Intensified cavitation process for the pretreatment of microalgae: a mini review

Abstract

Advancement of microalgae pretreatment is shifting toward scalable and cost-effective methodologies to exploit the composition of microalgae biomass. The phenomenon of cavitation demonstrates its potential in industrial processes and is now being harnessed as a pretreatment strategy in microalgae biorefinery. Cavitation techniques through ultrasonication and hydrodynamic cavitation have proven its potential at generating cavities whose implosions create shear stress capable of disrupting microalgae cell walls that increase the yield of bioactive compounds in microalgae biomass. Although this technology shows promising results in the bioprocess of microalgae biomass, the leap to commercialization is fraught with the cost-intensive process. Intensive processes involving optimizing energy efficiency, controlled cavitation, scaling-up technology, and ensuring high quality of extracted compounds remain key areas for further research. Resolving these issues is vital for integrating cavitation into microalgae biorefinery and unlocking various bioproduct development. This review aims to offer insight into the practical application of cavitation in microalgae biomass valorization. As research advances, the potential of cavitation applications will determine its viability as a sustainable industry-standard process.