The use of microalgae as a renewable and sustainable input continues to attract worldwide attention in different areas of the economy. Microalgae are distinct microorganisms that can thrive in land unsuitable for agriculture and can treat municipal, industrial, or agricultural wastewater, as well as CO2-rich gaseous emissions, which are sources of nutrients for their cultivation. In addition, microalgae have high growth rates per unit of cultivated area and productivity of interesting molecules for the market, such as mainly lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. Thus, the generated biomass represents a valuable raw material for the production of many commercially exploited products, such as biofuels, bioenergy, food, animal feed, biofertilizers, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and biomaterials. Given this promising scenario, microalgae mass production is seen as a potential paradigm shift in the delivery of inputs to meet the demands of modern society in the context of the circular bioeconomy. It is also worth mentioning that microalgae are a rapidly growing multi-million-dollar market. Projections by experts in the field indicate that the microalgae market will reach US$ 3.08 billion by 2030. In the coming years, technological advances such as automation, synthetic biology, and omics technologies will be able to capitalize on the currently promising capabilities of microalgae. Creating new synergies between stakeholders will be important for the future growth of the global market.

The objective of this research topic is to publish research articles, reviews, short communications, and opinions on the production of microalgae on a pilot and industrial scale, emphasizing the main considerations and recommendations.

In this Research Topic, we welcome the submission of papers focusing on the following:

- Intensive microalgae cultivation with industrial application

- Cultivation conditions and operating modes in large-scale microalgae processes

- Tools to monitor and control microalgae cultivation systems

- Bioreactors for microalgae production: photobioreactors and open systems

- Best practices for harvesting, drying, and extraction of microalgae biomass

- Sustainability metrics applied to microalgae processes

- Bioeconomy applied to microalgae processes

- Scale installations and pilot projects based on microalgae: success and failure experiences

- Research and Development in Microalgae: The way forward

- Hurdles in producing microalgae at scale

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Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

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