Electric fields as a promising technology for the recovery of valuable bio compounds from algae: Novel and sustainable approaches

Abstract

The development of more efficient and sustainable technologies for the recovery of valuable compounds holds the ability to change the paradigm of the use of resources. Electric field-based technologies have been regarded as highly promising towards an efficient extraction of biometabolites while addressing sustainability. Algal biomass is a potential valuable resource. Besides its nutritional value, it provides a wide range of bio compounds with a variety of industrial applications in different sectors (e.g., food, feed, cosmetics). Implementing a cascade biorefinery approach based on electric-fields application would boost the production of high-value-added products from algal biomass, opening up new opportunities for the development of a flourishing blue bioeconomy. This review paper provides an overview of the use of alternative extraction technologies in algae biomass, focusing mainly on electric field-based methodologies, suggesting cascade biorefinery approaches considering different alternative technologies depending on the target fraction, and envisaging their environmental sustainability and economic feasibility.