Abstract
Over the past 15 years, China has become the major producer of microalgal biomass in the world. Spirulina (Arthrospira) is the largest microalgal product by tonnage and value, followed by Chlorella, Dunaliella, and Haematococcus, the four main microalgae grown commercially. China’s production is estimated at about two-thirds of global microalgae biomass of which roughly 90 % is sold for human consumption as human nutritional products (‘nutraceuticals’), with smaller markets in animal feeds mainly for marine aquaculture. Research is also ongoing in China, as in the rest of the world, for other high-value as well as commodity microalgal products, from pharmaceuticals to biofuels and CO2 capture and utilization. This paper briefly reviews the main challenges and potential solutions for expanding commercial microalgae production in China and the markets for microalgae products. The Chinese Microalgae Industry Alliance (CMIA), a network founded by Chinese microalgae researchers and commercial enterprises, supports this industry by promoting improved safety and quality standards, and advancement of technologies that can innovate and increase the markets for microalgal products. Microalgae are a growing source of human nutritional products and could become a future source of sustainable commodities, from foods and feeds, to, possibly, fuels and fertilizers.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (408760862) and Public Science and Technology Research Funds Projects of the Ocean (201205027). We also wish to thank Inner Mongolia Rejuv Biotech Co. Ltd and Yantai Hearol Biology Technology Co. Ltd for permitting us to use the pictures in Figs. 2 and 4. We are grateful to King Dnarmsa Spirulina Co. Ltd for supplying us the pictures Fig. 3 and Prof. Jianguo Liu (Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao) for supplying us Fig. 5.
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Chen, J., Wang, Y., Benemann, J.R. et al. Microalgal industry in China: challenges and prospects. J Appl Phycol 28, 715–725 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-015-0720-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-015-0720-4