Role of Algae in CO2 Sequestration Addressing Climate Change: A Review

Climate change is the change in average conditions of weather during a long time period, due to increased addition of greenhouse gases (GHG) to earth's atmosphere. Industrialization and deforestation have been identified as primary causes of increased GHG in which carbon dioxide (CO2) is the major factor, accounting for over half of the warming potential. Increase in CO2 level in atmosphere needs to be addressed by effective and sustainable carbon sequestration technologies. Out of numerous CO2 sequestration technologies, biological methods using algae could be one of the most efficient and economical ways. Algae can be extensively used for utilizing CO2 and the resulting biomass may be used for producing biofuel and multiple value-added products. Many countries have started implementing carbon credits with a fiscal value as price of polluting the air. This has spread awareness worldwide and attracted investments in carbon sequestration via microalgae cultivation. This review summarizes the global research status of utilizing microalgae in CO2 sequestration.