and biomass harvest are the major hurdles in terms of large scale production and applications. Using fil-amentous fungi to culture targeted alga for biomass accumulation and eventually harvesting is a sustainable way to mitigate environmental impacts. Microalgal co-culture method could be an alternative to overcome limitations and in-crease biomass yield and lipid accumulation. It was found to be the high feasibility for the production of biofuels from fungi and microalgae using wastewater. This article aimed to state the synergistic approaches, their culture protocols, harvesting procedure and their potential biotechnological applications. Additionally, algal-fungal consortia could di-gest cellulosic biomass, potentially reducing operating costs as part of industrial need. As a result of co-cultivation, bio-fuel production could be economically feasible owing to its excellent ability to treat wastewater and be eco-friendly. The implications of the innovative co-cultivation technology have demonstrated the potential for further development based on the policies that have been supported and implemented.

Automated summary

Microalgae have great potential as fourth generation biofuel feedstock, but the cost of production and biomass harvest are major obstacles. Using filamentous fungi to culture targeted algae can mitigate environmental impacts. Co-cultivation of microalgae with fungi using wastewater has shown feasibility for biofuel production. This article aims to discuss synergistic approaches, culture protocols, harvesting procedures, and potential biotechnological applications. Algal-fungal consortia can digest cellulosic biomass, potentially reducing operating costs and making biofuel production economically feasible.